LANGUAGE:
AN ANATOMY OF LYING
Some Common Lies We Believe
This morning I would like to start a new series entitled The Lies We Believe (and how they effect us). In an article entitled “How To Enslave The World”, the author points out that the lies we are telling have led us so far away from a normal society that we cannot even orient yourselves to normality any longer; in the dense, gray fog not even one pillar of normality can be seen.” Because we are so captivated by our lies, we must falsify everything. By our lies we falsify the past, falsify the present, falsifying statistics, and ‘thereby’ falsify the future.[i]
From George Orwell comes these insightful words, In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.[ii]
Most cultures place a high value on truth and honesty, and yet research tells us that we all carry a twisted perspective of truth and honesty. These twisted truths and honesty become lies buried deep into our psychic, shaping our beliefs, decisions, and actions. In a 2002 study by psychologist Robert Feldman at the University of Massachusetts, he found that 60 percent of people lied at least once during a 10-minute conversation. And get this, his research found that the average American tells at least one to two lies on a given day. Research has found that the lies that we tell and believe begin between the ages of two and five.[iii] What that means is, lying is inbred in us and has become a serious commodity in our culture.
Many lies are trivial, designed to keep the peace or make someone feel good. Examples include phrases such as “I feel great!” when in actuality you feel rotten. Or “you look great in that outfit”, when actually you look terrible. But then there are more disturbing lies that have devastating consequences, such as falsely accusing someone of a crime or lying to investors.
In a recent study in Nature Neuroscience research found that habitual lying can desensitize our brains. The point is, the more comfortable we become with our lies, the brain gets desensitized to truth and honesty. [iv] This desensitization has a huge negative impact on the body. That was David’s experience in Psalm 32:3–4 (GW) 3When I kept silent about my sins, my bones began to weaken because of my groaning all day long. 4Day and night your hand laid heavily on me. My strength shriveled in the summer heat.
Lies hold us back from becoming something greater, from believing in ourselves, from becoming an entrepreneur, from being at peace, etc. In a study conducted in 2010 it was found that those who tend to be insecure, anxious or avoidant issues are more likely to lie to avoid being criticized, rejected, or loss of status. Also, those who believe lying will give them monetary or social recognition are more likely to continue being dishonest.[v] The lies that we hold to are rooted deep in the inner core of our lives, impacting our beliefs, our decisions, and our actions. Jeremiah 17:9 (GW) “The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is. Lying is a pervasive issue that affects all of us, regardless of gender.
In the Bible, it is considered a serious transgression against God and others.
Let’s begin with a Word of Prayer. Heavenly Father, as we open your book, open our minds to the lies that govern our lives, and set us free from their harsh grip. May we make every effort to train our minds to think godly. Amen
It might surprise you to know that research has come up with at least 8 lie categories.
There are numerus reasons why we accept and live out lies. They including things like . . .
Lying is always some form of deception; It can be verbal or silent, intentional or unintentional; it can be about circumstances, other people, or one’s interpretation of surroundings.
Lying is often like ‘comfort food’, helping us hide behind emotional barriers, weaknesses. What we say to ourselves is a snap-shot of the way we choose to live our lives. So how we talk to ourselves matters more than we realize.
According to Christine Comaford, Women are more likely to tell beneficial lies to avoid hurting other people’s feelings, while men are more likely to lie about their accomplishments in order to impress.[xi]
According to Zety’s recent 2020 research, of over 1,000 Americans, it was found that 96% confessed to lying to get out of work. This seems to be more of a man issue than a woman issue. The most common lies include feeling sick (84%), family emergencies (65%), doctor’s appointment (60%), or lying about a family member’s death (31%)![xii]
Lying has been around since the days following creation, when Satan told the first lie in the Garden of Eden, bringing humanity’s fall.[xiii] Today, and perhaps more than ever before, our culture is being consumed by lies. In our present ‘now’ lying has moved from the casual “white lies” to becoming an insidious pervasive industry.[xiv] Because we are becoming comfortable with lying, we are developing an unsettling tolerance to being devious.[xv] Ecclesiastes 9:3 (GW) captures this insidious pervasiveness with these words: . . . the hearts of mortals are full of evil. Madness is in their hearts while they are still alive.[xvi]
In the time that I have, I want to highlight three common lies that impact the way we live.
Campus Crusade for Christ, now known as CRU, in its early beginnings came out with a way to help us share our faith called The Four Spiritual Laws. I have found it to be very helpful in sharing my faith, and I’ve used it many times. But the first of the four laws can be misleading. It goes like this: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”[xvii]
That phrase lays the ground work for a misconception about God and the Christian life. God indeed does have a wonderful plan for our lives, but we need to be clear as to that plan. I think for most of us, when we think about God’s plans for us, we think of the American Dream--financial security, a house with a white picket fence, retiring comfortably at 60 with maybe few blister or two. But suffering, hardship, ridicule, failures, mockery . . . not so much.[xviii] Somewhere I think we’ve picked up the notion that as a people of God, if we live a godly life, God will protect us from pain, suffering, confusion, and grief etc. But that’s not what Paul tells us when he writes about his faith journey in 2 Corinthians 11:24–26 (GW) 24Five times the Jewish leaders had me beaten with 39 lashes; 25three times Roman officials had me beaten with clubs. Once people tried to stone me to death; three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a night and a day. 26Because I’ve traveled a lot, I’ve faced dangers from raging rivers, from robbers, from my own people, and from other people. I’ve faced dangers in the city, in the open country, on the sea, and from believers who turned out to be false friends.
The reality is, followers of Christ are more often than not severely oppressed, marginalized, and/or killed for their convictions. Just read the closing verses of Hebrews 11, v36ff where we are told about God’s people experiencing mockings, scourgings, chains, imprisonment, stoning, ‘and being’ sawn in two, tempted, and put to death with the sword; dressed in sheepskins and goatskins, were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and living in holes in the ground.
For those Christ-followers, seeking God’s will didn’t look like fretting over career decisions, but learning how to live for God’s glory when the stakes are high and the costs steep.
How many times have you heard that whispered in your ear by someone trying to lift your spirits? We’ve likely whispered that to ourselves a number of times when things were going terribly wrong such as a death, a loss of job, an unplanned expense, a health scare, it’s in such times this is the little phrase keeps popping up--God won’t give me more than I can handle.
Admittedly 1 Corinthians 10:1 does say that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear, but that doesn’t mean life will never be more than we can handle. Life has a way of piling it on from a dozen directions at the same time. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t need God at all. In case you missed it, listen to Paul’s testimony in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (ESV) 8For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.
Whatever was going on, Paul tells us there was a moment that the events were so bad that he and his team feared for their very lives. In fact, they were all convinced they were about to die. But we don’t want to miss the ending of v9. Paul tells us that this mountain of despair . . . are you ready for this? I don’t want you to miss Paul’s point. The events creating this mountain of despair was actually designed by God in order that he and his team would not trust in themselves, but God who raises the dead. v10 ‘and it was He’ who delivered us from so great a peril of death.
Did you hear what Paul wrote? We were so utterly overwhelmed beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. And the lesson for us was that this great peril of impending death was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. Let me repeat Paul’s testimony: We were so utterly overwhelmed beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. And the lesson for us was that this great peril of impending death was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. We need to get a grip on this great truth.
To do this we need to build into your minds a firm vision of the God of heaven, of life, of hell, of suffering, of Christ, of His caring ways that will establish us so deeply that when the brutality of life smashes us, we won’t lose our footing and get mad at God. We’re to ground our faith in God’s sovereign goodness so that when the waves break over us, we can handle them.”[xix V10, for it is He on whom we have set our hope. And He will deliver. It was this bedrock conviction that enabled Dietrich Bonhoeffer to endure his imprisonment and eventual death at the hands of the Nazis. From his journal dated New Year’s Day, 1943, come these words:
I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil. For that purpose, He needs men/women who will make the best use of everything. I believe that God will give us all the strength we need to help us to resist in all time of distress. But he never gives it in advance, lest we should rely on ourselves and not on him alone. A faith such as this should calm all our fears for the future. I believe that even our mistakes and shortcomings are turned to good account, and that it is no harder for God to deal with them than with our supposedly good deeds. I believe that God is no timeless fate, but that He waits and answers sincere prayers and responsible actions.[xx]
As of October 6, 2023, according to the worldometer, there are over 8 billion plus people walking this earth.[xxi] In light of 8 billion plus people, nations are at war, famines are on the horizon, people displacement is a growing reality, there’s an uptick of local and national violence, and the rise of globalism, and in addition, it is estimated that one billion of the 8 billion have some form of mental disorder (just to mention a few issues).[xxii] In light of the mess that our world is in, does God really have time to focus on me and my needs?
I mean, why would He care that my child doesn’t have someone to sit with at lunch when there are such horrors as school shootings, mass genocide, and terrorist attacks going on in this world? And of the 8 plus billion people, does He even know I exist?
This lie focuses more on our failure to grasp the depth of God’s love for us versus His power or His knowledge of the swirl of details in our lives. Despite the 8 billion plus people on earth, God absolutely cares about the things that happen in our lives. The Bible makes it clear that He cares deeply about us.
According to Ephesians 1:3-14 we are chosen, children of God, and heirs of promise with Christ. Salvation is the biggest demonstration of God's love ever for each of us.
This is a good place to pull the pause lever. Stress, anxiety, pain and low self-esteem are often at the root of the lies we believe, and hold dear. The lies that we snuggle with can lead to:
Are you disillusioned? Weary? Disappointed? Satan’s aim is to destroy your joy and confidence in God. Only the knowledge of God breaks the lies that we lean in on. Trust the goodness of God and let him be your treasure. I end our study this morning with Romans 12:2 (NASB95) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, … so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Let’s close in prayer: Our Father, we thank You for the greatness of Your truth. We long so much that you will immerse Your Word into our hearts, showing us yourself, and showing us our Savior, and making Your Book come alive in and to us. Help us to this end, we pray in Jesus name., amen.
[i]
https://academyofideas.com/2021/09/the-big-lie-how-to-enslave-the-world/. George Orwell, A.M. Heath (2003). “Animal Farm and 1984”, p.249, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
https://www.azquotes.com/author/11147-George_Orwell.
Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day be day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except the endless present in which the party is always right. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6145-who-controls-the-past-controls-the-future-who-controls-the “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
[ii] George Orwell, https://www.azquotes.com/author/11147-George_Orwell.
[iii] Bill Sullivan, The Truth About Lying and What It Does to the Body. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pleased-meet-me/202001/the-truth-about-lying-and-what-it-does-the-body
[iv]Lizette Borreli . How Lying Affects The Human Brain: Telling Lies Desensitizes Amygdala To Dishonesty; Increases Chances Of Being A Pathological Liar, https://www.medicaldaily.com/how-lying-affects-human-brain-telling-lies-desensitizes-amygdala-dishonesty-402310. "When we lie for personal gain, our amygdala produces a negative feeling that limits the extent to which we are prepared to lie," said Dr. Tali Sharot, senior author of the study, director of the Affective Brain Lab at the University College of London and a faculty member of the department of Experimental Psychology, in a statement.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] Proverbs 6:16-19: The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.
[vii] Proverbs 6:16–19 (NASB95) 16There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. Psalm 31:18 (NASB95)18Let the lying lips be mute, Which speak arrogantly against the righteous With pride and contempt. ; Psalm 120:2 (NASB95) 2Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, From a deceitful tongue. ; Proverbs 12:22 (NASB95) 22Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal faithfully are His delight. ; Proverbs 17:7 (NASB95) 7Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, Much less are lying lips to a prince.
[viii] 7 types of lies people tell https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/04/7-types-lies-people-tell/
[ix] Jim Taylor, Perception Is Not Reality, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201908/perception-is-not-reality
[x] https://christiangist.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-a-lying-woman/
[xi] Christine Comaford, Why We Lie, and The Neuroscience Behind it. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/ 2020/10/17/why-we-lie-and-the-neuroscience-behind-it/?sh=5bdfaf2c7d7c. A typical conversation between two guys contains about eight times as many self-oriented lies as it does lies about others. Three key parts of our brain are stimulated when we lie. First, the frontal lobe (of the neocortex), which has the ability to suppress truth—yes, it’s capable of dishonesty due to its intellectual role. Second, the limbic system due to the anxiety (hi, amygdala!) that comes with deception—and yes, when we’re lied to our “Spiderman sense” here can perk up, just as we can feel guilty/stressed when we’re doing the lying. And third, the temporal lobe is involved because it’s responsible for retrieving memories and creating mental imagery. Just for fun, add the anterior cingulate cortex because it helps in monitoring errors, and the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex because it is trying all the while to control our behavior. Our brain is busy, busy, busy when we lie.
[xii] Ibid. The most common lies include feeling sick (84%), family emergencies (65%), doctor’s appointment (60%), or lying about a family member’s death (31%)! On average, one person has used 7 different excuses to get out of work on different occasions. Only 27% of respondents who lied to get out of work regretted it, and 41% of respondents would lie again. 91% of people making up excuses to get out of the office were never caught! More men than women were caught lying, and only 27% of respondents who lied to get out of work regretted it. For those caught, 70% regretted lying. But despite not feeling bad about themselves for lying, 59% of respondents said they wouldn’t do it again.
[xiii] Genesis 3:4–5 (NASB95) 4The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
[xiv] Read more at: https://adventistreview.org/commentary/how-to-survive-the-age-of-lies/. Cf., Peter Rowe, The truth about lying: we live in a golden age of lies – and lie-detecting, https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/religion/sd-me-truth-lying-20180522-story.html
[xv] Bill Sullivan, The Truth About Lying and What It Do0es to the Body, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pleased-meet-me/202001/the-truth-about-lying-and-what-it-does-the-body
[xvi] Mark 7:21–22 (GW) 21Evil thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, 22adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, cursing, arrogance, and foolishness come from within a person. Ephesians 4:22 (NASB95) 22that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
[xvii] Jeremiah 29:11, NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. See Daniel Hess, God has a wonderful plan for your life, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-has-a-wonderful-plan-for-your-life. God does have a wonderful plan for your life-- salvation from his wrath that we justly deserve. God’s wonderful plan for our life is that we repent, believe in him, and fight sin through his power. God’s wonderful plan for our life is sober-mindedness, sexual purity, and that we “walk not as unwise, but wise, making the most of our time because the day is evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). God’s plan is that he may be most glorified in us through us being satisfied in him.
[xviii] George W. Busher, A Brief History of the American Dream, https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/state-of-the-american-dream/churchwell-history-of-the-american-dream.The American dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society in which upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American dream is believed to be achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance. The American dream, according to Adams, was about collective moral character: It was a vision of “commonweal,” common well-being, well-being that is held in common and therefore mutually supported. It was, as Adams said, a “dream of social order,” in which every citizen could attain the best of which they were capable.
[xix] John Piper, Holding on to Your Faith in the Midst of Suffering (Job 1:1-2:13, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/ holding-on-to-your-faith-in-the-midst-of-suffering.
[xx] Scott J. Hafemann, 2 Corinthians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 74–75. Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers From Prison, ed., Eberhard Bethge, enlarged ed. (New York: Macmillan, 1972 [1953]), 11.
[xxi] Constant update and counting: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
[xxii] https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/current-global-issues/
[xxiii] Cf., Matthew 6:25–33 (NASB95) 25“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. See Luke 8:40–56 (NASB95) 40And as Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. 41And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house; 42for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him. 43And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, 44came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. 45And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.” 46But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.” 47When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” 49While He was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” 50But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother. 52Now they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, “Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep.” 53And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. 54He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!” 55And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. 56Her parents were amazed; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.
[xxiv] Romans 5:6–11 (NASB95) 6For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Ephesians 2:8–10 (NASB95) 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 5:1–2 (NASB95) 1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.