“The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” Proverbs 12:22

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Proverbs 13:11

Introduction

I believe all of us at one point in our lives have told a lie or so and somehow it seems so easy to tell a lie than to tell the truth especially when you find yourself in a jam. However, the truth will eventually come out so it best to be honest at all times even if it means losing someone in a relationship or losing an opportunity for a major contract.

You see there are so many people who appear to be so successful and some of the successes came about because of dishonesty. Success based on lies is short term and will eventually become a failure. Some people built empires based on dishonest acts. Some people went into relationships based on dishonest acts. Some people stole and lied on others to get to where they are today. However, I am quite sure they are full of guilt and wondering what will happen to them when they get caught. Sometimes we lie so much that we forget what we lied about but ironically most times the people we lied to will remember that lie.

Why do we lie?

We lie for a number of reasons. We lie to impress and be accepted by people. We lie because of our desire for more and more which is greed. We lie thinking it is for protection. Eventually we will get caught up with our lies which may result in shame, embarrassment and many losses. Unfortunately, some of the same people we lie to impress may not be around to support you when the truth is revealed.

Dishonesty leads to death

Being dishonest can lead to death. It does not necessarily mean a physical death but it can mean the death of your business or even the death of a relationship.

Do you remember the story about Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts 5? This couple sold a piece of property but he kept some of the money for himself. Peter confronted Ananias about his lie. Ananias ended up falling down and dying. Three hours later Sapphria came in and she also lied about the selling price of the land. She also fell down and die.

When the truth is revealed, it will be very difficult to regain trust from individuals and as a result your reputation and integrity will be ruined. In fact, some people no matter how they try to turn their lives around will always be labelled as a liar even if it was one simple lie. No one will want to support you and hence you face the risk of losing so much.

Honesty gains trust

You see when you are honest you will gain trust.  When people trust you, you will flourish and you will be promoted. You will gain favour from people. People will support you and once you get the support from people, your business will grow and become successful. The Lord will be delight in your honesty. Your relationship with your spouse and family will prosper when you are honest.

Honesty will allow you live freely

Too many of us cannot sleep at nights because of our dishonest acts. We are so guilty and we are not true to ourselves because we are living a lie and hence we are not living freely. You see if you are honest, you can go to sleep at nights not wondering if you will get caught up with your lies. You will not have to be in hiding pretending to be something or someone you are not. You will not have to run away. You can walk with your head high up knowing you have not done anything wrong.

Conclusion

No matter how difficult your situation, don’t ever compromise your integrity by being dishonest. Always be honest in everything no matter how small it appears. The truth is you will become successful once you display honesty. No one really wants to do business or be in relationship with dishonest people.

Furthermore, there is no need to rush in a relationship or a business. Rushing into something may cause you to be dishonest. Take your time. The word of the Lord in Proverbs 13:11 says that “dishonest money dwindles away but whoever gathers money little by little make it grow.”