My Daily Reminder....

Better to be poor and honest than rich and dishonest. Proverbs 19:1 (LB)

God doesn't bless dishonesty. Proverbs 16:11 says, "The Lord demands fairness in every business deal." (LB) If you want God's blessing on your finances, you've got to be honest. You can't rip people off.

Sometimes the pressure to get ahead -- or just the pressure to keep up -- is so overwhelming that we, even as believers, are often tempted to compromise our ethics. Maybe we do a little shading of the truth in order to make a buck. Maybe we overvalue something or maybe we just don't tell somebody what's wrong with it when we're selling it to them.

We just don't tell the truth in a situation. Why? Because the draw to make a buck is so intense in our lives.

The decision to do what is right and trust God is not a once-for-all decision. It is a daily moment-by-moment decision. But God has said that he will meet your needs if you maintain your integrity

*Taken from Daily Hope with Rick Warren

Lies, Lies, Lies, Yeah....

They're gonna get you...

What is a lie? Well, the dictionary tells us a lie is a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. We often try to deceive ourselves by calling our lies fibs, white lies or exaggerations. But truth be told, if it isn't the whole truth... it's a lie.

It seems we learn this trait early on in life. How many of us have asked our little innocent toddlers "did you do this?" to receive a very quick "no" when we know otherwise. All mother's and father's alike have heard the inevitable "I don't know" "it wasn't me" "I don't remember" knowing full well that their precious little angle is LYING!!!!

So, if we know it is wrong, why do we lie? We typically do it to to keep ourselves out of trouble. Often we are fearful of the consequences - possible punishment, embarrassment, we don't want to lose face, seem incompetent, or have someone angry with us. Sadly, there are some who lie to manipulate people. But what it all boils down to is this - liars lie to protect themselves.

When my children were very young I told them I would instantly know if they lied because a red dot would appear on their forehead (ok, I know, hypocritical of me to actually LIE to my children about lying - but hey, it worked). Sure enough, a lie would come out, and a hand would slap on top of that forehead!! Eventually that stopped working but with maturity came the willingness to fess up.... most of the time...

I believe that the majority of parents out their in the world work hard to teach their children what is right, and what is wrong. Lying is obviously wrong, but I have to wonder why is it that some people just don't REALLY grasp this? They live their lives building a house of cards, one lie on top of the other, but don't they grasp that it's only a matter of time before an unstable structure such as that will come toppling down??!!

OJ is a great example. He got away with murder, literally, and I believe he actually believes his lies. He has justified, in his mind, why what he did wasn't "murder", he has somehow convinced himself HE was wronged and it was justified. But his house of cards eventually came down on top of him, didn't it? He may have lied his way out it for a period, but eventually his words could no longer save him.

I read the following and boy did it ring the truth bell for me "Lying is not only an anti-social behavior, liars often become anti-social themselves. If they hang around people they’ve lied to, they begin to dislike those people. They may even blame them for their problems. It's no wonder that lies can ruin work relationships, marriages and friendships. If you’re caught in a lie, your credibility drops to zero." Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding... Boy have I been duped by someone like this....

So very simply put - the truth always sets one free. And isn't having a life being labeled as an honest person much better then being known as a liar?

The War Raging Within....

I want to do the "right" thing, but right now I'm struggling. I feel like I have the age ol' God on one shoulder, Satan on the other. Satan is whispering, like he did to Eve, "go ahead, think of all the power you will feel" and God loving reminds me "Wise people don't make a show of their knowledge..." Prov 12:23.

I feel God is silent in many areas of my life right now, but he's speaking to me loud and clear within this struggle that I'm dealing with. In scripture last night he reminded me "No real harm befalls the godly but the wicked have their fill of trouble" Prov 12:21 as well as Prov 12:22 "The Lord hates those who don't keep their word, but delights in those who do". God knew I would be dealing with this desire, and knew that these scriptures would speak to my soul... but still.... Satan is perched, not ready to leave my shoulder yet... "Go ahead, it's deserved, you have every right".....

"So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?" Luke 6:46 - this is the scripture I read this morning. I have the choice, I can follow my desire, my will, what the "world" tells me is the "right" thing to do, or I can follow what God keeps telling me, "Vengeance is mine..." Heb 10:30.

Wouldn't it be nice If I could just easily flick Satan off my shoulder?