Trust: Being Forthright and Honest
I wanted to right a blog post about this because of how important it is for us to understand the whole topic of trust. It can make or break you. I know this post is a little long but please bear with me and read it. I know you will be blessed because these are words inspired by God.
What is Trust? We know what truth is, it’s the absolute certainty of being unchanging or unalterable.
It is a fixed idea. We read in the Bible of this truth. We know John 14:6 says, “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the way, the TRUTH and the life. No one can get to the Father except through me.’”
Now, in understanding truth, what is trust? It is the “firm belief and reliability of someone or something.” Trust is earned through the continual state of being honest, something that I’m sorry to say, has been a struggle of mine since early age.
If we are to be truthful people, we are then, conforming to the image of Christ. If we are not truthful people, then we are moving away from Christ and being led into our own, sinful desires.
Is telling a little white lie a sin? Is it in any way, shape or form untruthful? If so, then yes!
Proverbs 6:16-19 says, “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”
Some of us may deal with one or more of these problems, but the Lord has laid it on my heart to focus on one of these specific ones. It is the 2nd thing that God hates, “a lying tongue”.
People have problems with cheating, some with stealing. Others have issues in the area of attitude, anger, bitterness, jealousy and the list can go on.
But how does one remain in this “continual state of honesty“? Our source of trust comes from the one who has been truthful since the very beginning. The one who was truthful to Noah, Moses, Abraham, David, the Apostle Paul and many others.
That source is God. He is the only one who has been faithful and trustworthy since before time. He has never let anyone down, He has not given up on anyone at anytime. He has always been faithful and will always be faithful, for eternity. Isn’t that amazing?
He has been faithful since before the foundations of the earth were made. And He will be faithful even when it is destroyed and replaced by the eternal kingdom of God.
Why is being honest and forthright so important? For one, we have been called to be holy just as Christ is holy (1st Peter 1:15-16), so that falls into this aspect. And another reason is because God hates a lying tongue or a deceitful person and we as believers of Jesus Christ ought to love the things which God loves and hate the things that He hates.
We are to be conformed to the image of Christ, to be separate from the world and set apart for Him (Romans 12:1-2). And the world will say that lying is ok. But is it really? The answer is, No!
The world will say, “tell a lie to cover up something that may end up harming you,” but in reality the harm you are doing is really being caused by covering it up.
John 8:31-32 says, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
You want to be set free? Is something holding you back and you feel pressured to give into telling a lie? Don’t do it. Allow the truth of the word of God to set you free and you will be blessed.
Have you noticed how much more severe the punishment and consequences are if you try to cover something up rather than coming out with the truth? It’s much more worse!
But, if you come out blatantly, honest and forthright, you will be set free.
I have been caught in a lie before. It is not a fun feeling. One lie has to lead to another lie, and then your lies become a short-story and you have to back track the steps of your lies to try and to remain honest. A little bit of an oxymoron there isn’t it?
By not being forthright and honest, by holding inside of you a lie, will eat from the inside out and will consume your body and you will feel as weak as never before. It is an unsettling feeling within your soul because you know it is sin that you are harboring in your life.
Not only does the sin of lying affect you, but it affects those around you, and the trust you once had, is now gone, and all of the time you spent building trust with your family and peers is gone, and you will have to gain back that trust from them, which will more likely than not, be a longer process to the road of trustworthiness.
Let the truth set you free!
James 3:1-12 details the importance of honesty and being trustworthy.
It details the tongue as such a small part of the body, but yet the most powerful, most consuming force we have.
James states that it is such a powerful thing that it can set a forest ablaze! Such a small tool used to destroy such a great area.
Has your tongue set a forest ablaze? Has it become uncontrollable? If so, pray and seek the Lord in this matter, and He will put the fire out for you.
A great sin has been ignited and now the only one who can come in and save you from it, is God Himself.
Don’t allow the lie to control you. You need to control it! How? By telling the truth!
There is no gain from trying to hide something. Rather, give it to God and be forthright and honest about the situation and you will be set free.
I promise! Don’t take my word for it, take God’s word for it.
Brad Ormonde Jr.
