Daily Devotional
Are You Tempted to Lie?

May 18, 2023

Ponder This

When I was younger, I was driving down to my little country church with one headlight, hoping I could make it back to school and get it fixed. The highway patrolman stopped me and said, “Son, do you know you only have one headlight.” I responded, “I only have one headlight?” On one hand, you could say I told him the absolute truth. I only had one headlight. But the way I said it insinuated that I didn’t know that. When I got back in the car, the Holy Spirit tore me up and convicted me about my lie.

We can lie with the tone of our voice, and we also lie when we slander others. The Bible says in James 4:11, “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.” It doesn’t say whether or not it’s true. We are not to slander. We’re not to speak with an evil spirit. A.B. Simpson, the great Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor, once said, “I would rather play with forked lightning, or take in my hands living wires with their fiery current, than speak a reckless word against any servant of Christ, or idly repeat the slanderous darts which thousands of Christians are hurling on others, to the hurt of their own souls and bodies.” When you listen to slander, you’re as guilty as the person who spreads it.

• When have you felt convicted about how you spoke against someone or told a lie?
• How do you respond when you hear someone speak against a brother or sister in Christ?

Practice This

Consider your habits and practices regarding speaking negatively about others or telling lies. Repent and surrender those things to God.