Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

I remember as kids when we thought someone was lying we would say, “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” As if lying would catch your pants on fire.

Do you struggle with lying? Many…if not most…do.

Ok…so why shouldn’t you lie? Often, lying will get you out of trouble, get you more money, allow you to impress others, keep you from being embarrassed, and much more.

So why not lie? The short answer is the Bible says we should not lie. The larger answer is lying will seriously hinder your spiritual growth. It is impossible to grow spiritually and engage in a pattern of lying at the same time.

In Colossians 3:10 the Apostle Paul wrote,

“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with it’s practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

This sure sounds like to be renewed in the knowledge in the image of your creator requires telling the truth.

But how?

Bear with me for a minute as we take a detour to discuss my old (and most favorite) sweatshirt. It has holes in it, paint stains, a ragged collar and ragged sleeves. But I love this sweatshirt!

I have been wearing it for over 10 years. Every time I wear it my family gets on me. Recently I was standing in my kitchen in this sweatshirt and sweatpants when my daughter walked in with a few friends. Needless to say she was a little embarrassed with the way dad was dressed.

My wife hates the sweatshirt. She always threatens to throw it out when I am not looking. Now that would be a loss!

So here is the question…Is my sweatshirt an amazingly beautiful, comfortable, wonderful piece of clothing which makes me feel so good while I am wearing it…or…is my sweatshirt an ugly, worn out, gross piece of ragged clothing which should be thrown out?

What I believe about my sweatshirt will determine if I continue wearing it.

It is the same with lying. What you really believe about lying will determine if you continue lying.

If in your heart of hearts you don’t believe lying is that bad…you will not have any incentive to stop…just like I continue wearing my old sweatshirt because I think it is the most wonderful sweatshirt in the world.

If, though, you come to view lying as a big deal before God because you have taken off your old self with it’s practices and put on your new self with different practices, then you will want to “take off” your lying behavior. Who wants to wear an old, ragged, worn out piece of clothing?

So is your lying like an old sweatshirt or a new sweatshirt? Well…lying is the sweatshirt of your old self. Telling the truth is the sweatshirt of your new self. Lying is the old sweatshirt. Telling the truth is the new sweatshirt.

So try this. Every time you begin to tell a lie, imagine yourself spiritually putting on an old, ragged, worn out sweatshirt. Every time you tell the truth, imagine putting on a brand new sweatshirt.

The key to lying less and telling the truth more is to see lying for what it really is and telling the truth for what it really is. This is how we are renewed in the knowledge of the image of our creator.

As we are renewed more, we lie less, and tell the truth more often. As you lie less and tell the truth more often, you will see amazing spiritual growth in your life begin to occur. Truth is power. The more you tell the truth the more power you will receive.