The Ways of the Heart
Frank Allnutt

Section 9: The Ways of Lies vs. The Ways of Truth

Page 2: We Act Out of What Fills the Heart

Scripture sometimes refers to our memory as a “storehouse” or “treasury,” and its contents—memories, concepts, beliefs, values, knowledge, wisdom and the like—as “treasure.” Jesus spoke of this when He scolded a group of Pharisees:

“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil” (Matthew 12:34, 35).

The lessons of life’s experiences greatly influence our intellectual, emotional, volitional and behavioral response to circumstances, real and imaginary, past, present and anticipated. Some believers seek the help of others, such as Christian counselors, in facing this onslaught. Often times counselors can help a believer understand how false messages have wrongly influenced their beliefs and values, caused them to develop fleshly defense mechanisms, and perhaps even contributed psychosomatically to physical and mental health problems.

A spiritually gifted Christian counselor will help his client take a fresh look at life’s messages from a biblical perspective and to rely on the Holy Spirit for enlightenment and guidance.

“Lost memories”
The heart of man can be wounded by false messages that have been “lost”—suppressed (willfully ignored) or repressed (involuntarily subjugated to the subconscious of our memory). Repressed memories are born out of traumatic circumstances, the recall of which would be threatening to a person’s emotional well-being, including his sense of security and self-esteem. So the mind blocks their recall.

Therapists may attempt to help their clients recover “lost” memories. But this should only be attempted with competent counsel. I emphasize “competent” because botched attempts at memory recall may only make matters worse.

Take the case of a Christian woman who sought the help of a therapist. She was diagnosed to have symptoms indicative of sexual abuse when very young: low self-esteem, unknown fears, and an eating disorder. The woman could not remember any such abuse. And from there, things began to get out of hand. The therapist crossed over the line to suggest her abuser was most likely a member of her family or someone else who had been close to her. He then convinced her to seek the identity of the perpetrator, since this would bring closure and begin the healing process.

The woman did not have to search far; her only surviving immediate family member was an older brother. She pointedly asked him if he had ever sexually abused her. He was shocked by the allegation, and vehemently denied it. The whole matter came down to her unfounded suspicion against his insistence of innocence. It strained their relationship, to say the least. What was the lie, and what was the truth?

In time the woman sought Christian counseling. After several sessions her symptoms were traced not to sexual abuse as a child, but to emotional starvation by a mother who did not show her much love, and a workaholic father who never seemed to have time for her. Sadly, the young girl had grown into womanhood feeling unloved and unaccepted. But once she discovered her true identity in Christ, and understood that God unconditionally loved and accepted her, the healing began—of her damaged emotions as well as the strained relationship with her brother.

Seven Major Truths About Lies and Lying
The Bible tells us not to lie to one another because it is an evil practice (Colossians 3:9).

Scripture also reveals other truths about lies and lying that every believer should take to heart. Let’s take a look at a few of them:

Truth Number 1: “It is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18).

Truth Number 2: God hates lies and liars.
“There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19). “Thou dost hate all who do iniquity” (Psalm 5:5). Note: God also loves them! (John 3:16).

Truth Number 3: Liars are banned from the Kingdom of God.
“He who practices deceit shall not dwell within My house; he who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before Me” (Psalm 101:7). “Outside [the New Jerusalem] are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying” (Revelation 22:15).

Truth Number 4: To lie places a person in conditional and functional bondage to sin.
As natural people, we were slaves of sin (Romans 6:16). But at the time of our salvation we were set free of that enslaving relationship (Romans 6:17, 18). And yet, when we lie or sin in any way, we depend upon sin by committing actual sin, and we therefore make sin our functional master—a false god.

Satan, with the help of his demons and unwitting human accomplices, tempts people to believe that the quickest and easiest path to self-sufficiency is the way of the common lie—that in lying is found the ultimate power to manipulate the minds of others and thus control them. But lying is not the path to self-sufficiency and godlikeness; it is the path to destruction.

An unknown author jotted down these words of wisdom for us all to heed: “A lie on the throne is a lie, still, and truth in a dungeon is truth, still; and a lie on the throne is on the way to defeat, and truth in a dungeon is on the way to victory.”

And Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote that, “Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all.”

Truth Number 5: To lie is to commit spiritual adultery.
To lie is to avoid and reject the truth. The liar, whether he knows it or not, yields to Satan (the father of lies and the personification of sin) and rejects Jesus (the personification of truth and the expression of God’s perfect love). Romans 1:25 speaks of those who “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and [thus] worshiped and served the creature [Satan] rather than the Creator.”

When a believer lies he or she yields to Satan’s seductive temptation and enters into “improper relations” with him. This person is unfaithful to Christ (our “bridegroom”) and carries on a spiritually adulterous relationship with Satan (an “illicit lover”).

Lying is a form of worldliness. James writes, “you adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world [including its penchant to lie] is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: ‘He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us’?” (James 4:4, 5).

Truth Number 6: To lie is to glorify Satan.
Those who lie, according to Jesus, do the desires of Satan, who is the “father of lies” (John 8:44). When a person lies he imitates Satan. And, as the old saying goes, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Through lying, a person flatters Satan. And by flattering Satan, a person pays homage to Satan. And by paying homage to Satan, a person glorifies the Devil!

Truth Number 7: To lie renders the heart dysfunctional.
At the time of our salvation, we were made righteous new-hearted, new creatures in Christ (Ezekiel 36:26, 27; 2 Corinthians 5:17), and were substantively cleansed of sin in the heart or inner person. However, when we lie, or sin in any other way, “sin-debt” is left within the soul of the heart—defilement such as guilt, shame, and anxiety. Such sin-debt renders the hearts of believers dysfunctional, temporarily strains their fellowship with the indwelling Holy Spirit; and places them in temporary functional bondage to Satan and sin.

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