DON'T BE DECEIVED

"People are wise and understanding when they think about the way they live. But people are foolish when their foolish ways trick them.:"  Proverbs 14:8 (NIRV)

As I read this scripture, I recall a story of a couple who were constantly arguing because of lack of trust. The wife believes that the husband is unfaithful and is constantly lying. After so many conflicts they went for counseling and the husband was asked, why he feels he has to lie to his wife, he said, any time he lies, he is trying to protect the wife from getting hurt.

This is craziness! How can a couple argue about trust issues and one of them still feels that they have to lie to protect the other. Protection is good, but the lying I am not so sure. The scriptures tells us in Proverbs 14:8, that, the wise will give thought to his ways. If the husband in question above, checks the way he is living, and seek to gain his wife's trust, I am so sure that things would have gotten better.

Let's look at the case of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife in  (Genesis 39:7-20). Potiphar's wife asked Joseph to defile his master's bed several times but Joseph being a man that feared God and understood the meaning of trust, rejected her over and over again. Potiphar had placed his whole life in his hands by trusting him with everything that he had except for his wife.  His response to this woman was, "..So how could I do an evil thing like that? How could I sin against God?” Because Joseph was wise, he resisted all the advances of his master's wife. I repeat because Joseph was WISE he resisted all the advances and fled from the woman's presence. What if Joseph had defiled his masters bed and then when his master returns he lies about it over and over again. Proverbs 14:8 (NIRV) further says that the foolishness of fools (NIV version) is deception. Joseph did his best not to fall into the deception of this woman. However she lied and it ended Joseph in Jail. Folks Lying about a situation calls for even more lying because you would want to cover up the last lie that you told and the process continues on. Such behavior would eventually hurt those we love and most of all oneself in the long run. Heed the word of the Lord and  give thought to your ways, speak the truth in love and not deceive in an attempt to please anyone.

PRAYER
Lord, today help me to speak the truth in love always. Help me not to fall into the deception and plots of lying to be recognized or to please people. Help me to always heed my ways and obey your word, in Jesus name.

JOURNAL
Look into your life and see if there is any area where you have been deceptive to yourself and to others, ask for forgiveness and take necessary steps to correct the wrong.