Liar! (Part 2)
The apostle John mentions six types of liars in his short five-chapter book of 1 John.
#1: People who say they’re Christians but actually walk in darkness.
“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:6 NIV).
If we say we’re Christians but walk in darkness, we’re lying.
What IS darkness?
It’s the opposite of light.
It’s not being in God’s will.
If I say, “It’s OK to steal if you really need it,”
I’m teaching you something that’s against God’s will.
I’m walking in darkness, and I’m leading you into darkness.
But, wait a second! you may be thinking.
If we’re walking in the light and living in the light,
how do we suddenly start walking in darkness?
Well, it’s usually not suddenly.
It often happens gradually.
We become desensitized to the truth.
Here’s an example: Eskimos in the barren North
often kill wolves by taking a razor-sharp knife
and dipping it in blood.
They allow the blood to freeze to the blade.
Then they bury the handle of the knife
in the snow with the blade exposed.
As the wolf begins to lick the blade,
his tongue becomes numb and desensitized
because of the cold. As he continues,
his tongue begins to bleed,
and he licks even faster—unaware that he’s consuming his own blood and slowly killing himself.
Later, the Eskimos return and bring the dead animal home.
In the same way, satan numbs us through compromise.
Within time, we, like the wolves, don’t realize that we’re dying spiritually. The devil desensitizes us until we’re numb to the things of God.
So we need to ask our heavenly Father
if we’re truly walking in the light—
or if we’re slowly being desensitized to Him.
We want to be men and women of truth—
not liars who say we’re walking in the light
but are actually dwelling in an area of darkness.
Will you ask God to shine His spotlight on every area of your life?
Let Him reveal any area of darkness that you need to confess.
Let’s be truth warriors!
Thoughts?
I’ll be sharing more about the types of liars the apostle John talks about in next week’s blog!
I’m speaking in Fishkill, NY this weekend and would appreciate your prayers.
Liar! (Part 1)
Ever heard this phrase: “Liar, Liar! Pants on fire!”
It’s a phrase that children like to scream at each other
whenever they think the other is lying.
It’s really a stupid thing to say—because if your pants actually
caught on fire when you lied, more politicians would be dead.
(Ha! I couldn’t resist.)
I did some research, because I wanted to know where this phrase came from. One story tells of a boy who stole his dad’s cigar and ran out to the shed to smoke it. He heard his dad approaching, and he quickly shoved the cigar into the pocket of his pants. When Dad asked if he’d been smoking, he denied it—even though his pants were beginning to burn. Thus, “Liar, Liar, pants on fire!”
But the phrase actually originated from a poem written in 1810 by William Blake titled “The Liar.” The Bible actually has quite a bit to say about liars. But lets just look at what the apostle John has to say about them.
You know he wrote the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and the also the very last book of the Bible—Revelation. In John’s short five-chapter book of 1 John, he describes six types of liars. Let’s look at one of them right now:
#1: People who say they’re Christians but actually walk in darkness.
“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:6 NIV).
Ephesians 5:6-16 explains the contrast between worldly darkness and Christian light. This passage reminds us that we once were in darkness, but when we committed our lives to Christ, we began living in the light.
But it takes EFFORT to remain walking in the light, doesn’t it?
It takes discipline.
This is why it’s essential to read the Bible consistently
and to pray throughout the day.
Even if you only read the Bible one minute a day, DO IT.
By keeping ourselves in the Word and praying,
God helps us avoid walking in the darkness.
He helps keep us in His light.
So if we say we’re Christians but walk in darkness, we’re lying.
Meet me back here next week, and we’ll continue this thought.
Meanwhile, please pray for me. I’m in Peru right now on my annual international missions trip. I’d love for you to join me next summer when we go to Guatemala. It’s usually the first two weeks of July. Please start praying about it now.
Thoughts?
Game-Changer
Women speak an average of 20,000 words a day while men average
7,000. Knowing this is the average amount of words you’ll use in any
given day, you can decide to use your words to bless people or to
gossip about them. And this decision can be a game-changer!
Make it a point to LISTEN to yourself today.
How are you choosing to use your words?
The Bible has some strong warnings:
“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of
judgment for every empty word they have spoken”
(Matthew 12:36 NIV).
Have you ever been part of a conversation that begins like this:
• “What I’m telling you is highly confidential, but you’re my friend and I know I can trust you. . . .”
• “OK, I’m not totally sure about this, but I heard . . .”
• “It’s really none of my business, but here’s what I think about . . .”
These conversation openers are usually a huge forecast of idle wordson their way.
“A good man’s speech reveals the rich treasures within him.
An evil-hearted man is filled with venom, and his speech reveals it” (Matthew 12:35 LB).
Wow.
That’s pretty clear, isn’t it?
I want to be part of the solution—not the problem.
So I’m choosing to spread “positive gossip.”
Anytime I can say something good about a situation or a person,
I’m doing it.
You see, we’re either part of the judgment problem,
or we’re consciously choosing to be active in the grace solution.
But we can’t have it both ways.
So choose your words wisely.
It really CAN be a game-changer!
Thoughts?
I’m driving to Cleburne, TX this Sunday morning to begin speaking
Sunday evening through Friday evening at the West Texas District
Family Camp. I’ll be teaching Bible study during the mornings, and I’ll
be preaching in the evenings. I’d love to know your prayers for God’s
anointing are with me.
My annual two-week international missions trip is June 26 to July 9.
We’re headed to Peru. We’re close to $1,000 short on funds. If you’d
like to make a donation to help, I’ll send you a tax receipt for your
files, because I’m a 501 C-3 non-profit ministry. You can make your
check to Susie Shellenberger Ministries and mail it to me at: 3128 N.
Timber Avenue, Bethany, OK 73008. I’ll need to receive it this week
to be able to use for the trip expenses. Will you pray about helping?