Proverbs 12:17-22

17He who speaks truth declares righteousness,
But a false witness, deceit.
18There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
19The truthful lip shall be established forever,
But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21No grave trouble will overtake the righteous,
But the wicked shall be filled with evil.
22Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal truthfully are His delight.
-Proverbs 12:17-22

We must understand that the heart of lies is detestable in the sight of God. Deceit is not found favorable by the Lord. However, we have culturally learned to accept lies and deceit in various forms. I have found many believers who latch on to lying because they do not know how to be tactful with their words. Instead of presenting something that may be unfavorable, we tend to resort to lies instead of responding with wisdom.

I remember in one of my bible college classes discussing this exact subject. They asked, "If your spouse thinks a certain attire makes them look fat, and it does, how should you respond?" Most people chimed in that they would just outright deny it and lie. Only a few chose to preserve the truth but in a tactful way. When it comes to lies and deceit, we are too readily available to use that. Many are not okay with deceit until it comes to children. For some reason, we have no problem deceiving our children into thinking things like the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Santa are all real. I have a hard time knowingly deceiving children in something of that sort.

Our standard as believers needs to be higher than resorting to a lying tongue. We must learn to speak the truth in love. Have tact and wisdom in your words. Deception is the way of the Enemy. It is the truth that sets free.