You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires…. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

-John 8:44a,c, NIV

Ever get the denial?

The cheater is caught red-handed. She knows the jig is up, but she goes ahead with a flat denial of the truth. Admits to nothing.

And it is convincing.

Why?

Lies are the cheater’s native tongue. They have been speaking this language for a long time. So, one more lie isn’t a problem for them.

In fact, they might even believe their own lie. This makes the lie more potent and dangerous. To argue with this is to argue realities–a dubious prospect that leads to crazy making.

I am amazed at how well cheaters pull off lies. Yet they do it all the time. Now, we are an easy mark since we–as the spouse–are predisposed to trust them.

The lie is just one more abuse of the faithful spouse’s trust.

This Scripture from John’s Gospel is a warning. We need to pay attention when someone is a capable liar.

A fluency in lying is an indicator we do not share the same spiritual Father!

 

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*A version of this post ran previously.