“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!.” (Deut. 30:19 CEV)

Choose God instead of the fleeting pleasures of sin

“Choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” (Heb. 11:25 ESV)

Therefore…

“So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” The people replied, “We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods.” (Josh. 24:14-16 NLT)

“I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.” (Psalm 119:30)

“Let Your hand be ready to help me, For I have chosen Your precepts.” (Psalm 119:173)

Quote:

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” – Corrie Ten Boom

“You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.” (Lev. 19:11 ESV)

Lie defined: A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood. Something meant to deceive or mistakenly accepted as true. To present false information with the intention of deceiving.

Question: When is it acceptable to tell a lie?

Correct Answer: Never!

I I know, I know! You may say, “It’s okay to tell a ‘white lie’ to spare someone’s feelings.” But, there is no such thing as a white lie. A lie is always a lie and aways wrong to resort to. There is always a way to be truthful without being unkind, mean or rude. Ask God for wisdom in every situation. Unfortunately, lying has become common and acceptable, even encouraged, these days. We tell our children that Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are real. By doing this we are telling (and teaching) our children that we believe it’s acceptable to tell lies sometimes. Then, when we tell them about Jesus, they are skeptical. Because of this, we told our children these things were only pretend. None of them felt cheated because we were truthful with them. They always knew that Christmas was about Jesus and presents came from loved ones. By the way, they are all adults now and raise their children the sane way. 

What the Bible teaches about telling lies 

• God hates lying: “There are six things that 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.” (Prov. 6:16-19 ESV

• Lying is of the devil: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”(John 8:44 ESV)

• Liars will perish: “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.” (Prov. 19:9 ESV) “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8 ESV) 

Therefore…

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Col. 3:9-10 ESV)

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Eph. 4:25 ESV)

Quote:

“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.” - William Faulkner

“Flee from every evil matter.” (1 Thess. 5:22 AB)

Flee: “To run with rapidity, as from danger; to attempt to escape; to hasten from danger or expected evil.” – Bible Dictionary

Flee from youthful lusts

“Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Tim. 2:22)

Flee from immorality

“Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.”  (1 Cor. 6:18)

Flee from idolatry 

 “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” (2 Cor. 10:14 NASB)

Therefore…

“But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11 NASB).

Quote:

“People must have righteous principals in the first, and then they will not fail to perform virtuous actions.” - Martin Luther

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland…" (Isa. 43:18–19 NIV)

God plans to give you a hope and a future

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11 NIV)

God will carry the work He began in you to completion

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6 NIV)

Therefore…

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13 ESV)

“Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Prov. 18:20-21 NIV)

Quote:

“Faith...involves trusting in the future promises of God and waiting for their fulfillment.” - R. C. Sproul

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17 ESV)

Transformed from one degree of glory to another

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18 ESV)

By the renewal of your mind

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV)

Therefore…

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20 ESV)

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6 ESV)

Quote:

“Renewing the mind is a little like refinishing furniture. It is a two-stage process. It involves taking off the old and replacing it with the new. The old is the lies you have learned to tell or were taught by those around you; it is the attitudes and ideas that have become a part of your thinking but do not reflect reality. The new is the truth. To renew your mind is to involve yourself in the process of allowing God to bring to the surface the lies you have mistakenly accepted and replace them with truth. To the degree that you do this, your behavior will be transformed.” -Charles Stanley

“And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:11 KJV)

Because…

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Rom. 10:9-11 ESV)

Anyone who acknowledges the Son

“Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:23 BLT)

Therefore…

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:15 ESV)

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God…” (1 John 4:2 ESV)

“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God…” (Luke 12:8 ESV)

“And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” (1 John 4:3 ESV)

Quote:

“Believing and confessing go together; and you cannot be be saved without you take them both. "With the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” – D. L. Moody

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Cor. 13:1 NIV)

Love is a Spiritual fruit 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23a NIV)

If you love Jesus, take care of His sheep

“Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." (John 21:16 NIV)

If you love Jesus, keep His commands

“If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15 NIV)

“Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3 NLT)

If you love Jesus, love your brother 

“If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20 NASB)

If you love Jesus, love one another 

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 NASB)

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” (1 John 3:14 NIV)

Therefore…

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Col. 3:14 ESV)

Quote:

“We're trying to infuse a little good into the American culture. Love God, love your neighbor, hunt ducks. Raise your kids, make them behave, love them. I don't see the down side to that.” - Phil Robertson

“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” (John 17:13 ESV)

No one can take your joy away from you

“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:22 ESV)

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 14:17 ESV)

Therefore…

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom. 15:13 ESV)

Quote:

“However tiring our work may be, how could it ever be tiresome? How could it be anything less than a joy to serve the One who has given us all things for life, and enrichment, and enjoyment? Jesus, who suffered so much to secure our salvation.” - Joni Eareckson Tada

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

Phil. 2:5 NIV)

A Christlike mindset in relationships 

In the above passage we’re told to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus in relationships. What exactly does that look like? The word, “mindset” is defined as “a fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations; An inclination or a habit; A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one.” So, if your mindset in your relationships with one another should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, you would do well to include Him in interpersonal relationships you have with others. That would solve a lot of interpersonal problems if that were done. 

A Christlike mindset that determines the will of God

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV)

A Christlike mindset interpreting spiritual truths

“And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:13-16 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13 ESV)

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV)

Quote:

 “Christian love draws no distinction between one enemy and another, except that the more bitter our enemy's hatred, the greater his need of love. Be his enmity political or religious, he has nothing to expect from a follower of Jesus but unqualified love. In such love there is not inner discord between the private person and official capacity. In both we are disciples of Christ, or we are not Christians at all.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer