Turning away from lies (1)

By Rev Ola Oladejo

"Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies." (Ps.40:4)

The conversion, some years ago, of the king pin of an advance fee fraud syndicate to Christ in Surulere, Lagos illustrates the evil of living a life of lies and the urgent need for all to hear the word of God and turn away from lies and deception. The man in question had seen how his friend an estate manager prospered after coming for prayers. He wanted God to do same for him. So led by the estate manager he came for help in prayers.

He desperately needed a turn around because his nefarious 419 trade, as Nigerians call the evil, was nose-diving. Like most people on the wrong lane, he somewhat believed the lie that an anointed man of God could reverse the series of ill fortunes he was witnessing while still actively involved in the sinful practice.

Rev Ola Oladejo

To cut the story short I cannot forget our first meeting as he tried to dribble and cover up his occupation that he wanted God to bless. There I was being confronted with the depth a man can plunge himself into for having believed a lie for too long and having patterned his life after falsehood. When I insisted on knowing his profession and his means of livelihood, he confessed that he was a 419 man, a common name for fraudsters in Nigeria. I told him if he wanted his prayer to be answered he must give his life to Christ and forsake 419 entirely.

How do I feed my family?

He gladly accepted to give his life to Christ but to my surprise defiantly refused to abandon the sin and crime. I asked why and he replied that he knew no other means of livelihood and therefore was not prepared to leave 419. He posed his own question, "if I do what you advised me to do, will I make ends meet, and take care of my family?"

I resorted to the above scripture. The light of God shone into his heart and the house that the devil has built in his life collapsed. He gave his life to Christ and God confirmed his word in his life as the Lord blessed him with the good things of life including peace.

What happened to the brother in the story was that he turned aside to lies meaning that he removed himself from the way of God's blessing. It followed that he would respect the proud, honour the base and embrace vanity instead of the truth. It is no surprise that he thought that by his own power, scheming and plotting to dispossess others of their valuables, he could make himself rich, prosperous and comfortable in life. Before that encounter, he lived the life that he had to cause others pain for him to make his gain. Little did he know that he was removing himself from divine blessing and trusting in what would not help him. That is the end that awaits all liars. They might start brilliantly, so promising, attractive but their end is disappointment, misery and regrets. When truth catches up their songs become a mournful "had I known."

Lies destroy

Lies are the most destructive weapon against the glorious destinies of people. They are wreaking havoc everywhere, in personal lives, community, nations and at international levels. What is more it is on rampage even in the church, politics, economy and in relationships between man and God and between man and man. With the capacity of lies to destroy however, it would appear that very little is being done to tackle the evil frontally with the only arsenal that can destroy it-the truth of the gospel of Christ.

My aim as a preacher is take a stand against lies and with the word of God show people how to overcome the malaise so that people will stop lies and instead embrace the truth. I believe it is my call to preach against lies until they are no longer fashionable and till everyone knows the mind of God concerning lies.

Lies are abominations

God hates lies. It would appear that so many people are unmindful of the fact. Out of the seven things that God hates because they are abominations to Him namely, pride, shedding of innocent blood, the heart plotting wickedness, eagerness to do evil, bearing false witness and causing misunderstanding between brothers, telling lies stands out as central and the connecting rod (Pro.6:16-19). Those who "practice a lie" are particularly mentioned in the list of the types of people who will not make eternal life as established in Revelation 22:15. The whole of the word of God contains volumes that clearly express God's uncompromising attitude to lies that one message cannot accommodate all of them. Let us treat just one more.

John 8:44 declares, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning; he does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

It follows that;

* The father of all liars is the devil. Lies cannot produce good

*No matter how light someone takes lies, they come from the very depth of his or her being. They are not what you toy with in view of dire consequences.

* Lying is a function of the kingdom of Satan. Every form of lies is a manifestation of that kingdom.

White lies or as the lawyers, lies in material form all emanate from the devil's resources.

* So when you lie you are been motivated by the devil and you manifesting the traits of the devil

* With lies, devil caused Adam and Eve to derail. He is still frantically at work as master of grand deception. To lie is to agree to be derailed by the devil.

Brethren, we have seen the dangers inherent in telling lies. It will always destroy. Pro.19:5 warns, "A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies will not escape."

Even when it appears they get away with his gimmick, liars should not rejoice because the punishment is only delayed. For him to rejoice is to live in a fool's paradise because he will one day face the consequences no matter how long. I seriously urge you to embrace the truth and dissociate from lies.

The first step for those who want to reject lies is to give their lives to Jesus Christ. The point has been made that lying is a manifestation of the devil and his kingdom. You have to reject that kingdom and come out of it to stand against lies. Jesus is waiting for you to do that today. In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Genuine life in Him ushers you into His truth which is the armour against lies. Bless You.

Rev Ola Oladejo is the Senior Pastor, Hundredfold Covenant Bible Church, 142 Lawanson Rd (Otunoba bus stop) Itire, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria. email: ola2dejo@gmail.com, Phone: 08023148846