Lying Does Pay Off!

They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. --- 2 Peter 2:13a,14

Lying thrives in a culture such as ours. It is a practice involving persons of all ages -- from the very young who are just getting started in school to those in the sunset years who already have one foot in the grave and the other one is getting to be very shaky!

Lying happens due to a variety of motives:

• to avoid acceptance of the truth and the accountability that goes along with acceptance of the truth
  
• to avoid taking responsibility for bad decisions made and actions following those decisions
  
• to assassinate a person's character
  
• to seek revenge against a person for some alleged "wrong" done by that person
  
• to increase one's financial holdings
  
• to gain a prominent and powerful position for oneself
  

Lying always does immeasurable damage wherever it takes place.

It is strictly prohibited by God as listed in the code of the 10 commandments. The statement is simple, requiring no further explanation: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16)

One area where the greatest devastation takes place is within that group of persons professing to be Christian in faith and followers of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

We are not as free to be "liberal" in our interpretations of the Scriptures as we would like to think! For instance:

• God has revealed that there was an Adam and there was an Eve -- our first "parents" and through whom the human race had its origin. But there are those (pastors, professors, church leaders, theologians, and laity) who say there never were such persons in existence -- God says He made them. But certain humans lie and say that Adam and Eve never really existed! That's more than a tad of a slap in God's face, wouldn't you say?
  
  
• God says the world got so wicked at one point that He destroyed all living things, human and animal, except for those on board an ark. The "spot & blemish" bunch (identified previously) scattered among professing Christians lie and say the event reported as a universal flood judgment never really happened!
  
  
• God has revealed that He brought the Israelites out of Egypt and at one point opened up that vast body of water known as the Red Sea, making the crossing possible for them. And then God permitted the waters to return to their natural condition, drowning the Egyptian military in the process as it zealously pursued the Israelites. The "spot & blemish" crowd lies and says it never happened!
  
  
• God has explicitly revealed the boundaries of how we humans are to experience our sexuality. That experience is limited to a male and female who have entered into the covenant of marriage. All other types of sexual activity which are mentioned in God's revelation are forbidden and labeled as sin or in some cases, worse than that, as being abominations! But the "spot & blemish" crowd lies and says that some forms of sexual behavior are good, and even preferable -- and worse, they claim that God gives His approval to such so that even in the church which professes to be Christian, just about any kind of sexual shenanigans are acceptable! God has yet to make His response to this updated standard of morality!
  
  
• God has revealed that with a love which defies human understanding He gave His Son, Jesus, to be a substitutionary sacrifice for all the sins committed by all the members of the human race. Further, that Jesus is the only way of salvation and entrance into God's Heaven. Christianity, unfortunately, is plagued by the "spot & blemish" crowd which says that there are other ways to get to Heaven through the many other faiths which presently exist in today's world, and we who are Christian should not be so dogmatic upon insisting that Jesus is exclusively the way to salvation and ultimately to Heaven!
  
  
• God has said there is a Hell and a lot of people are going to end up in that place. The "spot & blemish" crowd lies and says that there is no Hell! With unregenerate and warped minds they try to reason that God could never be a "God of love" if even one human ended up in Hell!
  
  
• God says there is a Devil on the loose along with a host of demons in league with him. The "spot & blemish" crowd lies and says there is no Devil and there are no demons!
  
  
• God says there will be a series of devastating judgments visited upon this earth in the future. The "spot & blemish" crowd lies and says there will be no such events because -- now by this time you can guess it -- yes, that's what they say -- "God is a God of love and compassion -- why He would never bring those terrible things associated with judgement upon anyone!"
  

So what we have at times is a major conflict -- with God saying one thing and the "spot & blemish" crowd within the ranks of Christianity saying the opposite -- God says He did it and they say He didn't, etc!

It comes down to this -- who is to be believed? Always keep in mind that lying does pay off, and if you go along with the lie/s, the future will not be pleasant. God has the last word on that matter, not the "spot & blemish" crowd -----

And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." --- Revelation 21:6-8

And Here's Nancy P. -- AGAIN!

As each day passes it becomes more obvious that Nancy Pelosi and her cohorts are going to save us from ourselves whether we like it or not, and that we harbor absolutely no desire for such actions on her part!

And she is certainly taking advantage of her new position and power as Speaker of the House of Reps in Washington DC as never before in the few weeks since assuming that office along with making a host of braggadocio statements which have continued unabated to this day!

Off again on a high profile junket [def: to go on a junket or excursion. especially one paid for out of public funds] to the Middle East and "conversations" with Syrian President Bashar. This debacle does not sit well with the Bush Administration. But Nancy P. is on a mission not only to save us, but to save the whole world! And you know who is paying the tab for all these shenanigans, do you not? Why this gal will spend the last copper cent you have in your pocket and never blink an eyeball in the process!

While she, as have others who preceded her on such ventures, will consider herself an expert now on Middle East issues because she has been there and talked to people, she will not face up to at least two main facts:

• First, the reality of what Islam is about -- it is NOT a compromising religion nor is it tolerant of other religions, including Christianity. Because it is not in control and is not dominant here in the United States, a twisted picture has been painted of Islam -- but due to compromising here in the United States and a "tolerance" expressed by those who claim to be Muslim, it has become corrupted as has many segments of Christianity which also has its problems with compromise and toleration of what God has clearly denounced and condemned!
  
  In light of the books which are considered sacred and authoritative to their respective faiths, Islam and Christianity envision a world in which each is the exclusive faith -- they are totally incompatible with each other. Anyone who is not a Muslim is considered an unbeliever or an infidel, and likewise with Christianity -- one who has not received Jesus Christ is regarded as a sinner and under condemnation. The contrast in approaching unbelief is as different as day and night -- the approach of Christianity is a message of love and an appeal to turn from sin and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord -- no gun to the head nor knife to the throat! If the message is rejected, so be it -- no retaliation is carried out if the message is refused. But in Islam deadly force can be used against infidels if they refuse to become Muslims in their faith and renounce all other religious practices, including Christianity! It is well known that in those nations where Islam is in total control such as Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia, Christianity is not permitted to be practiced openly. U.S. politicians have yet to wake up to this reality!
  
  
• Second, Nancy P. and the rest of the crowd in DC (and politicians in our state capitols as well) fail to realize that the blessing of God has been withdrawn from this nation in terms of the prestige and respect it used to hold throughout the entire world! We literally are on our own now -- no longer can we say that we have the blessing of God upon us in our world involvements, including our military actions! There will be those who will object vehemently to this suggestion, but think for a moment -- when was the last time the United States had a decisive military victory where the terms were unconditional surrender and those who were the enemy signed the documents without one single word of "negotiation?" There is also the evidence that since the politicians have handcuffed military commanders and have tried to dictate how the military is to do its "job" things have unraveled considerably as opposed to how military commanders operated in WW II and started to in Korea until Truman "fired" General MacArthur, and you remember how the Korean "police action" turned out, do you not?
  
  We are witnessing in a number of ways the truth of what happened to another nation at another time long, long ago -- here is how it is stated:
  

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations! Then say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: The city sheds blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself. You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries. Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult. Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you. In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity. One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father's daughter. In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me," says the Lord GOD. "Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and will do it. I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the LORD."' --- Ezekiel 22:1-16

Be assured that Nancy P. and all the others will keep right on doing what they have been doing -- basically, "...it's my way (for me and my party) and whatever it takes financially (more taxes) and more spending (we will spend our way to prosperity) and more debt (we'll ignore that) and obscene campaigning (millions upon millions of dollars) to be reelected and then hope U. S. citizens believe our propaganda about what great things we have done for the country!"

As noted at my web site previously -- there is good news in this colossal political mess -- a day is coming when ALL politicians will be out of a job -- in a sense, tossed out on their ear! Yes even Nancy P., Hillary C., Barack O., George B., Dick C., John M., Mitt R., -- well, you get the picture, do you not? Read about it at
Good News! A Day Coming in Which All Politicians Will Be Removed from Office! Just think, it'll be a great time -- I can hardly wait -- it's sort of like a 6 year-old waiting for Christmas on December 24th with excitement building like a giant snowball rolling down a slope!

Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ' 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'" --- Psalm 2:1-9

More on Issue of God and His Judgmental Wrath!

"But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me." --- Deuteronomy 28:15-20

Roland in his comment on the post just below this one mentioned one reason why God should not bring judgment and that is love.

God's love is far beyond our limited minds to comprehend. Heavy is the emphasis on His love and mercy throughout the Scriptures. Perhaps that is one reason why things have gotten badly out of balance over time -- the focus has been totally on and emphasis given to God's "love" to the point in some cases of denying the reality of Hell as a place of everlasting torment.

Perhaps you have heard it in one form or another -- "God is a God of love and He would never send anyone to Hell!" Plus a heresy which is also a back door approach to denying the existence of Hell -- we're all going to end up in Heaven which is commonly known as universalism.

Truth demands that we look at this thing in the light of a coin with its "head" side and its "tail" side. God is a God of love beyond doubt and we are at that time of year when Christians review again the proof of His love in the giving of His Son, Jesus, for the sins of the entire human race -- His death on the cross was the perfect sacrifice for every sin you and I have ever committed in our lifetimes! And so mercy and forgiveness are offered on the condition of repentance and faith placed in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

But, God is also a God of judgment and wrath, and this too is clearly spelled out in the Scriptures, beginning with the "biggie" -- the flood at the time of Noah! What isn't realized is that mercy was offered for about 120 years before that devastating judgment took place. It is noted in 2 Peter that Noah, in addition to constructing the ark, was also a "preacher of righteousness." Except for his immediate family, no one else listened.

God's methods in dealing with cultures of people are mainly two -- when His Word is not heeded, He begins a series of chastising actions which may extend over quite a period of time. This is suggested in some of the Old Testament prophets. As long as there is chastising, there is hope for revival, healing and reconciliation. You see mention of God's efforts in this matter in the book of Amos.

However, if the chastising doesn't produce the desired results, then God's agenda changes and judgment is initiated. That means all hope is gone -- nothing but devastation and destruction will result -- God will not respond to the prayers that are uttered at such a time. Before you jump on that with "God always answers prayer!" thing, check Jeremiah 7, 11, and 14 for statements in which God explicitly says not to pray because He will not hear! Note again in the post before this one regarding the reference to 2 Chronicles 36 and the statement "till there was no more remedy!" That meant in no uncertain terms that they had crossed over the line -- no more chastising actions which offered hope of forgiveness and reconciliation with God -- now it was total destruction and NO HOPE!

I urge everyone who reads this to spend a lot of time with Jeremiah and Ezekiel (who was a contemporary of Jeremiah, but among the earlier captives) and see what was pointed out by way of spiritual, moral and ethical shortcomings. You will be amazed at how up to date these two are! But it's also a bit discomforting as well -- it might cause us to conclude as King Josiah did when words were read to him out of a long neglected dusty scroll -- "We're in a heap of trouble with God!" (that's a paraphrase, but that's precisely what he meant!).

"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country...... --- Deuteronomy 28:1-3

Anyone Out There Want to Take a Walk Down the Old Paths?

Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls." But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' --- Jeremiah 6:16

The Old Paths

I liked the old paths, when
Moms were at home.
Dads were at work.
Brothers went into the army.
And sisters got married BEFORE having children!

Crime did not pay;
Hard work did;
And people knew the difference.

Moms could cook;
Dads would work;
Children would behave..

Husbands were loving;
Wives were supportive;
And children were polite.

Women wore the jewelry;
And Men wore the pants.
Women looked like ladies;
Men looked like gentlemen;
And children looked decent.

People loved the truth,
And hated a lie;
They came to church to get IN,
Not to get OUT!

Hymns sounded Godly;
Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing sounded normal;
And crying sounded sincere.

Cursing was wicked;
Drinking was evil;
and divorce was unthinkable.

The flag was honored;
America was beautiful;
And God was welcome!

We read the Bible in public;
Prayed in school;
And preached from house to house
To be called an American was worth dying for;
To be called a Christian was worth living for;
To be called a traitor was a shame!

Sex was a personal word.
Homosexual was an unheard of word,
And abortion was an illegal word.

Preachers preached because they had a message;
And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!
Preachers preached from the Bible;
Singers sang from the heart;
And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!

A new birth meant a new life;
Salvation meant a changed life;
Following Christ led to eternal life.

Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;
Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;
Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;
And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!

Laws were based on the Bible;
Homes read the Bible;
And churches taught the Bible.

Preachers were more interested in new converts,
Than new clothes and new cars.
God was worshiped;
Christ was exalted;
and the Holy Spirit was respected.

Church was where you found Christians
on the Lord's day, rather than in the garden,
on the creek bank, on the golf course,
or being entertained somewhere else.

I still like the old paths the best!


NOTE: "The Old Paths" was written by a retired pastor from Tennessee. His identity was not included with his writing of this most appropriate message. It is being circulated on the Internet along with the beautiful painting above, the artist of which is not identified. If anyone reading this should know the identity of either or both, please inform me and the name/s will be acknowledged. Also, if extra prints of the painting should be available, that information would be provided as well.

Our times are strikingly parallel to those times in which Jeremiah the prophet lived many centuries ago -- he just didn't have all the gadgets we have, but attitudes were very much the same -- the appeal to seek out and walk the "old paths," as noted above, was rejected by the majority. Thanks to the good brother in Tennessee for telling it like it really is, in spite of the fact that most don't want to hear it!