We live our life as a façade. We have pretty curtains on the windows with a nice welcome mat on the front step, and at the same time, we surround everything with a massive wrought iron fence. Our doors are padlocked and dead-bolted, but the painted stucco covering the walls is magnificent. The front yard is immaculately trimmed, yet the grass is artificial, and the flowers are plastic. In reality, our life often amounts to little more than a lie in disguise.
We Say or Display One Thing But Really Mean Another
We tell our friends and neighbors how wonderful they are, then gossip badly about them when they are not present. We boast to our coworkers about what a great job we did, never mentioning that someone else actually did most of the work. Under the guise of diplomacy, nations cover up their lies to appease other nations. Many leaders and politicians are quick to divert the not-so-pleasant truth about themselves, yet are quite eager to expose it about others—or even demand that others reveal it about themselves.
“These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.”
Zechariah 8:16,17
Lies Go All the Way Back to Adam and Eve
All the way back in the beginning, the first man and woman chose to clothe their disobedience in deception. “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:7-8).
Adam and Eve Chose to Give A Lie in Disguise
Adam and Eve knew they were wrong, but chose to hide and not disclose the truth to God, their Creator. They gave a lie in disguise. But God cannot, and will not, be mocked or fooled in any manner. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).
Modern Lies Are Just Old Ones Better Dressed
When we dress up our misdeeds we just make them into an appealing lie in disguise. And by living a life of covering up falsehood, we fill ourselves with pride, which further worsens our situation. We are telling God that we can handle the situation in the way we think is best. We don’t want the results that the actual truth will bring, so we keep the lie beautifully clothed and hope that no one will peek inside. Yet all we are really doing is putting ourselves into more and more bondage. By continuing our fashion show with our lie, we begin to live more and more in fear.
Our Concealed Lies Are Actually Sin Well Hidden
The reality here is that we sin, meaning we fail to obey what God commanded, and then sin gains control over us. But we really don’t want anyone to know. The only one who has a remedy for our desire to constantly disguise who we really are is Jesus. When we yield ourself to Him, and strip our disobedience bare by admitting that we were wrong and that we have sinned against Him, He’ll free us of this burden. From the time when Jesus came into this world, to the time when He sacrificed His life on the cross and rose from the grave, He fulfilled all of God’s requirements for us to be free from sin’s control over us.
Even a half-truth, or a lie poorly clothed, is still falsehood. We may successfully keep this lie in disguise from others, but never from God.
The Truth of the Matter is Best Unhidden Before God
The truth about who we really are is best when it is unclothed, raw, and out in the open before God. By hiding it, we set ourselves up for a life of falsehood, fear, and shame. Even a half-truth, or a lie poorly clothed, is still falsehood. We may successfully keep this lie disguise from others, but never from God. Concealing it will never benefit anyone, especially in the long term.
Turning to God and Quitting Our Lies Keeps Us From Hell
By living this way, we are in rebellion against God and setting ourself up for an eternity in hell. God loves us so much and has absolutely no intention of sending us there. We make this happen by continuing to reject Him. Yet all of this will change in a moment if we turn our heart and life over to Him. Don’t dress up your disobedience or maintain a lie in disguise—bring it out in the open, and lay it in the hands of Jesus.
For more information about how to yield to God, please visit our page on The Way To God.
{Additional image credits: Featured image (when applicable) by Christian GAFENESCH on Unsplash; Opening photo by Peter H from Pixabay; Image gallery: (L) photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Pexels, (C) photo by leoessen from Pixabay, (R) photo by Jan Kroon on Pexels]
