Michael had always been quick with his words. His charm and cleverness had made him popular in high school, but behind the laughter and easy conversation was a habit of lying. At first, it was small things—exaggerations to impress his friends, excuses to get out of trouble. However, as Michael grew older, lies became his way of life. It was how he got the promotion at work, how he avoided blame, and how he kept people from seeing the cracks in his carefully constructed image.
One lie led to another until Michael’s world felt like a house of cards—fragile, teetering, and ready to collapse. And collapse it did.One Friday afternoon, Michael found himself sitting across from his boss in the corner office. His boss's face was a mixture of disappointment and anger as he confronted Michael about falsifying a project report. Michael tried to explain, but his words fell flat, his credibility already in tatters. The meeting ended with Michael suspended indefinitely, pending an internal investigation.As he drove home in silence, the weight of his choices crushed him. For the first time, Michael felt truly lost. His lies had cost him his reputation, his livelihood, and perhaps even the respect of his friends and family. That evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Michael sat in his car in the driveway, staring into the growing darkness. In his despair, he muttered words he hadn't said since childhood: "God, if you're real, I need help."
The following Sunday, Michael’s neighbor, an older woman named Mrs. Johnson, knocked on his door. She had always been kind to him, and he’d often dismissed her invitations to church with polite excuses. But this time was different. Seeing his downcast face, she said gently, “Michael, I don’t know what’s going on, but I feel like you need to hear what our pastor has to say today. Would you come with me?”Michael hesitated but then nodded. He felt he had nothing left to lose.As he sat in the pews that morning, the choir sang a hymn about God’s faithfulness. The words stirred something in Michael’s heart, but it wasn’t until the pastor began his sermon that he felt the full weight of conviction. The message was about lying.
The pastor read from Proverbs 12:22: “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” He spoke about how lies erode relationships, destroy trust, and separate people from God. Then he added, “Lying isn’t just about deceiving others—it’s about rejecting the truth of who God created you to be. Every time we lie, we distance ourselves from the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Michael’s heart pounded. It was as if the pastor was speaking directly to him. He thought about the countless lies he’d told and the people he’d hurt. He thought about his prayer in the driveway, asking for help from a God he barely believed in. He felt exposed, ashamed, but also strangely hopeful.
The pastor concluded with John 8:32: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” He invited anyone who felt trapped by their sins to come forward and surrender their life to Jesus.
Michael hesitated, his mind racing with excuses, but something stronger urged him forward. Tears streaming down his face, he walked to the front and knelt at the altar. In that moment, he whispered a prayer of surrender: “Jesus, I’ve been a liar my whole life. I’ve hurt so many people. I don’t deserve Your mercy, but I need You. Please forgive me. I want to live in Your truth.”As he prayed, a peace Michael had never known washed over him. He felt the weight of his guilt lift, replaced by a deep sense of God’s presence. When he stood, Mrs. Johnson was there, smiling through tears, and the pastor laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “The truth will set you free, Michael,” the pastor said. “And now you’re free indeed.”Michael’s journey didn’t end at the altar. The next week, he returned to his job to face the consequences of his actions. With humility, he confessed to his boss, apologized, and accepted the disciplinary measures. Though it cost him his position, Michael knew it was the right thing to do.He began attending church regularly, diving into scripture and learning about God’s unchanging truth. Colossians 3:9–10 became his guiding verse: “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
Over time, Michael rebuilt his relationships. He apologized to those he had wronged and worked hard to earn back their trust. He joined a small group at church, where he found support and encouragement to continue living a life of integrity.Years later, Michael stood before a congregation as a guest speaker, sharing his testimony. “I used to think lies would protect me,” he said. “But they only imprisoned me. It wasn’t until I embraced God’s truth that I found real freedom. The truth didn’t just set me free—it gave me a new life.”As he spoke, Michael noticed a young man in the audience wiping away tears. He recognized the look of someone at a crossroads, just as he had been. Michael smiled, silently praying that the truth would set him free too.
Colossians 3:9-10 (NIV) "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt
