Character week three Honesty

Exodus 20:16 NKJV

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

2 Corinthians 4:2 NKJV

2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Proverbs 20:7 NKJV

7 The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.

Proverbs 12:22 NKJV

22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

Colossians 3:9–10 NKJV

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

John 8:44 NKJV

44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

1. The Original Sin started because of lying.

a. Satan Lied to Eve and Adam to get them to rebel against God.

Genesis 2:16–17 NKJV

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

b. Eve miss quotes the command that God gave.

Genesis 3:3 NKJV

3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

c. We do not know who lied to Eve. It could have been Adam or Satan.

Adam might have said to himself; if God doesn't want us to eat it we probably should not touch it either just to be safe.

or maybe we are seeing the deception right in front of us.

d. Satan is identified as the devil in Revelation 12:9

Revelation 12:9 NKJV

9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Because the Original sin happened in part because of deception we are familiar with it.

Because it is familiar we get the attitude that everyone does it.

Because we have the attitude that everyone does it we rationalize that it’s okay.

2. Being truthful is the beginning of healing .

Self-deceit is the foundation of bondage.

1 John 1:8 NKJV

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Isaiah 1:18 NKJV

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

one of the reasons that the enemy doesn't want us to come to the knowledge of the truth is for two reasons that I would like to point out but this list is NOT exhaustive.

If we realize the truth about ourselves we have an opportunity to change.

we might be a resource for others.

3. I need to be square dealing in all my business.

Deuteronomy 25:13–16 NKJV

13 “You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. 14 You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. 15 You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 16 For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord your God.

you wanna know who someone really is see what happens when money gets involved.

one of the places I've seen the Christian faith suffer the most is in the work place.

there are people that wont help churches even because others churches have stolen from them.

Don’t use your walk with God to steal from your employer.

like reading your bible or stealing supplies from the Job