BY PASTOR BRANDON YOUNG

John 8:32 states, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” We must realize that if the truth sets us free, then lies do just the opposite. We often underestimate the power of truth because we do not fully comprehend the bondage and destruction that follows a lie. Lucifer does not just tell lies; he is the father of all lies. The origin of a lie is traced back to Lucifer’s attempt to overthrow God in heaven. He persuaded himself through lies, he would be capable of dethroning Jehovah God! Lucifer also influenced one third of the angels in heaven to follow his lead, and you guessed it, he used more and more lies to make his plan more believable. Revelation 12:7-9 says, “7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Satan’s plan was not successful in the end. Lies may work for a while, but soon enough they will fail. Lies are the equivalent of building a house out of cards. The winds of truth will blow and will topple that house!
The definition of a lie is to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive; to express what is false; convey a false impression. Deception is one of Satan’s greatest weapons, and we must be mindful of his tactics. The first thing Lucifer did on this earth is to deceive Adam and Eve. God commanded them not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and explained that the day they ate, they would surely die. Satan convinced them this was not the case and if they ate, they would become as a god. After sinning, Adam and Eve immediately hid, and we have been trying to hide our sins ever since. A spiritual and a physical death came upon mankind just as God promised it would. The truth is revealing, not hiding. If we hide, we lie. The truth is transparent! We do not have to be shady or underhanded when we live life in the truth. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus is the truth and it is impossible for God to lie. When we walk in the truth we will be pleasing to God. Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips [are] abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly [are] his delight.” When we choose to be real and truthful, we can lead others to Christ!
According to the Barna survey, hypocrisy and superficiality is one reason young adults are leaving the church at an alarming rate. These young adults state they are seeking spiritual authenticity among adults. Many youths have had no — or very limited — exposure to adult role models who know what they believe, why they believe it, and are committed to consistently living it out. They are not seeing genuine faith and commitment to Christ. This is due partly to Christian adults who have chosen to believe the lies of Satan. It is so easy to deceive ourselves into believing that we are living holy and righteous when in fact, we are not! Brennan Manning said, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
If we could start admitting our lives need to change, we could begin to change for the better. It is impossible to change when we believe that all we do is right, and we have no room for improvement. This mindset is destructive to our modern-day church. We have all sinned and come short of God’s glory, and we need to be honest with ourselves and find areas for improvement. Satan has convinced us that if we have an appearance or form of godliness that we are OK, but according to the scripture we are denying the power of God! I have ministered to inmates in North Carolina for over 13 years. I have taken other church leaders from various denominations with me over the years to the worship services, and the first thing they notice is the sincerity and authenticity of the men. It is very refreshing to see men admit their problems and issues rather than trying to hide them. In church, we often care about how others within the church perceive us and we have up our walls, façades, and we play roles. In prison, they all come in wearing the same garments and they all know they have issues, problems, and a dark past. The Lord can work when we are truthful, but it is impossible for God to work in a lie. The most interesting fact about the truth” is that it is reality. Denying the truth or refusing to believe doesn’t change it, but when we are ready to change, we must accept the truth for it will set us free!
(The Solution Column is provided by Pastor Brandon Young of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church and his associate, David Odom.)