Is it ever possible to be too honest? Sometimes it is, in a certain sense. Problems can arise for honest people which are the result of inexperience, lack of wisdom and the inability to handle delicate, finely balanced situations. We can find that both honesty …
Read MoreWhat about using deception in a war?
Ever since God established the separate nations of the earth, at the time of the Tower of Babel, nations have gone to war with each other. Sometimes they have been justified in doing so, at least the non-aggressor, which is defending itself. In warfare soldiers …
Read MoreHowever, God also rewarded Betsy Ten Boom for doing the very opposite of what Rehab did
Let’s look now at a similar situation where another person chose to handle it very differently from Rahab. Yet, God still honoured her for it, and came to her aid. It involves Betsy Ten Boom, the sister of Corrie Ten Boom, of the famous Dutch …
Read MoreRahab of Jericho telling a lie about where the Jewish spies were hiding
Rahab (the harlot) lived in Jericho at the time when the Israelites were leaving the wilderness and entering into the land of Canaan to take possession of it. Their leader, Joshua, sent two spies ahead to the city of Jericho, to do reconnaissance and bring …
Read MoreThe lie told by Jehu in order to trick the followers of Baal so that he could destroy them
There was a King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel called Ahab who was exceptionally wicked. He also had a remarkably wicked wife called Jezebel. Between them they dragged Israel down to their level and led the people into sin and idolatry on a huge …
Read MoreThe complications that arise when we tell the truth, and a look at some exceptional situations where we could lie
1Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart. Psalm 73:1 (RSV) The sum of thy word is truth;and every one of thy righteous ordinances endures forever. Psalm 119:160 (RSV) 2Blessed is the man to whom the LORD imputes no …
Read MoreIf you’ll compromise on truth what else will you compromise on?
You may think I’m over-emphasising the importance of truth and focusing on it too strongly. I don’t think so. It is at the centre and it holds everything together. That’s why apostle Paul, in Ephesians chapter 6, refers to the “belt of truth”. It holds all …
Read MoreThe hardest form of truth – being honest with yourself
It is very rare to find people who are willing to be brutally honest with themselves. Most people cannot even see the issue here. The point is that the person to whom we lie the most is ourselves. Our own hearts lie to us and …
Read MoreThe need to be truthful is one of God’s main ways of guiding you – it makes it easier to decide what to do, because it automatically rules out every dishonest option, thus narrowing the choice
We all struggle at times to know God’s will and to get clear guidance from Him as to what steps we should take in complicated or difficult situations. However, one of the clearest forms of guidance God has given us this general principle of truthfulness, …
Read MoreWinning without lying
God wants us to be overcomers. He wants us to succeed in life, to win our battles, and to overcome the problems that we come up against. So it’s true that God wants His people to be winners. However, for success to be real it …
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