10 Shades of Falsehood: The Blatant Liar and the Joker

Last Monday, I started a series on 10 shades of falsehood. For the next five Mondays, I will take two different shades each and show what the Bible says about them. What is the point? Because for a Christian, lying often happens subtly. Nobody actually plans at the beginning of the day to be a liar for Christ. There is no such thing. The Bible affirms that the devil, our adversary is the master of subtleties, wiles and deception. Thus, we are encouraged to be wise as a serpent, but gentle as dove. It is wisdom for us to be aware of the various sly ways through which our Christian testimony may be stained- so that by the grace that the Holy Spirit gives to us, we can triumph over falsehood (2Corinthians 2:11).

Falsehood happens to be on a spectrum. I do not mean that a liar on one side of the line is better than one on the other side. At all! The Bible emphatically states that all unrighteousness is sin (I John 5:17).

Like I said last week, falsehood is not a laughing matter. I believe it is one of the little foxes that can rubbish the testimony of a child of God and limit the extent to which such person can be used by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself stated that the devil is the father of all liars. We cannot claim to have God as our Father and still want the devil to adopt us. It can’t work. It won’t work and since God respects the will of a man, continuing in falsehood may just be us insisting on whom we want to call daddy.

If you missed the story (about Nnamdi) that prompted this post, here is it. I refer again to Nnamdi’s story because for me, he comes tops on the ranking of how people lie. Please bear in mind that Nnamdi told all of us in the bus that he was (is) a Bible believing, church attending Christian. So this is not a struggle that is exclusive to ‘the infidels’.

1.       Blatant Lying. The name says it all. This is almost an obsessive, compulsive urge to lie. You may remember people like this from secondary school. Folks who told us about their father’s 7 cars- 1 car for each day of the week. I was particularly blessed with these people. Everywhere I turned- from my bunkmate to class mates, I found them. They told me ‘true-to-God’ stories of how the president visited their homes, how they have seen real mermaids, how they have a whole room devoted to chocolates in their home…I can go on, and it gets more ridiculous.

Unfortunately, some people don’t outgrow these things. They carry into adulthood the ever expanding sore of the soul, festered by the need to impress; to be ‘something’ when one actually is ‘nothing’. You may have people around you who are like that. We have them at work, the neighbourhood, and unfortunately, at church.

The aim of this post is not only to diagnose ills, but to prescribe healing paths as well. What can heal the soul of a man than the Word of God (made flesh for us in Jesus.). People who fall in this category are primarily victims of insecurity and low-self esteem. Who they are is not enough for them, so they have to be somebody that they think everybody aspires to be. The disease of insecurity cannot be treated in one article but permit me to say that it is not of God. God has made us fearfully and wonderfully. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and He has given us ALL that pertains to life and godliness (Psalm 139:14 Ephesians 1:3, 2Peter1:3).

If you would devote time to realising, celebrating and trading with the amazing talent(s) that God has given you, perhaps, you will be less inclined to makeup highfaluting stories about who you wish you were. Nnamdi, why does it matter that people think you can drive from Benin to Lagos within two hours? Why say you have a fiancée in Timbuktu when he exists only in your prayers? Why does it matter to you that people think you have a certain net worth? You real worth has been irrevocably dictated by the One Person that matters, and He says you are priceless, precious and worth dying for (Isaiah 43:4).

The truth of the matter is, wise people do not believe your lies; they see through it and feel sorry for you. Some people are repulsed by it and those who would have thought of helping you through your obvious financial struggle will simply leave you fend for yourself with your imaginary gold.

See Philippians 2:3-11 for more help.

2.      Jokes and Coarse Jesting. The book of proverbs 26:19 aptly defines this category of falsehood as “one who deceives their neighbour and says, "I was only joking!” (NLT) or “is someone who lies to a friend and then says, "I was only joking."(NIV).

I understand that some belief systems mark professional comedians in this category in that they lie to people to laugh, and then say’ I was only joking”. Except I get a different scriptural understanding in the future, I am not referring to professional comedians. I refer to people who lie for the fun of it. At my place of work, there is a young lady who takes delight in her ability to lie to boss, colleague and subordinates without being caught. In her presence, they praise her prowess, behind her back, heads shake dismally at her reputation. When she says something, nobody believes her.

Are you a joker? Or perhaps you are not a joker but you talk too much. I think that the fellow who frequently makes a clown of himself so that he can be the life of the party may unconsciously be suffering from the insecurity of the people I label Nnamdis. It is extremely difficult to talk excessively and not stumble into telling lies, gossiping or dirty talk for in the multitude of words, there wanteth not sin (Proverbs 10:19). Dwight Eisenhower once said “never miss a good opportunity to keep your mouth shut!” That is a precious saying indeed.

If you are compulsively compelled by your own self to be funny all the time, one day, you will lie to be funny- without getting paid anything except the wages of sin, death.

See Philippians 2:3-11 for more help

As I continue this series, I find that I repeatedly ask myself exactly why I am doing this. Isn’t this a waste of time? Isn’t a lie a lie? Truly, lying is lying. But the aim of this series is that by the grace of God, our eyes would be open to the subtle ways in which the sin of falsehood can creep up on a Christian. I personally find that as I focus on the subject, I am increasingly aware and conscious of my own speech. Regardless of the shape it takes, falsehood is of the devil, for as Jesus told the lying law keepers, “You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

A man who finds himself enslaved to falsehood ought to cry for repentance and grace for victory in holiness like the man who is enslaved to immorality. Bear in mind that false teachers started from somewhere- probably from telling lies.

If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of falsehood or any other sin, rejoice first and then repent. For at least, I take it to mean that my conscience has not been seared beyond repair. Then I still have hope. God is still interested in me. I fear for and pity the man whom the Holy Spirit no longer pricks his conscience on sin. That man deserves the world’s pity for he is a tragedy that has happened, waiting only to be revealed.

Has God at anytime convicted you of lying or any form of falsehood? Do you have a testimony of overcoming falsehood? Share your thoughts in the comments section, and strengthen other readers.

I leave you in God's care,

Ms. August 


PS: Picture from eternallifeblog.com 

Free Friday Music Revue: I am Grateful For My Pancreas!

Like my name insinuates, it is my birthday this month! Having thought through many events across different phases of my life, all I want to say to God is “thank you!”. He is the one in whom we live, move and have our being. You know how life alarms (such as birthdays, death and stuff) wake us from the reverie of routine daily living. I have tried to assess the past one year of my life. I wanted to be sure I didn’t just add a whole year without significant growth. While I agree that you can hardly complete a sincere version of this assessment in one day, don’t be put off. It doesn’t hurt to try and if like me, you can’t do a thorough analysis, the little you do may just open your eyes to many things about you.

Life may not be this picturesque, but we will praise Him

In addition to many other benefits, you will:

1.       Be able to track personal your progress in different areas of your life. Say, your relationship with God, family and friends, your career/ business, health, finances, etc

2.       You will see which area of your life needs more attention.

3.      You can begin to think of ideas on how to improve relevant areas

4.      Based on number three, you have ideas on habits to drop and ones to pick up

5.      Set yourself up for a much better year for at least the next one year.

It can end up being a very sobering experience but it is truly an honour and a rare privilege to be able to number your days so you can apply your heart to wisdom. This exercise is sure to make you wiser and get a better grip of your life in God.

However, of all these points, my favourite reason for doing a one year assessment is that: I GET TO COUNT MY BLESSINGS! Where do I start from? First, there is: the eternal privilege of being a believer in and follower of Jesus, The Christ, the love of countless family and friends who love you enough to drain your phone battery with birthday calls and texts (this list does not include the people who send HBD, LLNP, GGMUB, IJN). If you can’t spare a few minutes to type the full “Happy Birthday, Long life and prosperity, God go make you bigger, In Jesus Name”, I wonder exactly where I stand with you- but I digress. I was counting my blessings: I am in good health, I have my sanity (if you see the number of crazy people that I see in Lagos daily, you have to thank God), all my senses are working, my parents are doing good, so are my siblings, I have not been robbed, mugged or abused, I have not met an Ariel Castro to ruin 10 years of my life, I have not been a victim of a fire/motor/ or air accident, I have a beautiful Bible believing church where I can worship and feed on God’s word, I can get on my bed and get a good night’s sleep without fear or medication, I have the privilege to talk to God daily, I have this blog, my book is almost published, my friends are making progress such that I do not have to hesitate before sharing a good news with someone who appears to be having an extremely hard life,… don’t get me started because I can go on and on and on- ask Jesus, He will tell you than when this daughter starts her ‘thankful list’, things get interesting. You can hear her talk about how all that is within me praise you O lord; my spleen praises you, my pancreas gives you thanks, my liver, my kidneys, my…let’s not start- seriously.

However, sometimes, we just can’t find something to be thankful for. We are tempted to ask God what in the heavens in going. Sometimes, all we have is a long list of owes, sorrows, pains and disappointments. Sometimes, all we have (which is much actually) is just life and other daily blessings that we have come to see as ordinary. At that winter season of life, when I cannot seem to find something to be truly thankful for, I have a song. That song is what I want to share for this ‘free Friday music revue’. It is by Lara George, a Nigerian female Gospel music artiste. The song is based on Lamentations (imagine a song of praise from a book aptly titled ‘Lamentations’!)

Believe me when I say this song truly takes me through winter. God has blessed me with it to weather the storm. I hope it blesses you as much and even more than it has blessed me.

Got anything to be thankful for? I'm sure you do. Kindly drop a comment and let the whole world know!
 Enjoy!

I leave you in God’s care, 

Miss August

FIG TREE- Lara George

Though the fig tree may not blossom
Though the rivers run dry
Though the world around me crumble
Though I heave and I sigh
I remember where my hope lies
Where my help comes from
If you could care about the sparrow
I know you won’t forget me

Verse:
Lord there is much 
That my mind can’t handle
Puzzled by
The billowing of waves
Of this one thing 
I am certain
You remain the God unchanging
Lord you’re watching me
Keeping me
Restoring me
You will never
Forget your own

Bridge:
Through the raging storm
Through the fiery blaze
I will hold on strong
I’ll stay in your face
Let the howling wind
What it chooses bring
Even through it all
I will always sing….

From www.sweetslyrics.com; picture from crosscards.com

How To Kill Off a Good Relationship

Every Wednesday, I try to share something inspiring that I have read online within the last week. This week is more like a cocktail of articles that I believe can enhance our relationships with people who question our belief in Jesus, The Christ, our friends and our family- in that order:

When you are asked if  Jesus is God?

Wednesday Weekly Rounds: Good Stuff You found online this week

So does the New Testament really teach that Jesus is God? The NT often uses “God” (Greek: theos) as synonymous with “God the Father”— and Jesus is not the Father. But the NT also frequently uses “God” as the more generic term for the divine nature. So “God” is not always a reference to the Son in particular, but the Son is always God.

There are several examples where Jesus is explicitly called God. Here are the clearest ones:

John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 20:28,”Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”

Romans 9:5,”To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

Titus 2:13, “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ”

Hebrews 1:8,”But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of your kingdom.’”

2 Peter 1:1,”To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ”

But the evidence for Jesus’ divinity is hardly limited to these examples where he is explicitly identified as God. You can read the complete article here

How to Destroy a Relationship

Pete Wilson really nailed it here with how jealousy and making assumptions can kill off the best friendship. Who hasn’t been there- either at the giving or receiving end?  He said:

                How do you destroy a relationship?

Step One: Make Assumptions.

I recently received an email from an old friend who was upset with me. I’m not really at liberty to talk details, but it turned out to all be one BIG misunderstanding. In fact, he had made a series of assumptions which turned out to be completely false. At the end of the day I was just relieved we were able to work through the conflict, but it got me thinking.

Assumptions are the silent deadly bombs that do nothing but destroy healthy relationships. An assumption is one person’s IDEA of what someone else is thinking, feeling or doing.

Parents often assume they know exactly what their children feel, think or want. Bosses may assume employees know exactly what they want when they ask for something. Church attendees assume they know exactly what the pastor’s motives are. All of this is mind-reading or assuming and it is dangerous.

While you may be right from time to time, more often your assumptions lead to unnecessary conflict, worry, and broken relationships.

So today I just want to encourage you to stop and think. Instead of making assumptions how about asking questions?

Few days later, he dropped another piece that is definitely worth a look: the green eyed monster.

So, if you have a really good relationship you just want to destroy:

1.       Make Assumptions

2.       Get Jealous- it will guarantee you to do stupid stuff.

If the relationship is worth keeping, see that you avoid number 1 and 2.

Marriage is Heart Work

Apart our relationship with God, the next most important one would be our relationships with our spouse. Especially for the singles, this piece helps us to put marriage preparation in focus before scurrying down the aisle:

It’s that time of year again. People seem to be marrying off like rabbits (at least from my news feed). Facebook has been lighting up with pictures of brides and bridal parties, and it is fun to see all the smiles and happy celebrations. Occasionally, an engagement announcement will pop up, and my first thought is, I wonder if they’re ready? I don’t mean it in a judgmental or even critical way. I just wonder what makes a couple ready for marriage.

Certainly, no one enters marriage with complete confidence that they are ready for all that awaits. There are all sorts of unknown variables that even the most calculating person couldn’t possibly anticipate. One of the great mysteries of marriage is that it’s a commitment made in trust. You must trust yourself, your new spouse, and God — the giver of marriage. But are we left to only trust and take the leap? Or is there a way of knowing if we are really ready for marriage?

Andrew Hess of The boundless blog cracked me up on “people marrying off like rabbits…” but the rest is really informative and relevant to both single and married people.

What have you found inspiring online this week? Please drop a note in the comments section.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Picture from: christpinoy.blogspot.com

PS: The aim of Wednesday weekly rounds is to share with you things I came across online and found useful. It could also be a way of saying that “if I can’t share it on this platform”, I should rethink reading it.

Would you be able to freely share what you have been reading online in the past week? If you consider it inappropriate to be shared amongst believers, maybe you shouldn’t be reading it to start with.

PPS: The usual disclaimer: I am not affiliated or endorsing the people mentioned in this post. As you know, they are waaaayyyy out of my league J

10 SHADES OF FALSEHOOD

You can NOT cover Lagos-Benin in 2hrs- map from google

Lagos traffic reveals the human heart. If you happen to take public transport on a Friday night, be ready to see, hear and experience a lot of strange things. It is not unusual to board a bus with someone who feels everyone must know his/her personal opinion on religion, politics and the economy. (I’m not talking about those who make really loud personal phone calls. Those people belong to a different category.) Some other people consider BRT buses the perfect place to render an audio version of their autobiography- right from the Civil War till date.

If you remove the embellishments, you can actually learn a bit of history but asides that, it can quickly become a competition on the person with the most interesting story on personal relationships with celebrities or popular politicians, disarming armed robbers, near death experiences, ritual killings, and other stuff. Many of us know these entertainers are lying through their teeth but we just keep quiet. However, my experience on Friday shows that folks are just tired of the tale-spinners they meet every day. Trust me; the dude in question is not likely to spin another tale any time soon. I will relay what happened in a bit.

For a while now, I have been considering doing a series on falsehood. After giving it some thought, I realised that falsehood goes beyond telling a lie. I thought and still think that the topic may turn out to require several posts to do it justice and I did not want to entangle myself with that but the young man I shall call Nnamdi clearly showed me that its high time we considered the issue of falsehood-among Christians.

I was in one of those long civilian buses that ply Oshodi- Sango route. If you have ever been on one, you will know that the number of people who stand is almost double the number of people who sit in the bus. Nnamdi was one of those standing. Now, normally, Oshodi to Sango shouldn’t take more than an hour but Friday nights in Lagos are anything but normal. You know how you grind your teeth as you realise that you have spent 45 minutes on almost the same spot. Now that I think about it, it is probably this frustration fires the imagination of tale spinners.

Anyway, we had just driven past Ikeja along when out of the blues, I heard Nnamdi’s clear voice “I once drove from Lagos to Benin in less than two hours.” It was quiet. All was still. Brethren, people were stunned! I know I was. Two hours! I can’t even begin to explain this to someone who is not familiar with the terrain but let me say that there are at least two big states between both locations: Ogun and Ondo states. I have attached a map to this post but I doubt if it will do justice to the issue at hand.

When one of us recovered his faculties, he asked (more like confronted) Nnamdi on how in the heavens he achieved this feat. Obviously, the young man did not expect anyone to take him up on the matter so to cover up his miscalculated speech; he launched into talks about speedometers, car models, kilometres, state of the road and other excuses. Trust Lagosians. They ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ at the appropriate time to deliver the right amount of shame. Nnamdi was flustered but he couldn’t stop. He picked up his phone and called an anonymous friend to corroborate his report. When everyone yelled for him to put the phone on speaker “so we can ask your friend questions”, Nnamdi pocketed his phone and his voice dipped remarkably. To say it was embarrassing is an understatement. I blushed for him!

Why this matter really touched me was the fact that, without being asked, five minutes before the outlandish statement that ruined the night, Nnamdi had pointed out his church “where I go every Sunday” to everyone in the bus. Who asked him? When the events unravelled, I felt that another one of my brothers had shamed Jesus in a public bus. Indeed, in the multitude of words, there wanteth not sin.

Now that you have the background statement story, permit me to run a series on the issue of falsehood. Bear in mind that I do not write as a Pharisee, but as one whom the Spirit of God has convicted on the same issue in recent times. Typing this just hurt my pride. I wasn’t spinning tales, I was ‘withholding’ information- am I making excuses? I hope not- that’s even worse. Sometimes, one can approach the issue of privacy without wisdom and slip into telling lies- or withholding information which in itself could turn into falsehood.

As a matter of fact, falsehood has layers that range from subtle misinformation to blatant lies (ask Nnamdi). Is there any difference in these types of lies? Technically, No. I do not mean that I excuse one type of lie for the other. I only think that the differences between them lie in how they are able to sneak up on us without us realising that we just told a lie: for example, if I am working on my next blog post during official working hours but I leave the company’s e-mail window open so I can quickly make a switch when anybody appears to walk in my direction, am I lying? Yes, I am.

Falsehood is not a laughing matter. I believe it is one of the little foxes that can rubbish the testimony of a child of God and limit the extent to which such person can be used by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself stated that the devil is the father of all liars. We cannot claim to have God as our Father and still want the devil to adopt us. That is not a spiritually legal triune relationship. It can’t work. It won’t work and since God respects the will of a man, continuing in falsehood may just be us insisting on whom we want to call daddy.

If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of falsehood or any other sin, rejoice first and then repent. For at least, I take it to mean that my conscience has not been seared beyond repair. Then I still have hope. God is still interested in me. I fear for and pity the man whom the Holy Spirit no longer pricks his conscience on sin. That man deserves the world’s pity for he is a tragedy that has happened, waiting only to be revealed.

Has God at anytime convicted you of lying or any form of falsehood? Do you have a testimony of overcoming falsehood? Share your thoughts in the comments section, and strengthen other readers.

I leave you In God’s care,

Miss. August