“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy… So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body… These are the things you should do: Tell each other the truth. In the court’s judgment with truth and complete fairness.”
Proverbs 28:13; Ephesians 4:25; Zechariah 8:16
There’s no shame in the truth!
Not only is there no shame in truth, it is critical to running a straight race in life.
Truth sometimes might feel like a Band-Aid pulled off – a little sting.
And even sometimes it is hard, but a lie or omission will take you down a trail that leads to a ditch…every time.
Truth and confession spoken with pure motives desiring relationship restoration and strengthening may be painful in the beginning but always cleansing and always brings relief and an inner strength.
Your turn …
Let us together examine all your relationships.
Do you have someone you need to speak truth to?
Is there a confession you need to make? Don’t be afraid.
Your part is to speak the truth and then receive the response in love.
Live your life so in truth you can say, “My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know…My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.” Job 33:3; Proverbs 8:7
Now with complete confidence, pray…
“LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on Your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; or who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.”
Psalm 15
“An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies… If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Proverbs 12:17; Romans 10:9
You serve the God of all truth!
How to do this as a weekly Bible study
Day One: Experience
Read the entire devotion. Do any verses stand out to you? If so, write it down and work on memorizing it over the week. I personally love the app “Scripture Typer.”
Day Two: Observe & Read
Chain. Look up and chain verses (For example on how to chain verses, see this video).
Day Three: Interpret
Read through the chain of verses starting with the first one. What do they say? Do you notice when it says “never” or “always” or “If, but, however, therefore, all…..”
Day Four: Application
Do “Your turn” and make a list of people that God has put on your heart when you read this.
Day Five: Testify
Who in your life, right now, can you share this with? There is somebody in your life that needs to hear this. Close your eyes. What name came to mind?
There’s no shame in walking in the truth!
