Chronicles101: Your Caribbean Christian Magazine May 2016 | Page 36

One time I met someone who was a compulsive liar. I think he was what we would call a “pathological liar.” He would tell mistruths even when telling the truth would be easier or better to do. It was like he was compelled to lie. He told lies like there was no tomorrow.

He said that he was the son of an important diplomat, yet he lived in poverty. He boasted that his mother left him a great sum of money, but it was all in a special fund and he never had enough money etc. The tragic part is that I think he actually believed every word of his many lies as the truth. It was a sad case of very poor self-esteem where this individual lived in a fantasy world.

Whatever is the reason behind the lie, living with lies creates distance between us and others. We lose our credibility when we lie, and people no longer trust us or take us seriously. And as followers of Jesus, lying is totally inconsistent with the new life we have in Christ.

Colossians 3

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.

Things I Say to Myself (No More Lies)

Truth stabilizes all my relationships – with people and with the Lord

That is why God forbids every kind of falsehood

I must not lie to other people – about myself or anyone else or anything at all

I must strip off the old nature with its deceptive practices and put on the new

God wants me to make truthfulness and genuineness

The foundation of all my relationships

I must stop lying, for it undermines my relationships with people

I must give up my old way of life with its bad habits that is full of deceit

We are all liars by nature, and we live in a culture that isfull of lies

We may even lie unconsciously, but it is still very destructive to our souls

But now in Christ, I have a new life, one that is totally different from the old

Now I am marching to different drumbeat, reaching for a new set of ideals

I must no longer be devious and scheming, dodging and shady

I must be open and transparent, straightforward and frank

I am growing in my understanding of the One who is constantly renewing me

I am becoming more and more like Him every day

So there is no more room for rumors and slander against people I do not like

There is no room for half-truths,polished truths and weaving truth with error

Embellishing the truth and enhancing the truth

To make myself look impressive and attractive to others

36

Chronicles101: Your Caribbean Christian Magazine

Devotional

faye

Fayewomen

Continued from page 34

Continued on page 37