I know that this title will catch a
few eyes so that is why I have left it as such.
There is a lot of disgust, detestation, abhorrence, and loathing going
on in the world today, and that often translates down into one word which is hate.
I do not know how many times I have heard that little four-letter word
come across my desk in the counseling office.
What saddens me is that those who come in and sit across from me are
often guilty of the same sin that they say they “hate” in others. They have come in for counseling, they came
in for help yet once they sit down and begin to share their story with me what
I hear is their anger and hatred of others. In the midst of their story it is often noticeable
that they are totally oblivious to the fact that they are equally as guilty of
the same sin. They are self-deceived and
caught up in their own arrogance, oblivious to the sin that they are caught up
in.
As I took
the time the other day to go over my notes for the past week’s sessions that I had
engaged in, the Lord revealed to me that this one common thread was running
though almost every case. That common
thread was the phrase “I hate,” it was
associated with almost every session. As
I sat there I began to wonder, was I too experiencing this same distaste? Was I just as guilty as they? And sadly I have to say guilty. I was starting to go off course in my own
life. This led me to the conclusion that
I needed to ask my God for forgiveness because I was going in a direction that
He had not intended for any of us to go.
I was going in a direction that I did not want to be traveling. I was starting to take things too personal
and to selfishly. It was then that I
was reminded of a statement that George
Washington once made, “There is but one straight course, and that
is to seek truth and pursue it steadily.”
A very straight forward and sound statement and it is biblical
in meaning. “Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
(Matthew 7:14), “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
If I am to serve Christ and that is
my desire then I need to change my way of thinking. As I went to the Lord about this issue I had
a new revelation, a new line of thought to pursue. If we are to hate something we need to hate what
God hates. Our focus needs to be
directed at exactly what it is that He hates.
There is a passage of Scripture that stand out here and that is found in
proverbs which reads, “These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven
are an abomination to Him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed
innocent blood, (18) A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in
running to evil, (19) A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord
among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19) It
really cannot be much clearer than this, God Hates Sin. I am convinced that this sin that He hates is
one that all believers struggle with and that has its roots in selfishness and
pride. If not dealt with, this
self-deception will work its way through every aspect of my ministry if it is
not dealt with immediately.
As we read this passage it is
interesting to note that God says that there are six things he hates and of
which seven are an abomination yet five of the things mentioned are lying or directly
related to lying. God here in this
passage is clearly stating that He hates lying.
If God is adamant about hating lying should not we be also? There is nothing more frustrating in the
counseling situation or life in general than to be confronted by someone that
you know or face and you know that that they are lying to you. This sin is one that is committed by all
believers and is a common practice by many.
I would dare say that if someone says to you that they do not lie there
is a good chance that they just did. Edmond
Burke (1729-1797) once said, “Sin has
many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.” This is one bold statement but one that
hits the nail directly on the head. If
we are children of the Word then we must live, walk and breathe by the
Word.
Many try to cover up this sin using
pleasantries such as “embellishment’s,” or “exaggeration’s” but the truth be
known, they lied. They strayed from the
truth and lied, they did that which God hates, they have sinned note the
following verses:
Proverbs 14:5, “A faithful witness does not lie, but a
false witness will utter lies.”
Proverbs 14:25, “A true witness delivers souls, but a
deceitful witness speaks lies.”
Proverbs
19:5, “A false witness will not go
unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape.”
Proverbs
19:9, “A false witness will not go
unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall perish.”
Proverbs
19:22, “What is desired in a man is
kindness, and a poor man is better than a liar.”
The problem is that we have deemed it socially acceptable to
do so. You cannot watch a program on the
TV where lying not practiced, accepted or encouraged. You cannot watch or listen to political ads
and you must be leery of those we face from day to day. It's almost a given that we really cannot
trust most people that we wind up talking with until we know that they are not
lying to us. It is sad that we have to
do so. It is sad that we have to hunt
the truth in everyday conversations. We
search it out in the writings and notes that we take in the counseling room. Psalm
58:3 says “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they
are born, speaking lies.” This
truth is evident in that many of the people we encounter. With some, they will rather tell a lie than
the truth. I do believe that this is why
the psalmist wrote Psalm 120:2, “Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips
and from a deceitful tongue.”
The Psalmist did not want to be around those who lied either.
I do believe that as believers we need to make an effort to
return to the things of God. We must
return to the truth and the way of truth.
One of the first steps that we should take is one back to total
honesty. We must hate the sin of lying
as God does. Proverbs 12:22, “Lying lips are
an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” If we take this challenge, if we make it a
priority, we will once again return to being a delight to the Lord.
