Stop Lying To Yourself

"Therefore, putting away lying, 'Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,' for we are members of one another." (Ephesians 4:25)

When Paul says "putting away lying," the Greek carries a definite article. It doesn't say lying. It says THE lie. That changes everything. The lie Paul is pointing to is this: your life is no different from the unsaved person you claim you're no longer like. The lie that your lifestyle could be exactly the same as the person right down the road who has never given their life to Jesus Christ.

Paul has been describing how lost people live. Now he's saying your life is supposed to be different. Jesus confirmed it in John 8:44 when He called the devil "a liar and the father of it." We swallow that lie every time we say, "I told Jesus to be my Lord, but if I'm being honest, there's no real change in my life. I live the same way I lived before."

My mother-in-law once shared a verse with me that I never forgot. Psalm 119:29 (New Living Translation) reads, "Keep me from lying to myself." That is a prayer. Oh God, help me not lie to myself. That echoes exactly what Paul is saying here. Put away the lie.

Paul also says we should speak truth to one another as members of a body, because bodies depend on telling themselves the truth. Imagine seeing a hot stove but misreading the signals. Your hand moves toward it, but instead of pulling away, your body registers nothing. What could have been a small burn, treated with ice, becomes a much bigger problem - all because the body was lying to itself.

A child of God was never intended to be in bondage to sin. That's what Jesus came to break. Something happened on the inside of you that is real and different. You are free to live for Jesus. James 4:6-7 says to submit to God, then resist the devil, and he will flee. A lot of Christians skip straight to resisting and wonder why it's not working. Submit first. Then you are in position to resist, and he will flee.

Reflection Question: Is there an area where you believe you are lying to yourself? What will it take to be honest?

Dear Heavenly Father, keep me from lying to myself. Show me the places where I have accepted the devil's lie that nothing needs to change. Something happened on the inside of me when I gave my life to You. Help me live like it. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: Enemy Access Denied (Ephesians 4:25-32): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/3vjtypj/17-enemy-access-denied-eph-4-25-32