I grew up in a house filled with lies. The entire basis of my life was built on a lie from the age of 4 until the day I refused to continue allowing my life to built on lies. I was taught to lie by the parents raising me until the age of 13. Though they tried to teach me to only lie for them to the other parent, that's not the way it works when you teach a child to lie. They will lie to you about things concerning themselves, as well. Don't be surprised when the child you have taught to lie for you turns around and lies to you. After all, you taught them to lie.
As a reformed liar, I don't tolerate lies, any longer. I don't respond to lies. I don't react to lies. I refuse to be a participant in lies in any way, shape or form. If I discover you lie to me, I won't bring it up. I won't ask questions. I will simply not respond. I won't show up. I won't be around. I don't need to point out to you that you lied. You knew you lied the moment you said it. I have no need to confront you about it. I have no need to hear you try to explain it. And I refuse to have you try to convince me that you did not lie. I have no tolerance, anymore. When the lie is delivered, I will walk away.
I will not defend against lies. I have no obligation to anyone to convince them of a lie. The ones who know me will know it's a lie from the beginning. The ones who don't know me well will soon learn that it was a lie. Or they will learn that the one who spoke the lie is an unrepentant liar. Some might call those type of people pathological liars, but the truth is they are just habitual liars. They will lie without even thinking about it. They will lie even when there's no need to. It's just become so natural to them, they just lie. And that's something they will have to answer for. I don't have to confront them, I don't have to defend against them, I will not be around them. Because I know the greatest tool there is when it comes to lies: the truth will always come out. The truth will always win. It may not be immediate, but it will happen.
So, if you don't get a response from me, double check yourself to see if everything you've said to me is true. Because if there's truth, I will respond. If there is an honest attempt to speak with me, then I'll respond. But, if everything you say is true and there's one lie in the midst of it, I'm not going to respond. Ever. And if you can't understand that, and my reasons for doing so, then you really need to examine your heart and take a good, long, honest, detailed look at your soul. Because if you truly believe your own lies, you are too far gone for me to associate with. And eventually, you will wind up all alone.
Even liars can't stand to be lied to. Which is truly a paradox to my mind. But there it is. That's it.
Contemporary Christian Singer/Songwriter Denny Wade Garrett's messages and notes from the heart.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
On Helping Others
I speak a lot about helping others. I want to expound on that topic a little bit. Because helping others is a broad term and sometimes we don't think about the specifics of what that means. Jesus helped others. He met many in their need by going to them. He met many in their need because they were in His path. But, He also met some in their need because they came to Him.
Several of the miracles we read about in the Bible, the people did not ask Jesus to heal them or perform a miracle. The lame man, Jesus asked Him: would you be healed today? Yes, that man was lame, was laying on his bed unable to move. Jesus stopped to talk to him, but he never asked Jesus if He could heal him. Or to heal him. But Jesus could see His need, and asked Him if he wanted to be healed.
The woman with the issue. She didn't go up to Jesus and ask Him to heal her. She just knew if she got close to Him, if she just touched the very edge of His garment, that the Healing Power would flow out of Him and she would be healed. Many times, someone with an issue will come up to us and they don't ask for our help. They might explain a little of their situation, but they don't ask us to help them. Yet, as Believers and followers of Christ, we are obligated to help them, if we can. Yes, I said obligated. That's our calling as Believers. If we have the means to help someone and they are in need of that help, we are obligated to help them.
A believer who is a mechanic may be in the lobby before or after service and someone he doesn't know says hello, and they get into a conversation. If that person should mention, without knowing the Believer is a mechanic, that they are having some type of car trouble, that Believer should say, let me take a look at it. If it can be fixed, I'll fix. And not request payment for the labor. Maybe even not request payment for the parts, depending on the situation and the move of Holy Spirit.
If a Believer is talking to someone and that Believer has a bank account with lots of extra money in it, and that someone is having a rough patch and can't pay their rent, that Believer should pay their rent. No questions asked, no demands made. Just do it.
If a brother or sister comes to us and asks to borrow some money, and we have it extra, we should give it and not expect repayment. Luke 6:34-35. Helping others is our call to duty. It's what shows the world that we are the children of God. Because we care for one another. We take care of one another. In all things. At all times.
Sad to say, but if Jesus were walking the earth today, I don't think He would find a place to lay His head like He did in the first century. Believers don't stop to think that Jesus was homeless. The apostles were homeless. Jesus said what we do to the least is doing it unto Him. Who are the least? We try to pretend He was talking strictly about the children, the babies, but He meant anyone who is worse off than we are. Anyone who is in need of help and assistance. The beggars. The homeless. The orphans. The sick. The widows. Those in jail. The hungry. The thirsty. They are the least among us. Are we helping them? Or are we walking past them pretending we can't see them?
A Believer should not have to ask for help. They should never have to verbalize their need. Because we, as Believers, should be able to see their need, but also hear Holy Spirit when He tells us of their need. And we should help them. Without question, without fanfare, without seeking praise. We shouldn't even seek recognition from the ones we help, if it's possible to do it anonymously. Don't let the right hand know what the left hand is doing.
We need to do better. We need to be better.
Several of the miracles we read about in the Bible, the people did not ask Jesus to heal them or perform a miracle. The lame man, Jesus asked Him: would you be healed today? Yes, that man was lame, was laying on his bed unable to move. Jesus stopped to talk to him, but he never asked Jesus if He could heal him. Or to heal him. But Jesus could see His need, and asked Him if he wanted to be healed.
The woman with the issue. She didn't go up to Jesus and ask Him to heal her. She just knew if she got close to Him, if she just touched the very edge of His garment, that the Healing Power would flow out of Him and she would be healed. Many times, someone with an issue will come up to us and they don't ask for our help. They might explain a little of their situation, but they don't ask us to help them. Yet, as Believers and followers of Christ, we are obligated to help them, if we can. Yes, I said obligated. That's our calling as Believers. If we have the means to help someone and they are in need of that help, we are obligated to help them.
A believer who is a mechanic may be in the lobby before or after service and someone he doesn't know says hello, and they get into a conversation. If that person should mention, without knowing the Believer is a mechanic, that they are having some type of car trouble, that Believer should say, let me take a look at it. If it can be fixed, I'll fix. And not request payment for the labor. Maybe even not request payment for the parts, depending on the situation and the move of Holy Spirit.
If a Believer is talking to someone and that Believer has a bank account with lots of extra money in it, and that someone is having a rough patch and can't pay their rent, that Believer should pay their rent. No questions asked, no demands made. Just do it.
If a brother or sister comes to us and asks to borrow some money, and we have it extra, we should give it and not expect repayment. Luke 6:34-35. Helping others is our call to duty. It's what shows the world that we are the children of God. Because we care for one another. We take care of one another. In all things. At all times.
Sad to say, but if Jesus were walking the earth today, I don't think He would find a place to lay His head like He did in the first century. Believers don't stop to think that Jesus was homeless. The apostles were homeless. Jesus said what we do to the least is doing it unto Him. Who are the least? We try to pretend He was talking strictly about the children, the babies, but He meant anyone who is worse off than we are. Anyone who is in need of help and assistance. The beggars. The homeless. The orphans. The sick. The widows. Those in jail. The hungry. The thirsty. They are the least among us. Are we helping them? Or are we walking past them pretending we can't see them?
A Believer should not have to ask for help. They should never have to verbalize their need. Because we, as Believers, should be able to see their need, but also hear Holy Spirit when He tells us of their need. And we should help them. Without question, without fanfare, without seeking praise. We shouldn't even seek recognition from the ones we help, if it's possible to do it anonymously. Don't let the right hand know what the left hand is doing.
We need to do better. We need to be better.
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