#MeditationMonday‬ – Out of the abundance of a man’s heart, his mouth speaks.

Welcome, dearly beloved. I pray the mercies of God over you throughout this week. I hope to encourage and build you up in the Lord. I pray you gain a deeper understanding of these verses. As you grow in knowledge and understanding, may you be empowered to share your convictions with others.

We discussed last week in a separate post about things that make God angry, citing the acts listed in our #meditationmonday verse:

Proverbs 6:16-19 [NET]

There are six things the Lord hates, even seven things that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift to run to evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who spreads discord among family members.

Studying the list of the things God hates helps reveal the things He loves! As we begin to hate the things that He hates, our minds become more and more like God’s mind. We’ve gone through points 1 – 5: Haughty eyes, A Lying Tongue, Hands That Shed Innocent Blood, A Heart That Devises Wicked Plans or Imaginations & Feet that are swift to run to evil or running to mischief. This week, we conclude with points 6 & 7: A false witness who speaks lies & A person who spreads discord. Be enlightened as you read.

6.  A False Witness Who Speaks Lies.

Habitual liars occupy abomination number two under the list in Proverbs 6. Such people lie about anything, honesty not even considered as an option. On the other hand, under abomination number six, these liars (false witnesses) reserve their lies for more strategic times to enhance their credibility. These liars lie specifically to hurt other people.

There are three categories of faults: Iniquity (inward), transgression (outward), and sin (upward). Those who bear false witness (intentionally lie about the actions of another) commit all three. They sin (upward) against God, commit a transgression (outward) against man, all because of (inward) flaws.

While the emphasis on a lying tongue is a matter of controlling yourself and overcoming the inward struggle, the emphasis on being a false witness is a call against violating our integrity in order to ruin the life of another person.

It is one thing to lie and violate yourself, but to lie about someone else in an attempt to bring them down is another thing entirely.

The modern day word for this is slander.

Slander is the defamation of a person’s character; a malicious, false, and derogatory statement or report about someone else in an attempt to defame that person’s good name. 

Doing this shows that you clearly don’t value the life of the other person and that is why this is on the list of things God can’t stand.

Who are we to make up a lie against someone that God created?

You are not God who created that person. You don’t know what their destiny is. You don’t know the purpose/plans that God has for them. When you speak lies against them you may be coming up against God’s purpose for their lives and against all God wants to do in/through them. Just like Potipah’s wife falsely accused Joseph, when you tear someone down you may be tearing down their hopes, dreams and aspirations.

The adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” does not work in real life. Our words matter. Slanderous words can destroy a person’s name, career, livelihood, marriage etc. Why would we want to do that?

Why would we use our words for evil, when we could be using them for good? 

The Opposite:

Rather than giving false testimony, use your words to speak the truth. Our words should build up and never tear down. Your words can either minister grace or destruction.  Which will you choose?

God will save even those people who would not speak the truth, when that truth would unnecessarily harm an individual and elevate the “righteousness” of the storyteller.

7.  A Person Who Spreads Discord.

Scripture has much to say about people coming together in unity (Genesis 11). God never intended for us to attempt to live our lives as lone rangers. God knows that we can get a lot more done when we involve others, but for us to be effective, we must walk together in unity. (Amos 3:3).

For us to walk peaceably with other humans, and get things done for God and His Kingdom, we must walk together in unity. This is why God hates those who sow seeds of discord with their gossip, slander and back stabbing. There is tremendous power released when believers unite. This is why the enemy is so busy attempting to pull us apart and God hates it when we allow it to happen.

There is divine power released from heaven when believers unite. This is why the enemy is so busy attempting to pull us apart and God hates it when we allow it to happen because He knows that one of the basic tenets of warfare is ‘divide and conquer.’ The enemy knows that if he can divide us, he can keep us from being effective in the earth.

Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will[continue to] stand.

Matthew 12:25 [AMP]

The Opposite:

Be an unselfish team player. Rather than spreading discord, allow God to use you as an instrument of peace. Don’t allow the enemy to use you as a tool of division.

God loves those who endeavour to spread harmony within His family. Don’t be consumed by division over minor differences like race, color, age, gender, styles of worship, etc. We have too much at stake to allow division to slow down the mission of the Kingdom!

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This concludes our series on the 7 things God hates. We have learnt thus far that God is a loving, caring heavenly father but that doesn’t mean He cannot hate. You can walk in love and still hate. God loves what is right and hates what is wrong. The more we study what God hates, the more we understand the things He loves! As we begin to hate the things God hates, our minds become more and more like God’s mind. We hope that you have been enlightened by this study, may the light of God’s goodness expose whatever darkness is our hearts and lead us unto His wonderful salvation.

Key Points/Lessons Learnt

• Humility is controlled confidence! Rather than having a proud look, make every effort to remain humble. There is a thin line between confidence and arrogance. Those who capture God’s affection are those who have more humility. Receive nourishment, guidance and direction from The Word; that you may obtain the necessary correction needed to stay on the proper course (the narrow path).

• Let your audio (words) match your video (actions). Lying is satan’s native tongue! If you constantly speak lies, it is an indication your heart is not filled with the truth i.e. God’s truth – Jesus Christ. Rather than having a lying tongue; listen to your inner witness and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Speak the truth in love, and you will be the person of integrity that God desires for you to be.

• Your facial expression can murder a person! Don’t be a psychological serial killer. Pray prayers of love. Whenever the Holy Spirit is leading you to do something for someone and we go our own way, we murder that person. Rather than being murderers we must love and seek the well-being of others.

• Imagining any form of sin is evil. Rather than making wicked plans, use your imagination to meditate on God’s word. Make virtuous plans! Think on things that are pleasing to God, develop an image of what He desires you to be, and get that image down in your heart.

• There is no such thing as an undercover Christian. God can’t create an effective son/daughter out of a self-centered person. Rather than seeking out evil, be swift in running away from evil. Heed the Lord’s call to bring with urgency the Good News of Christ Jesus.

• Speak good, not evil. Rather than giving false testimony, use your words to speak the truth. Minister grace, not destruction. Our words should encourage, build up and never tear down.

• We are saved to serve. Be an unselfish team player. Rather than spreading discord, allow God to use you as an instrument of peace. Don’t allow the enemy use you as a tool of division.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for loving me, even while I was under the influence of satan. I praise you for delivering me out of the kingdom of darkness into your marvellous light. I declare by faith, that sin does not rule over me. From now on, I love what God loves and hate what He hates. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!

Grace & Peace!