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Key Bible Verse: Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds (Colossians 3:9). Bonus Reading: Jeremiah 9:3-9

When I started to scrutinize my own behavior, I was amazed—even horrified—by how often I was tempted to lie and by how often I did lie before I could stop myself. For instance, seeing an old friend, I said, "Oh, it's good to see you. I've been thinking about you so much recently." In truth, I'd thought about this friend for only a fleeting moment a few days before our chance meeting. "So much" was more than an exaggeration; it was a lie that slipped out before I could catch it.

I know I'm not alone. Christians find it all too easy to say things such as "I've been praying for you" when they really haven't been. Or their excuses for declining an invitation leave truth in the dust. "I'm sorry, I have another engagement" sounds so much better than "I really prefer not to have dinner with you."

Lying pervades our society. We may have become so accustomed to truth twisting that we don't recognize the tendency until we shine the piercing light of Scripture on our lives. If over the next few days you pay close attention to your interactions with others, odds are you'll find yourself struggling to be fully honest.

—Mark Roberts in Dare to Be True

My Response: This weekend I'll monitor how much my words compromise the truth.

Thought to Apply: When you add to the truth, you subtract from it.—TALMUD

Adapted from Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003) by permission.

Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

I realize, Lord, that You desire honesty from the heart. But I kid myself and fudge the truth to impress others. Help me to change.

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