Walking with the Wise #130: Faithful Living in an Unfaithful World

“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,
but those who act faithfully are His delight.”
—Proverbs 12:22

In the sanctification process, one of the most tricky and troublesome areas is that of our speech. Some sins are easy to identify—lust, greed, theft, etc. But other sins are not so obvious—gossip and slander being two. The two are difficult because of our propensity to share information in a not so godly way. We may try and pass it off as a prayer request, or concern, but reality is far different, and an examination of the heart shows what our real intentions are.

Words are plentiful and our hearts are deceptive, so the two together have a tendency to erupt in lava of poison whenever we encounter difficulty and pain. We are continually tempted to fudge the truth or tell what we consider to be “white lies” by which we try and present an alternate version of the truth in the hope of making ourselves look better than we are, our sin less hideous than it is, or simply to make others look bad. In God’s sight, there are no “white lies,” and all sins, though perhaps differing in consequences, are destructive and deadly in application.

Our goal is to make sure that our lips are free of deceit, because lying lips are an abomination—i.e., abhorrent and hated in the sight of God. God wants us to speak the truth in love (cf. Ephesians 4:15), and live and act faithfully in a polluted world of lies and half-truths. And this can only be done once we discover that our ultimate joy and satisfaction is found in delighting in Him. Living faithfully to His word enables us to experience the overwhelming blessing of God. As John Piper has so eloquently said it, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

Glorify God with your lips, love Him by loving others, and you will find that God’s light will begin to radiate through you. You will experience joy—such abundant joy that a watching world will take notice and be either drawn to Him or repelled by Him--because your life is a testimony against their sin.

Find your satisfaction and joy in the Lord, put off any falsehood or deceit, order your life according to His wonderful word and then be prepared to experience the blessing of Almighty God for His glory and your joy. Amen.