By John Stallings
This blog was written and first published on 9/28/09.
During the last presidential campaign, I said, "Obama is a narcissistic neophyte, too inexperienced to lead this country. " I had no clue as to how right I really was.
I get shivers down my spine when I look at things this man has said & done in just over eight short months. I’ve been around a long time & I can safely say there’s never been a president who raised the ire, indeed fostered a sense of rage in the people of America on the Right, Left, & Center in so short a time.
I got a small shiver down my spine when Bam, not yet acquainted with White House surroundings, on the way back to the Oval Office approached a panel window, instead of the actual door, expecting it to open. The actual door was just a little further down, which he finally found. Not to worry, this wasn’t going to be a big-deal for him. To me that was a mistake anyone could make. Probably you & I have made similar mistakes. O.K, maybe just me.
The shiver came when I remember George Bush exiting a press conference in Beijing & tugged on the handles of a door, only to find it locked. Bush laughed off the small blunder but the pictures still live on as part of Bush’s legacy. Dozens of news outlets used it as a metaphor from that point on, saying things like; I wonder if this or that will be another “locked door for Bush?”
However there was little note taken of Obama’s rookie mistake. I don’t agree with everything Bush did but something runs up & down my spine when I see such gross unfairness & double-standards. What I’m still trying to wrap my head around is that outright lies & hypocrisy don’t seem to bother some folk in the least. They don’t know the meaning of a “blush.”
It sent shivers down my spine when I heard Obama tell Europe that America was no longer a Christian nation. It sends shivers down my spine when I hear him speak of “spreading the wealth,” when I know that’s nothing more than codified rhetoric meaning socialism.
It sends shivers down my spine every time I hear our president criticize America, especially in other countries, never quite able to bring himself to speak of the greatness of this country. I wonder: whose side is Obama on?
My shivers slightly subsided when I saw Obama hit the nail on the head recently, calling Hip Hop artists Kanye West a Jack---, because of his pitiful display at the award show, taking the mike from 19 year old Taylor Swift’s hands & telling her & the world in essence she didn’t really deserve the award but Beyonce Knolls did. I pray for this young man because it’s likely he was both stoned & drunk when he took this action. But again, Obama described the young man perfectly. Way to go Obama!
But my shivers started again a few days later when Obama played down the shameful videos that surfaced involving the corrupt organization ACORN, acting as if they were beneath his notice when he’s had connections with them through the years, not to mention the fact that through the years they’ve enjoyed millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize their too often nefarious conduct. Conclusion: Obama knows all about a music award show where whatever happened it didn’t cost the American people their hard earned tax dollars, -but isn’t really familiar with the ACORN mess.
I get shivers down my spine when I see our President allowing an investigation into the CIA interrogations with all the risks it would entail. We’re a nation with many vicious enemies & knowledge is power. Now who in the intelligence community going forward is going to stick their neck out to garner information when a few years down the road the rules will change & they’ll have to “Lawyer up,” & maybe even go to jail?
I get shivers down my spine when I see the following; with our allies fighting for their very existence; Europe has virtually been overrun by Muslims, Africa is corrupt in the main, & Israel is fighting for its life, nonetheless our president plans on undermining our intelligence community, consequently shutting out the possibility of our allies exchanging information with us because if we can’t be trusted to safeguard the identity of our own agents, why jeopardize themselves.
I get shivers down my spine when I hear Obama & those around him criticize the free market system, our Constitution, the Founding Fathers—who according to them were—“rich old white men.”
I get shivers down my spine when I hear Obama give dozens of speeches seeking to ram his idea of Health Care down the throats of a people who’ve made it clear they want no part of it, & never mention the good parts of the health care we have & the great strides we’ve made in medicine in the last few decades. Certainly our health-care needs a tune-up but not a complete over-hauling. It doesn’t need to be reinvented & placed in the hands of the government. Have you been to a DMV lately, took a number & watched your fingernails grow while you waited? Have you driven around a government housing project lately or visited a V.A hospital?
I get shivers down my spine when I see voices of descent squelched, people like Humana called on the carpet for telling their patrons the truth about what Obama-care would mean to them.
I got more shivers last week when it was announced that Obama is moving the missile defense from our allies, Poland & the Czhek Republic & did it on the anniversary of the 1939 invasion of Poland. This is a real gift to Russia who desperately wants to reassemble the Soviet Union.
I got shivers down my spine when I heard those New Jersey school kids singing praise to Obama in their classroom. I know Obama didn’t organize that but it shows the militancy of some true believers who are willing to cross the line & indoctrinate young school children. Chairman Moa would be proud.
I got shivers down my spine this morning when I learned the president & his wife were soon off to Copenhagen to plead with the Olympics Committee to bring the next Olympics Games to Chicago, while his generals in Afghanistan sweat it out waiting for him to decide whether or not they’re going to lose the fight with the Taliban & Al Quida for lack of enough boots on the ground.He's spent more time lately with David Letterman than he has talking with the generals in Afghanistan.
I got shivers down my spine when I heard Obama say he wants his own private army of somewhere between 10 & 20 million. This would be a domestic force answerable only to him, to do his bidding. Obama wants to recruit high-school & college students to serve a term in his-“AmeriCorps.” These kids would be shipped off to various locations, housed in a barracks-style setting, issued uniforms & trained in “emergency response techniques." Didn’t someone else in history do this? Feeling safer now?
I’d like to share with you a prayer that was prayed on national radio by then President Franklin Roosevelt in 1944, the day after D-Day. As you read the prayer, ask yourself if our school kids will ever hear this prayer or even have a clue it was ever prayed.
Also, ask yourself if any present day president would deign to read such a prayer on radio or T.V. If President Bush had read such a prayer politicians from all quarters would have been on him like a pack of ravenous dogs. When our president prayed this prayer in 1944, it was considered by Americans to be perfectly proper.
Here’s the prayer;
“Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness to their faith.
They will need thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again & again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and day without rest until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violence’s of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home—fathers, mothers, children, wives, and brothers of the brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them—help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great service.
Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let the words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too—strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And’ O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events of temporal matters but of the fleeting moment—let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country and with the sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace—a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
Franklin D. Roosevelt-June 6, 1944
The second Psalm contains God’s prophetic message to our nation in this hour.
Here’s the Message Bible translation and I believe you’ll agree that no other comment is really needed.
“Why the big noise nations? Why the mean plots peoples?
Earth-leaders push for position,
Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks,
The God-deniers, the Messiah-deifiers;
“Let’s get free of God!
Cast loose from Messiah!”
Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing.
At first He’s amused at their presumption;
Then He gets good and angry.
Furiously, He shuts them up:
“Don’t you know there’s a King in Zion? A coronation banquet is spread for him on the holy summit.”
Let me tell you what God said next.
He said “You’re my son, and today is your birthday.
What do you want? Name it:
Nations as a present? Continents as a prize?
You can command them all to dance for you,
Or throw them out with tomorrow’s trash.”
So, rebel-kings use your heads;
Upstarts-judges, learn your lesson:
Worship God in adoring embrace,
your very lives are in danger, you know:
His anger is about to explode,
But if you make a run for God---you won’t regret it!
PRAY FOR AMERICA!
Friend, I haven’t lost hope & I don’t think you have either. We’re dealing with a God who catches tears in a bottle. He hears & answers our prayers & He cares.
When Hezekiah was told by the prophet Isaiah that his death was imminent; he turned his face to the wall & prayed. When Isaiah came to tell him his prayers were heard & he wasn’t going to die, he asked for a sign as proof.
Isaiah caused the sun to go backward ten degrees on the sundial. Ten degrees is actually 40 minutes. God gave the king 15 more years of life because of that prayer. 2 Kings 20:1-11.
The God who didn’t refuse Hezekiah’s request won't refuse ours if we’ll humble our hearts before him & call on His name.
Do you think a nation on its knees will be ignored by God? Well when one man prayed, God was willing to throw His massive solar system in reverse for him.
HE’LL DO IT FOR AMERICA TOO!!
Blessings,
John
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Thursday, August 11, 2016
An Arrow Not A Sword
By John Stallings
The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him and hated him……. Genesis 49:23-24
It must have been a remarkable sight to see the white haired Jacob sitting up in his bed while he bestowed his parting benediction on his twelve sons, Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Asher, Napthali, Gad, Joseph & Benjamin.
For sheer poetry this has to be one of the greatest chapters ever penned. Any New York actor would give his right arm to be Jacob in this emotionally charged scene.
Jacob recollected Rueben’s sin & passed over Simeon & Levi giving them a passing rebuke. He gave others of them praise as he looked into the future of the tribes.
The old man’s voice was weak but he passed briefly over the names of his sons & then came that moment when his eyes fell on his youngest & favorite son, Joseph.
There stood Joseph, with all of his mother Rachael in his eyes--that dearly beloved wife of his, that boy for which his mother prayed so earnestly for twenty barren years. Rachael had been dead now for many years but here stands that golden boy who was so loved by his parents.
Mixed in with the special love Jacob had for this boy Joseph was a special tenderness for the troubles Joseph had gone through in his life. Jacob was remembering the way Joseph was snatched away from him & sold into slavery by his envious brothers but he also remembered the chapter of Joseph’s life when he was prince of Egypt.
Listen to the words he said over Joseph in Genesis 49:22-24, in those last moments;
Joseph is a fruitful bough,
Even a fruitful bough by a well,
When branches ran over a wall,
The archers have sorely grieved him,
And shot at him, and hated him,
But his bow abode in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong,
By the mighty God of Jacob……..
Jacob had one more blessing to give but surely this was the richest of blessings that he conferred on his son Joseph.
In actuality, Jacob is using analogy & poetic language here because when we read the life of Joseph we don’t see the physical equivalent of this. Joseph certainly endured many satanic attacks but as far as we know he was never actually shot by archers. So why did Jacob use this figurative language of archers & their arrows?
FIRST OF ALL, ARCHERS SHOOT ARROWS WHICH ARE SECRETIVE & SILENT.
The two greatest weapons of war in Joseph’s day were probably the sword & the bow & arrow. With a sword, the swordsman plants himself near you, foot to foot, face to face & let’s you defend yourself. He’s almost constantly right there in front of you & whatever comes, you’ll see it coming.
But the archer shoots from a distance. There’s something more cowardly in the attack of the archer. He stands at a distance & does his best to camouflage himself as he hides in the brush. The arrow comes whizzing through the air & penetrates your chest before you know what hit you.
Likewise many of the enemies you & I have will not show their faces before us because they are too small, weak, petty & ashamed. If they faced us, then we could reply, but they would have to stop up their ears. But shooting their arrows from a distance is perfect for them; they don’t have to be bothered with giving us a chance to answer their complaints because their tolerance for truth is non-existent. Their minds are made up, don’t frustrate & confuse them with the facts.
It has been said that the world is comprised of people who have something to say & can’t say it, & people who have nothing to say & have no problem saying it. Some people would rather jump to conclusions than dig for facts. Character assassination has become so common in our day we hardly notice it.
To murder a person’s good name is as much a crime as to murder his body. It’s easier than physical assault & involves much less risk for the assassin. It also leaves him free to commit the same crime over & over again.
I don’t know who wrote the following, if I did I'd gladly give them credit;
MY NAME IS GOSSIP
I have no respect for justice,
I cripple without killing,
I am cunning & malicious & gain strength with age,
I flourish at every level of society,
My victims are helpless,
They can’t protect themselves from me because I have no name & face,
To track me down is impossible,
The harder you try the more elusive I become,
I’m nobody’s friend,
Once I tarnish a reputation it’s never the same,
I topple governments & wreck marriages,
I spawn suspicion & generate grief,
I make innocent people cry on their pillows,
Even my name hisses,
I use telephones, parties & even do my work in churches,
I make headlines & headaches.
Before we say something, we should ask if it’s true, is it necessary & if not--- “SHUT UP-- saith the Lord!”
Look at some words that the Bible calls gossip, first in the Old Testament; Backbiter, slanderer, busybody, Talebearer, murmurer, & whisperer. In the New Testament there’s, Whisperer, backbiter, meddler, prating, & tattler. These are words describing the same thing; people injecting themselves into things which are none of their business.
Jacob when summarizing the life of his beloved son Joseph told us “the archers sorely grieved him.” Here are some arrows shot at Joseph;
1. THE ARROW OF ENVY WAS SHOT AT JOSEPH.
Joseph’s brothers envied him because of the love his father had for him. The special coat of many colors Jacob gave his son was a sticking point for the brothers & was “the straw that broke the camels back.”
The first homicide was caused by envy when Cain envied Abel because his offering was accepted by God. Oh the things in this world that parade behind the mask of some high sounding platitude but strip away that mask & you look into the ghastly face of envy.
Of all the sins we are forbidden to commit, envy is the cruelest. With lust, though vile it is, at least the flesh is gratified for the moment. Even with murder though the murderer exchanges his life for the one he took if he’s caught, at least there would be the satisfaction of doing away with the object of hate. With lying, despicable as it is, at least it can sometimes be handy though the liar will certainly be exposed & the Bible says, --All liars will have their place in the lake of fire.
But pray tell, where’s the pay-off for envy? All envy leaves us is ashes. It does nothing but destroy homes & friendships leaving us with nothing in return. The person we are envious of isn’t hurt but we are left feeling bad because our envy didn’t take one thing away from them.
Here’s the sad part, when people envy they must deal with that deep down feeling of worthlessness & the question haunts them, “Why can’t I be a better person? Why am I not a large enough individual to glory with this person for what they have?” Of course they’d never admit it to anyone even to themselves but deep down they’re wondering “what kind of person must I be to want all I can earn or achieve but want to take from others what they’ve achieved?” That leaves their self-image & self-worth face down in the gutter.
Even though we may seek to hide envy & cover it up by putting a mask on it to give our motivations a “righteous cover” others will see it but probably be too polite to tell us that we suffer from one of the lowest of the low motivations, “the green eyed monster of jealousy & envy.”
It’s said in Hollywood that a friend is someone who stabs you in the chest. This isn’t confined to Hollywood it just gets more publicity there. All of us at one time or another will be struck by “envy arrows.” Making the situation even harder to bear, the majority of the time these arrows of envy won’t come from the devil, if they did we could understand. We could even understand if they came from outside our sphere of influence. Far too many of these envy arrows will be shot by people close to us, even our closest kin who should be upholding us & those who should “have our back.”
You may remember the recent story about television star “Dog, the bounty hunter.” As I understood the story, the son was envious of his dad’s visibility & financial success & surreptitiously recorded their private phone conversations. Admittedly “Dog,” feeling he could speak freely to a blood kin, made some terrible racial remarks that would turn any decent person’s stomach. The son sold his father out by selling the private conversations to a scandal rag for a few thousand dollars. The bottom line of the whole thing was envy.
We watched a program where “Dog” participated & the upshot of the story was that he was using the incident to help those he’d made derogatory remarks about in a private telephone conversation & was humble & forgiving toward the son who sold dad out for “thirty pieces of silver.” Knowing human nature as I do, the forgiveness the son received from his dad was probably the most distasteful part of all.
Instead of it being a caring hand placed on our shoulder, it’s the sting of an arrow shot from a distance by a stealthy archer, maybe a phone-call to “leak” suspicions about you to hurt you. There’s some good news however, if you’re shot in the back it must be that you’re out front. As fighter pilots say, “If you’re not catching flak, you must not be over the target.”
Years ago I talked to one of the finest gentlemen in Country music, Duane Allen of The Oak Ridge Boys. He shared the thought that when he & his organization are having problems they ask where the problems were coming from, failure or success? If the problems were coming from something they were doing wrong or something being overlooked, they’d make sure it was fixed.
However, if the problems were being caused by success; maybe not enough free time because they were in too much demand, or someone shooting at them out of envy, then all they could do was expect more of the same because their intention was to work as hard as possible for success.
Before we leave the subject of envy, let me share something I learned. As a rule when people get grumpy or irritable towards me, it isn’t my weaknesses [and believe me I have my share of those,] they are upset about, it’s my strengths. Have you noticed that in your own life? If not, maybe you can derive some comfort from the fact that some people will like you more for your failures & weaknesses. - Than for your successes.
A true friend will be with us through our problems & they won’t resent our successes, but let’s keep in mind, the arrows shot at Joseph were arrows that came from his own brothers.
2. JOSEPH WAS ALSO SHOT AT BY THE ARROWS OF TEMPTATION.
Joseph was a Hebrew Brad Pitt. Mrs. Potiphar laid eyes on him & wanted him in her bed. Joseph endured her attempts at seduction day after day & finally she physically took hold of him & he had to wriggle out of his coat & leave it with her.
Joseph stood strong in the face of one of the most enticing pleasures that can be offered to a healthy young man. Of course-hell hath no fury like a woman scorned so by refusing Mrs. Potiphar’s advances, Joseph just bought a ticket to the slammer.
I wonder if any generation of people ever has been so focused on or saturated with sex as ours. Sex is a gift from God but a gift with “handle with care” written on it. Let’s face it; we’re all born with a strong attraction to the opposite sex & the way we deal with it will determine the quality of life we’ll have.
Sex outside of marriage is fraught with risks & dangers. If you’re a person who’s around people of the opposite sex & spend inordinate amounts of time with them you are in danger unless you’re 98. Being in situations like this is like driving your car on a high mountain road in the middle of the night in the fog & driving as close to the edge as you can get. When it comes to being placed in situations that could compromise you, you’d better not flirt with danger.
In those situations, we should be like Joseph & flee temptation & don’t leave a forwarding address.
I don’t want to get too graphic here because all of us aren’t made the same. But we all should eliminate from our lives those things that could become sources of temptation to us. For all of us there are some books we shouldn’t read, some web sites we shouldn’t visit & some movies we shouldn’t watch. Whatever the temptation is for you if you’re not fighting it you’ll be defeated by it.
A Christian lady who had always been faithful to her husband, confided in some Christian lady’s who were close friends that she was being tempted by a man who she was around at work. She shared how they both loved poetry & music & other things they had in common. She told the lady’s, “I need your help. I’m strongly attracted to this man, he really understands me, he calls me often & I know I’m on dangerous ground. It’s just a deep friendship now but I know it’s a problem. I’m afraid of where its heading & I know I’ve got to end this before it develops into anything more. I need you to help me, to hold me accountable to do the right thing.” This lady really didn’t want to end it but she knew she had to.
As the ladies prayed together, the phone rang. The woman who’d shared picked up the phone & it was obvious to the other women that it was the man of whom she spoke. She was quiet for a moment & then she said, “This isn’t a healthy relationship & we need to end it now. Please don’t ever call me again.” She turned to the others & they were stunned as they marveled at the timing of that phone call & the goodness of God in allowing him to call right in the midst of the moment when they were talking to God together about the problem.
Before you get too sanctimonious, listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 10;
<Let this be a warnng for you. For you too may fall into sin. But remember this--the wrong desires that come into your life aren't anything new & different. many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistable. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it, for God had promised this & he will do what he says. he will show you how to escape temptations power so that you can bear up patiently against it. 1 Cor. 10:12,13---[LB]
WE ALL NEED TO DEVELOP HEDGES AGAINST SEXUAL TEMPTATION.
Let us never forget we need others to pray with us & watch for us in this area. Here are a few suggestions to help in the area of sexual temptation;
a.If you’re married, keep pictures of your spouse & kids around you in obvious places & speak good things about them every chance you get.
b.Pray with your mate every day & talk on the phone when apart.
c.If you travel alone commit yourself to God each day.
d.Ask God daily to keep you & your loved ones sexually pure.
e.Don’t get too busy to spend time with your spouse & family often.
f.Be on guard & don’t allow self-pity to climb into the saddle, causing you to blame your mate for your lack of happiness.
g.Avoid potentially compromising situations. Married Christian men & women who’d never accept a date to go out & eat with someone other than their spouses will throw caution to the wind & stop at restaurants & eat with a colleague enroute to business appointments. This can be a trap & often is a subtle road to eventual adultery & divorce.
h.Avoid seductive dress.
i.Never assume you’re immune to temptation.
Just like Joseph, we all must be on guard for the flying arrows of sexual temptation but God will surely keep us safe if we are ever vigilant, watch, pray & daily walk in His word.
Think what it must have been like for poor Joseph. In some ways, I’m sure Joseph felt he’d have been better off if one of Potiphar’s soldiers had just come & cut him in pieces on the spot. His character had been ruined in the eyes of men & he was probably looked on with disgust even in the prison with low-life criminals feeling as if they were angels compared to him.
“The archers sorely grieved Joseph.”
But look at the rest of this story. Jacob said of Joseph, “His bow abode in strength.” That meant Joseph also had a bow & could have retaliated if he’d have wanted to, but he didn’t. He might have drawn his bow & sent his arrows to their hearts with far greater force & precision than they’d ever done to him. But Joseph didn’t retaliate.
I believe there are people who’ll read this blog who’ve been hit by so many arrows they sometimes feel like a pin cushion. Like Joseph of old you feel a million miles from the destiny & dreams God once gave to you. But you may be much closer than you suspect. The things you’ve gone through & are going through have positioned you be in the place God wants you.
Had Joseph not been at Potiphar’s house he wouldn’t have learned the management skills needed to run a country. If he had not dealt with all those difficult situations he never would have been ready.
Let me give you a few more words of encouragement. No matter what you’re going through God will never forsake you. When arrows come toward you & even pierce your heart, be aware of God’s presence.
Forgive like Joseph forgave. Thwart those arrows of temptation when they come.
If you are breathing, God’s not through with you.
In closing, Listen to Ephesians give us the final answer to all those flying arrows.
For we wrestle not against flesh & blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand in the evil day & having done all to stand.
Stand therefore having your loins gird about with truth & having on the breastplate of righteousness, & your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace,
Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation & the sword of the spirit which is the word of God…..Ephesians 6:12-16
Blessings,
John
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Truth Or Consequences
By John Stallings
The simplest story, fact or fiction, -told using the proper turn of a phrase or combination of adverbs and adjectives can make a fairy tale or an out and out lie sound like the truth.
Properly worded, even a horrible crime can be made to sound natural…even noble. Tragically in our culture, using words to conceal the truth has been raised to an art -form.
The attitude is that lying is O.K and very often necessary.
Every now & then over the years 20/20, Prime Time, or one of the big network T.V shows will have a segment about lying. It’s astounding how pervasive lying is & how early in life it starts.
We’ve been in the political season now for months and the lies are beginning to take their toll on all of us. We have one of the biggest political liars right here in Orlando. Don’t get me started. This man will lie when the truth would sound better. But he’ll be retiring soon, though not of his own volition.
Gone are the days when greatness and honesty were a “package deal.”
We have moved very far away from the age when a man’s word was his bond….to a society in which people are more accepting than ever before of exaggerations, falsifications, fabrications, misstatements, misrepresentations, gloss-overs, quibbles, concoctions, shuffles, prevarications, word flourishes, misspeaking, the truth covered & varnished. It sounds like Isaiah is describing present day America when he says;
---No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments & speak lies. They conceive trouble & give birth to evil. Ish.59:4.
One day a minister noticed a group of boys standing around a small stray dog. “What are you doing’ he asked? “Telling lies” one of them replied. “The one who tells the biggest lie gets to keep the dog.” The minister was shocked and said, “When I was your age I would never have thought of telling a lie.”
The boys looked at each other, sad and seemingly a little disappointed. Finally one shrugged, pointed at the minister and said, “I guess he wins the dog.”
We’ve all been faced with situations where we haven’t exactly been truthful if for no other reason than to protect someone’s feelings. I think most of can go a step further and admit we’ve told a few “whoppers” in our lives. The little boy had it right when he said-“A lie is an abomination to the Lord but an ever present help in the time of need.”
I find it interesting that in our culture when ;
“Truth has fallen in the street,” still perhaps the worst thing that can be said about a person is that…he or she is a liar.
How much false advertising is out there? How many times have you purchased something [especially on T.V] and the product didn’t perform anywhere near the way it was promised? Clearly they have oversold the widget and that’s a nice way of putting it. T.V salesmen will build a product up and have you setting on the edge of your seat and then they say, “The price of this product has been cut to the bone—$19.95, but if you act now, we’ll send you two for the price of one.” How much quality can there be in something they’ve cut in half but can still sell you two for the price of one? Pleeaase!!
There is so much hype and spin and massaging the message out there that we don’t know what to believe and in the end the truth becomes the causality. Let’s be real; we find it hard to believe anything disseminated by the media. We’ve ended up with a society where the truth doesn’t matter, the facts don’t matter and sometimes we wonder if they even exist.
Technology has made it possible for a teenager to start a rumor on Facebook and soon a multitude have heard the embarrassing or incriminating news about so-and-so. Lying and stealing go hand in hand. My mother used to say, “You can lock up from a thief but you can’t lock up from a liar.” A stolen camera or T.V set can be retrieved but where would you go to get your reputation back?
Someone has rightly said;
“When I lie, I begin to lie easily and with proficiency. When I lie it gets harder to know what the truth is. When I lie, I lose touch with what I really think, really feel, really am. When I lie I no longer know myself. When I lie I don’t know whether what I say is what happened or what I want to have happened or what I’m afraid happened or what I want others to think happened. When I continue to lie I’m becoming a walking charade of dueling fantasies.”
If there’s anything in scripture that’s absolutely clear, even if only by the sheer force of the number of times it’s prohibited, or spoken about negatively, it would be that lying disgusts God; it contradicts His very character. The Bible teaches that God cannot lie.-Titus 1:2. The hallmark of Jesus’ character was-I am the truth.
NO LIARS IN HEAVEN
We dare not take a soft-stand on the subject of lying. We are clearly told there will be no liars in heaven. Have you noticed that the Bible doesn’t say, “All murders will have their part in the Lake of fire?” Or “all of any group of sinners shall have their part in the Lake of fire?” Certainly these folk, minus forgiveness will be there but the Bible in referring to them doesn’t say they “All”___ will be there. But the Bible does say, “ALL LIARS” will have their place in the lake of fire.” (Rev.21:8.)
God wants us to know “all liars” includes “little white lies- I love your hair—you’re not fat,” Lies of convenience- “read my lips, no new taxes”—or— “I didn’t inhale” small lies like- “my dog ate my homework,” religious lies, like “volunteer to do church work, it’ll only take a few minutes a week,” --- “My message will be brief, ---give me just two more minutes of your time-- I’m almost through preaching”---& business lies—the bait & switch merchants. Also, we now have a new art-form known as SPIN. If a politician has the ability to successfully “spin” a version of truth that will soothe the listeners or deceive them, he’s admired by many people & considered someone worth looking up to.
President Barack Obama is recognized as a glib speaker and consequently many feel he’s a real politician and to them it naturally follows that he’s a “great leader.” I heard a voter recently say, “I don’t trust Obama because he’s a great speaker, and I don’t trust great speakers.” I’m not sure that should be a litmus test but I have a feeling it might soon be.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the truth because people don’t always want to hear it. If experience has taught me anything it’s taught me that most people take truth in small doses.
Winston Churchill said; “Occasionally men stumble over the truth. Most pick themselves up and go on as if nothing had happened.”
A man was standing in front of a judge all beat up and bleeding. The judge asked him to please describe the man who so brutally attacked him. He told the judge he’d rather not describe the man because that’s what he was doing when the man beat him up.
PRACTICAL REASONS FOR TRUTHFULNESS
The main reason the world agrees that lying isn’t good is very practical. What kind of place would the world be if we weren’t at least in general agreement that we should relate to one another on some level of truthfulness? What upsets us most about someone lying to us is; from then on we can no longer believe them.
In a world where lying was accepted, you obviously couldn’t trust anything you read or were told. You would have to find everything out for yourself, firsthand. You’d have to invest enormous amounts of time and money to check out the simplest matters. In fact, you probably couldn’t check out the simplest matters.
You could never get a decent education because education depends upon taking the word of what you read in your lesson books. Think about all the benefits we have from living in a world where a great deal of trust exists…a world where people practice truth telling, at least for the most part.
Would you want to let a surgeon cut on you who had taken short-cuts in his education or lied about his credentials or training? I personally trust very few people even with scissors. Even fewer with razors. I’d get up and walk out if I heard my doctor say to his nurse, “would you hand me that thingie?”
And merciful God please keep me off any bridge built by an engineer who flunked Engineering 101.
A world with a modicum of sanity recognizes that for a wide variety of extremely practical reasons we need to be able to trust that what people tell us is true. When people don’t tell the truth havoc reigns in homes, relationships and in society.
Think how much of the world is messed up by lies -even when we put such emphasis on truth-telling. Do you ever think about the practical consequences of lying and the ripple effect it has on our culture? Of all the sins man is capable of; lying is very likely the most destructive.
Think about the Barney Madoff mess. There are once wealthy people eating government cheese because of this man. Think about the banking scandals, what we’ve seen done by the heads of major corporations that lie about their companies financial picture causing millions of dollars to be lost in the stock market resulting in thousands of people losing their jobs.
Look at our present political picture. A smart eight year old could see that leaders are lying their heads off everywhere you look and feeling as if they’re doing God and the people a favor by doing it.
The book The day America told the truth says that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about matters they consider trivial, 36 percent lie about important matters, 73 percent lie to siblings, 86 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends and 69 percent to spouses.
A national survey by Rutgers’ management Education Center of 4,500 high school students found that 75 percent of them engage in serious cheating. More than half have plagiarized work they found on the internet and most disturbing many of them see nothing wrong with cheating.
Liar, Liar
I’ve tried to track down the origins of “liar, liar, pants on fire, hang them on a telephone wire.” This derisive phrase was probably uttered by a parent to a child caught lying & later the child began to use the phrase, mostly because kids like things that rhyme. Someone obviously made it a poem, children started using it on other kids &, well -it entered the lexicon.
Harris poll did a survey that dealt with trust. It was based on a survey of the first graduating class of the new millennium—the class of 2001. In the study students said they trusted the honesty & integrity of their grandparents’ generation more than their peers. They are more likely to trust their grandparents’ generation (79%) followed by their parents’ generation (68 %.) Apparently our children are seeing their world-where lies are so prevalent – as a treacherous place.They seem to relate to the words of Psalms 12:1-2 where it says—
Help O Lord! For the godly are no more. The faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.
We have historians re-shaping history to conform to the morals of our day. We even have a whole new type of newspaper today known as SCANDAL SHEETS or TABLOIDS. They are sold, of all places, at grocery stores & usually have “true” headline stories on the front page. Stories like, - “Hundred year old woman gives birth to two-headed baby after being kidnapped by a UFO.” People buy these things because they are tantalized at the thought of hearing the latest smut on some person…even if it’s almost certain to be untrue. It’s horrendous, especially in ministries, to indict or be indicted as a liar & it’s equally as terrible to engage in the kind of secrecy that keeps others in the dark. It’s enlightening to read the words of 1 Timothy in 4:1-6,-
- Now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits & doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron….
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Indeed what is it?
When I read that incident, the human side of me would have loved to hear Jesus answer Pilate like Jack Nicholson answered Tom Cruise in the movie, “A few good men,” -“Truth? You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth.”What appears to be the truth isn’t always the truth & if you think you know all the truth maybe you’d better ask some more questions.
To say that the truth was/is important to Jesus is like saying the Atlantic Ocean is a little damp.
In the Gospel of John alone the word truth occurs 25 times & it’s usually coming from the mouth of Jesus Himself. He said—you will know the truth & the truth will set you free. To Jesus, to live in ignorance & error is to live in bondage. The ninth commandment in Exodus 20:16 says;
--You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
This commandment has never been timelier. God takes lying seriously—very seriously, and for good reason. Jesus told us in John 8:44—the devil is the father of lies.
Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things that will drive a wedge between us & God. Listen to what it says,--There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies & a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
This certainly isn’t a perfect analogy but with God it’s somewhat like a person with allergies. I have known people who are allergic to things like ragweed or cat hair. Their immune system is overly sensitive to those things. Their eyes will water & itch. They cough & sneeze until you think their head is going to fly off. It’s sad to watch them suffer. All because they can’t tolerate something in the air that they can’t even see. God is “allergic”to all sin but he especially hates lies. Jesus was truth incarnate. God is called “The God of truth.” The Holy Spirit is called “The spirit of truth.” Paul says of the people in Romans 1,--
They exchange the truth of God for a lie.
By lying we separate ourselves from God, so there are several negative consequences that come with disobeying the 9th commandment. Matthew 5:37 says,
--Let your communication be yea, yea & nay, nay for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
SAINT TELEMACHUS
St. Telemachus was a fourth century monk who lived in a monastery in Europe. Under the Spirit’s leading one day he set out on a journey to Rome. When he arrived he followed a crowd into the Coliseum. As he watched, in the arena, gladiators came out & began to fight to their deaths. Telemachus thought, “Here we are four centuries after Christ in a civilized nation & people are killing each for the entertainment of the crowd. This isn’t Christian.”So he got up from his seat ran down the stairs, climbed over the wall, walked into the arena & stood between two large gladiators. Putting his hands to his mouth he meekly shouted, “In the name of Christ stop.”
The crowd jeered him but he continued to say the same thing until finally one of the gladiators took his sword & stabbed Telemachus in the stomach. Before he died he uttered the words again, “In the name of Christ stop,” then he expired on the arena floor.
The crowd grew silent & within minutes they all got up & left the coliseum. History records that thanks to Telemachus, this was the last gladiatorial contest in the history of the Roman Empire.
The same Holy Spirit who led Telemachus to stand for the truth will lead you & me to do the same thing whether it’s to speak out against racism, abortion, homosexuality, or even against our nation’s tolerance of lying.
It’s not enough to NOT LIE! We must speak up for the TRUTH!
Blessings,
John
The simplest story, fact or fiction, -told using the proper turn of a phrase or combination of adverbs and adjectives can make a fairy tale or an out and out lie sound like the truth.
Properly worded, even a horrible crime can be made to sound natural…even noble. Tragically in our culture, using words to conceal the truth has been raised to an art -form.
The attitude is that lying is O.K and very often necessary.
Every now & then over the years 20/20, Prime Time, or one of the big network T.V shows will have a segment about lying. It’s astounding how pervasive lying is & how early in life it starts.
We’ve been in the political season now for months and the lies are beginning to take their toll on all of us. We have one of the biggest political liars right here in Orlando. Don’t get me started. This man will lie when the truth would sound better. But he’ll be retiring soon, though not of his own volition.
Gone are the days when greatness and honesty were a “package deal.”
We have moved very far away from the age when a man’s word was his bond….to a society in which people are more accepting than ever before of exaggerations, falsifications, fabrications, misstatements, misrepresentations, gloss-overs, quibbles, concoctions, shuffles, prevarications, word flourishes, misspeaking, the truth covered & varnished. It sounds like Isaiah is describing present day America when he says;
---No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments & speak lies. They conceive trouble & give birth to evil. Ish.59:4.
One day a minister noticed a group of boys standing around a small stray dog. “What are you doing’ he asked? “Telling lies” one of them replied. “The one who tells the biggest lie gets to keep the dog.” The minister was shocked and said, “When I was your age I would never have thought of telling a lie.”
The boys looked at each other, sad and seemingly a little disappointed. Finally one shrugged, pointed at the minister and said, “I guess he wins the dog.”
We’ve all been faced with situations where we haven’t exactly been truthful if for no other reason than to protect someone’s feelings. I think most of can go a step further and admit we’ve told a few “whoppers” in our lives. The little boy had it right when he said-“A lie is an abomination to the Lord but an ever present help in the time of need.”
I find it interesting that in our culture when ;
“Truth has fallen in the street,” still perhaps the worst thing that can be said about a person is that…he or she is a liar.
How much false advertising is out there? How many times have you purchased something [especially on T.V] and the product didn’t perform anywhere near the way it was promised? Clearly they have oversold the widget and that’s a nice way of putting it. T.V salesmen will build a product up and have you setting on the edge of your seat and then they say, “The price of this product has been cut to the bone—$19.95, but if you act now, we’ll send you two for the price of one.” How much quality can there be in something they’ve cut in half but can still sell you two for the price of one? Pleeaase!!
There is so much hype and spin and massaging the message out there that we don’t know what to believe and in the end the truth becomes the causality. Let’s be real; we find it hard to believe anything disseminated by the media. We’ve ended up with a society where the truth doesn’t matter, the facts don’t matter and sometimes we wonder if they even exist.
Technology has made it possible for a teenager to start a rumor on Facebook and soon a multitude have heard the embarrassing or incriminating news about so-and-so. Lying and stealing go hand in hand. My mother used to say, “You can lock up from a thief but you can’t lock up from a liar.” A stolen camera or T.V set can be retrieved but where would you go to get your reputation back?
Someone has rightly said;
“When I lie, I begin to lie easily and with proficiency. When I lie it gets harder to know what the truth is. When I lie, I lose touch with what I really think, really feel, really am. When I lie I no longer know myself. When I lie I don’t know whether what I say is what happened or what I want to have happened or what I’m afraid happened or what I want others to think happened. When I continue to lie I’m becoming a walking charade of dueling fantasies.”
If there’s anything in scripture that’s absolutely clear, even if only by the sheer force of the number of times it’s prohibited, or spoken about negatively, it would be that lying disgusts God; it contradicts His very character. The Bible teaches that God cannot lie.-Titus 1:2. The hallmark of Jesus’ character was-I am the truth.
NO LIARS IN HEAVEN
We dare not take a soft-stand on the subject of lying. We are clearly told there will be no liars in heaven. Have you noticed that the Bible doesn’t say, “All murders will have their part in the Lake of fire?” Or “all of any group of sinners shall have their part in the Lake of fire?” Certainly these folk, minus forgiveness will be there but the Bible in referring to them doesn’t say they “All”___ will be there. But the Bible does say, “ALL LIARS” will have their place in the lake of fire.” (Rev.21:8.)
God wants us to know “all liars” includes “little white lies- I love your hair—you’re not fat,” Lies of convenience- “read my lips, no new taxes”—or— “I didn’t inhale” small lies like- “my dog ate my homework,” religious lies, like “volunteer to do church work, it’ll only take a few minutes a week,” --- “My message will be brief, ---give me just two more minutes of your time-- I’m almost through preaching”---& business lies—the bait & switch merchants. Also, we now have a new art-form known as SPIN. If a politician has the ability to successfully “spin” a version of truth that will soothe the listeners or deceive them, he’s admired by many people & considered someone worth looking up to.
President Barack Obama is recognized as a glib speaker and consequently many feel he’s a real politician and to them it naturally follows that he’s a “great leader.” I heard a voter recently say, “I don’t trust Obama because he’s a great speaker, and I don’t trust great speakers.” I’m not sure that should be a litmus test but I have a feeling it might soon be.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the truth because people don’t always want to hear it. If experience has taught me anything it’s taught me that most people take truth in small doses.
Winston Churchill said; “Occasionally men stumble over the truth. Most pick themselves up and go on as if nothing had happened.”
A man was standing in front of a judge all beat up and bleeding. The judge asked him to please describe the man who so brutally attacked him. He told the judge he’d rather not describe the man because that’s what he was doing when the man beat him up.
PRACTICAL REASONS FOR TRUTHFULNESS
The main reason the world agrees that lying isn’t good is very practical. What kind of place would the world be if we weren’t at least in general agreement that we should relate to one another on some level of truthfulness? What upsets us most about someone lying to us is; from then on we can no longer believe them.
In a world where lying was accepted, you obviously couldn’t trust anything you read or were told. You would have to find everything out for yourself, firsthand. You’d have to invest enormous amounts of time and money to check out the simplest matters. In fact, you probably couldn’t check out the simplest matters.
You could never get a decent education because education depends upon taking the word of what you read in your lesson books. Think about all the benefits we have from living in a world where a great deal of trust exists…a world where people practice truth telling, at least for the most part.
Would you want to let a surgeon cut on you who had taken short-cuts in his education or lied about his credentials or training? I personally trust very few people even with scissors. Even fewer with razors. I’d get up and walk out if I heard my doctor say to his nurse, “would you hand me that thingie?”
And merciful God please keep me off any bridge built by an engineer who flunked Engineering 101.
A world with a modicum of sanity recognizes that for a wide variety of extremely practical reasons we need to be able to trust that what people tell us is true. When people don’t tell the truth havoc reigns in homes, relationships and in society.
Think how much of the world is messed up by lies -even when we put such emphasis on truth-telling. Do you ever think about the practical consequences of lying and the ripple effect it has on our culture? Of all the sins man is capable of; lying is very likely the most destructive.
Think about the Barney Madoff mess. There are once wealthy people eating government cheese because of this man. Think about the banking scandals, what we’ve seen done by the heads of major corporations that lie about their companies financial picture causing millions of dollars to be lost in the stock market resulting in thousands of people losing their jobs.
Look at our present political picture. A smart eight year old could see that leaders are lying their heads off everywhere you look and feeling as if they’re doing God and the people a favor by doing it.
The book The day America told the truth says that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about matters they consider trivial, 36 percent lie about important matters, 73 percent lie to siblings, 86 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends and 69 percent to spouses.
A national survey by Rutgers’ management Education Center of 4,500 high school students found that 75 percent of them engage in serious cheating. More than half have plagiarized work they found on the internet and most disturbing many of them see nothing wrong with cheating.
Liar, Liar
I’ve tried to track down the origins of “liar, liar, pants on fire, hang them on a telephone wire.” This derisive phrase was probably uttered by a parent to a child caught lying & later the child began to use the phrase, mostly because kids like things that rhyme. Someone obviously made it a poem, children started using it on other kids &, well -it entered the lexicon.
Harris poll did a survey that dealt with trust. It was based on a survey of the first graduating class of the new millennium—the class of 2001. In the study students said they trusted the honesty & integrity of their grandparents’ generation more than their peers. They are more likely to trust their grandparents’ generation (79%) followed by their parents’ generation (68 %.) Apparently our children are seeing their world-where lies are so prevalent – as a treacherous place.They seem to relate to the words of Psalms 12:1-2 where it says—
Help O Lord! For the godly are no more. The faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.
We have historians re-shaping history to conform to the morals of our day. We even have a whole new type of newspaper today known as SCANDAL SHEETS or TABLOIDS. They are sold, of all places, at grocery stores & usually have “true” headline stories on the front page. Stories like, - “Hundred year old woman gives birth to two-headed baby after being kidnapped by a UFO.” People buy these things because they are tantalized at the thought of hearing the latest smut on some person…even if it’s almost certain to be untrue. It’s horrendous, especially in ministries, to indict or be indicted as a liar & it’s equally as terrible to engage in the kind of secrecy that keeps others in the dark. It’s enlightening to read the words of 1 Timothy in 4:1-6,-
- Now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits & doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron….
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Indeed what is it?
When I read that incident, the human side of me would have loved to hear Jesus answer Pilate like Jack Nicholson answered Tom Cruise in the movie, “A few good men,” -“Truth? You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth.”What appears to be the truth isn’t always the truth & if you think you know all the truth maybe you’d better ask some more questions.
To say that the truth was/is important to Jesus is like saying the Atlantic Ocean is a little damp.
In the Gospel of John alone the word truth occurs 25 times & it’s usually coming from the mouth of Jesus Himself. He said—you will know the truth & the truth will set you free. To Jesus, to live in ignorance & error is to live in bondage. The ninth commandment in Exodus 20:16 says;
--You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
This commandment has never been timelier. God takes lying seriously—very seriously, and for good reason. Jesus told us in John 8:44—the devil is the father of lies.
Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things that will drive a wedge between us & God. Listen to what it says,--There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies & a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
This certainly isn’t a perfect analogy but with God it’s somewhat like a person with allergies. I have known people who are allergic to things like ragweed or cat hair. Their immune system is overly sensitive to those things. Their eyes will water & itch. They cough & sneeze until you think their head is going to fly off. It’s sad to watch them suffer. All because they can’t tolerate something in the air that they can’t even see. God is “allergic”to all sin but he especially hates lies. Jesus was truth incarnate. God is called “The God of truth.” The Holy Spirit is called “The spirit of truth.” Paul says of the people in Romans 1,--
They exchange the truth of God for a lie.
By lying we separate ourselves from God, so there are several negative consequences that come with disobeying the 9th commandment. Matthew 5:37 says,
--Let your communication be yea, yea & nay, nay for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
SAINT TELEMACHUS
St. Telemachus was a fourth century monk who lived in a monastery in Europe. Under the Spirit’s leading one day he set out on a journey to Rome. When he arrived he followed a crowd into the Coliseum. As he watched, in the arena, gladiators came out & began to fight to their deaths. Telemachus thought, “Here we are four centuries after Christ in a civilized nation & people are killing each for the entertainment of the crowd. This isn’t Christian.”So he got up from his seat ran down the stairs, climbed over the wall, walked into the arena & stood between two large gladiators. Putting his hands to his mouth he meekly shouted, “In the name of Christ stop.”
The crowd jeered him but he continued to say the same thing until finally one of the gladiators took his sword & stabbed Telemachus in the stomach. Before he died he uttered the words again, “In the name of Christ stop,” then he expired on the arena floor.
The crowd grew silent & within minutes they all got up & left the coliseum. History records that thanks to Telemachus, this was the last gladiatorial contest in the history of the Roman Empire.
The same Holy Spirit who led Telemachus to stand for the truth will lead you & me to do the same thing whether it’s to speak out against racism, abortion, homosexuality, or even against our nation’s tolerance of lying.
It’s not enough to NOT LIE! We must speak up for the TRUTH!
Blessings,
John
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