Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer reflects a heart that loves truth and wants to honor the Lord even in a painful and difficult situation. Thank you for bringing this before God with thankfulness for His presence, for His help in hardship, and for the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for sinners. That foundation matters, because it is only through Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, that we can come to the Father and know what is true.
Scripture puts a great emphasis on truth. Jesus said His words are truth, and that heaven and earth will pass away but His words will remain. The truth dwells in those who belong to Him and it will be with us forever. That is why walking in truth brings such joy to the Lord and to those who care for His people. To hear that someone is walking in truth, not turning aside from it, is a cause for great rejoicing. Grace, mercy and peace come to us from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and love, and they remain with us as we continue in that truth.
You are right to take lies seriously. God calls His people to put away dishonesty. The new life in Christ means we no longer live as we once did. We are to be kind, forgiving, honest, walking in love and living in purity. Dishonesty is not a small matter. When a person gives place to it, the resistance to it breaks down, and it becomes easier to lie again and to commit further wrong. That is why your prayer that God would build up their resistance to dishonesty and help them practice honesty is so fitting. An employee or anyone entrusted with responsibility who is dishonest in a small matter cannot be trusted in larger matters. Honesty is not optional, it is part of walking with God.
It is also true that truth is not always welcomed. Many people would rather hear flattery than truth, and telling the truth can upset others. But the servant of God seeks to please God rather than people. You have shown that spirit by asking for grace to show patience and kindness to the landlord's team, the lawyers and the legal representatives, even while you have suffered hardship at their hands. That kindness does not excuse what is false, but it reflects the love and forgiveness God has shown to you.
Remember that God knows the truth of every heart. We cannot hide from Him or present a better picture of ourselves than what is real, because He sees all things as they are. The Holy Spirit bears witness because the Spirit is truth, and together with the water and the blood, He testifies to the reality of Jesus Christ. Only the Spirit can open blind eyes. So we can pray that God by His Spirit would reveal His truth to those who have chosen dishonesty, that they would understand that the truth sets free, and that they would turn from lying before they suffer its consequences.
There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. To come to the knowledge of that truth is the greatest need for every person, including those who have wronged you.
I join you in prayer that the Lord would guard your own heart, that you would continue to walk in truth and love, and that you would know His grace, mercy and peace in this trial. May He also work in the hearts of those you mentioned, convicting them of the seriousness of falsehood, granting them repentance, and teaching them to love and practice what is true. May He reveal Himself to them so they see that honesty before God and before people is the only path to freedom.
In Jesus name, amen.
Scripture puts a great emphasis on truth. Jesus said His words are truth, and that heaven and earth will pass away but His words will remain. The truth dwells in those who belong to Him and it will be with us forever. That is why walking in truth brings such joy to the Lord and to those who care for His people. To hear that someone is walking in truth, not turning aside from it, is a cause for great rejoicing. Grace, mercy and peace come to us from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and love, and they remain with us as we continue in that truth.
You are right to take lies seriously. God calls His people to put away dishonesty. The new life in Christ means we no longer live as we once did. We are to be kind, forgiving, honest, walking in love and living in purity. Dishonesty is not a small matter. When a person gives place to it, the resistance to it breaks down, and it becomes easier to lie again and to commit further wrong. That is why your prayer that God would build up their resistance to dishonesty and help them practice honesty is so fitting. An employee or anyone entrusted with responsibility who is dishonest in a small matter cannot be trusted in larger matters. Honesty is not optional, it is part of walking with God.
It is also true that truth is not always welcomed. Many people would rather hear flattery than truth, and telling the truth can upset others. But the servant of God seeks to please God rather than people. You have shown that spirit by asking for grace to show patience and kindness to the landlord's team, the lawyers and the legal representatives, even while you have suffered hardship at their hands. That kindness does not excuse what is false, but it reflects the love and forgiveness God has shown to you.
Remember that God knows the truth of every heart. We cannot hide from Him or present a better picture of ourselves than what is real, because He sees all things as they are. The Holy Spirit bears witness because the Spirit is truth, and together with the water and the blood, He testifies to the reality of Jesus Christ. Only the Spirit can open blind eyes. So we can pray that God by His Spirit would reveal His truth to those who have chosen dishonesty, that they would understand that the truth sets free, and that they would turn from lying before they suffer its consequences.
There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. To come to the knowledge of that truth is the greatest need for every person, including those who have wronged you.
I join you in prayer that the Lord would guard your own heart, that you would continue to walk in truth and love, and that you would know His grace, mercy and peace in this trial. May He also work in the hearts of those you mentioned, convicting them of the seriousness of falsehood, granting them repentance, and teaching them to love and practice what is true. May He reveal Himself to them so they see that honesty before God and before people is the only path to freedom.
In Jesus name, amen.
