12/10/2011 - PUT AWAY LYING, SPEAK THE TRUTH

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Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Ephesians 4:25

Before our conversion, we were ruled by lies – which are the very nature of the devil – and because of it we lived as slaves of sin. As a matter of fact we were not able to be steadfast in the Truth and therefore we always sinned. But by accepting Christ as our Savior we were delivered from that malign influence. Now it is up to each one of us to leave such influence because otherwise the enemy will continue to use us.

Lying is more than making a false statement deliberately; it is to take action without any grounds. On the other hand, speaking the truth is to confess what the Word of God says on any situation. Even if something looks real but is not based on the Divine Word, it is false. Therefore, do not ever accept something just because it seems to be true. In other words: Do not give the slightest attention to what the devil shows you, because his works – which are always entangled in lies – will only become reality if someone gives them credit. Moreover, when an individual repents the Lord nullifies everything that Satan had done previously.

When a person accepts Jesus, he/she is grafted onto His Body and from then on he/she receives from the Most High a task scheduled by the Lord Himself which the Christian must accomplish in that Body, which, in turn, must work harmoniously. Nobody is in God’s House by chance or was placed in it to stand idly by. My brethren, you must find out what mission the Almighty has given to you and carry it out. Therefore you cannot lie or utter any statement made by yourself, but only those based on what the Word of God teaches you.

If a cell in our body starts working haphazardly, the whole body will suffer, right? With the Body of Christ it is the same: His harmony is necessary, otherwise the programming will not be successful. If Christians let themselves be used by the enemy, the other members of the body will be affected. Imagine what happens when, for example, a believer commits

adultery or any other sin! It is important to point out that he who becomes a rock of stumbling will be severely punished (Mark 9:42)!

Would you poison your own body? When any part of your body is not well, don’t you seek relief in Medicine? Or do you let disease take its toll in your body? The same must be done concerning the Body of Christ: he who sins against it will pay a very high price.

As members of one another, we have the obligation not to let any space open for the enemy to enter and to prevent the Body from fulfilling Its mission. Whoever is responsible for any loss or delay in the work of God may receive the same sentence given to Saul when he spared Agag and saved the best of his livestock which, by divine decree, should have been utterly destroyed (I Samuel 15:1-29).

My prayer is that you may always tell the truth and never give a foothold to the enemy!

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares