Reading: Jeremiah 32, 33
My Verse: "Ah, LORD God!
It is you who have made the heavens and the earth
by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm!
Nothing is too hard for You!
Great in counsel and mighty in deed,
Whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man,
rewarding each one according to his ways
and according to the fruit of his deeds" (Jeremiah 32:17,19).
This is so important for us to grasp! Nothing is too hard for You, LORD God! And You are aware of our every moment. You see all, know all and are everywhere! If we would simply take that in as truth, our lives would be full and rich and fulfilling!
Some would look at this verse as invasive, prying, judgmental. Many see it as "Big Brother Is Watching You!" to catch us when we do wrong. But that is not Your purpose is it LORD God? You look over us as a loving parent. You watch over me to keep me from doing things that would hurt me! Because You are LOVE You want only what is the very best for me.
Being secretive is not good for us. Lying, cheating and being manipulative are traits that wear away at one's very soul. Many studies show how prevalent lying is in our society. One study stated that because it is so prevalent - it is hard to imagine life without it. And yet, another study reported on by Allison Komet stated: "But in a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Depaulo and Deborah A. Kashy, Ph.D., of Texas A&M University, report that frequent liars tend to be manipulative and Machiavellian, not to mention overly concerned with the impression they make on others."
In another study by Anita Kelly, a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame reported on by health.usnews.com called "How Lying Affects Your Health" gave some interesting results. This was a 10-week study where two groups were followed. One group was told to not tell any lies during the study period, while the other group was to go on as they normally do. Each week all were subjected to reporting on how many lies they told, taking a lie-detector test, filling out questionnaires on their physical and mental health and the quality of their relationships.
The results were: "Both groups lied less, but those instructed to tell the truth reaped more health improvements. "We established very early that purposefully trying not to lie caused people to tell fewer lies," Kelly says. "When they told more lies, their health went down. And when they told the truth, it improved."
When we lie our body reacts - hence the lie detector test. Lying produces stress and stress, especially long term stress causes all kinds of health problems. One conclusion Kelly made was that lying "can be awfully draining - it takes a lot of negative physical and mental energy to maintain a lie."
You, LORD God created us in Your own image (Genesis 1:27). Lying is not of You it is of Satan, the father of lies as You call him. You, LORD God are very clear about what lying is and the source of it. Lying is a most dreadful thing and not meant for us Your creatures. When we lie we are doing the work of the father of lies.
"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).
The results of these studies bear out this truth from the Bible. Being created in Your own image, LORD God, means lying is like a poison to our very being.
Thank You for this. Help me LORD God to look to You always when I am in crises, when I am tempted to not be truthful.
"Thus says the LORD who made the earth,
the LORD who formed it to establish it
- the LORD is His name.
Call to me and I will answer you,
and will tell you great and hidden things
that you have not known" (Jeremiah 33:2,3).
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "Ah, LORD God!
It is you who have made the heavens and the earth
by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm!
Nothing is too hard for You!
Great in counsel and mighty in deed,
Whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man,
rewarding each one according to his ways
and according to the fruit of his deeds" (Jeremiah 32:17,19).
This is so important for us to grasp! Nothing is too hard for You, LORD God! And You are aware of our every moment. You see all, know all and are everywhere! If we would simply take that in as truth, our lives would be full and rich and fulfilling!
Some would look at this verse as invasive, prying, judgmental. Many see it as "Big Brother Is Watching You!" to catch us when we do wrong. But that is not Your purpose is it LORD God? You look over us as a loving parent. You watch over me to keep me from doing things that would hurt me! Because You are LOVE You want only what is the very best for me.
Being secretive is not good for us. Lying, cheating and being manipulative are traits that wear away at one's very soul. Many studies show how prevalent lying is in our society. One study stated that because it is so prevalent - it is hard to imagine life without it. And yet, another study reported on by Allison Komet stated: "But in a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Depaulo and Deborah A. Kashy, Ph.D., of Texas A&M University, report that frequent liars tend to be manipulative and Machiavellian, not to mention overly concerned with the impression they make on others."
In another study by Anita Kelly, a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame reported on by health.usnews.com called "How Lying Affects Your Health" gave some interesting results. This was a 10-week study where two groups were followed. One group was told to not tell any lies during the study period, while the other group was to go on as they normally do. Each week all were subjected to reporting on how many lies they told, taking a lie-detector test, filling out questionnaires on their physical and mental health and the quality of their relationships.
The results were: "Both groups lied less, but those instructed to tell the truth reaped more health improvements. "We established very early that purposefully trying not to lie caused people to tell fewer lies," Kelly says. "When they told more lies, their health went down. And when they told the truth, it improved."
When we lie our body reacts - hence the lie detector test. Lying produces stress and stress, especially long term stress causes all kinds of health problems. One conclusion Kelly made was that lying "can be awfully draining - it takes a lot of negative physical and mental energy to maintain a lie."
You, LORD God created us in Your own image (Genesis 1:27). Lying is not of You it is of Satan, the father of lies as You call him. You, LORD God are very clear about what lying is and the source of it. Lying is a most dreadful thing and not meant for us Your creatures. When we lie we are doing the work of the father of lies.
"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).
The results of these studies bear out this truth from the Bible. Being created in Your own image, LORD God, means lying is like a poison to our very being.
Thank You for this. Help me LORD God to look to You always when I am in crises, when I am tempted to not be truthful.
"Thus says the LORD who made the earth,
the LORD who formed it to establish it
- the LORD is His name.
Call to me and I will answer you,
and will tell you great and hidden things
that you have not known" (Jeremiah 33:2,3).
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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