The Lord explained lying to me from a sin perspective; he taught me that lying is not only wrong but can make the difference between life and death. When we get into the habit of lying about little things, we will then lie about the big things because it becomes second nature. Not only that, it's manipulative, deceitful, wrong, and it hurts people. Accept one fact: it remains far more terrifying than derailing our own lives. Nothing is worse than losing God and being separated from Him for any amount of time, especially eternity.

I remember watching a documentary one time where this couple was taking a road trip in their R.V. They started fighting, and there was domestic violence going on. As they were fighting, a cop pulled them over for speeding. When he started speaking to them, he noticed the girlfriend was crying and looked distraught. He asked her if everything was alright with her and the boyfriend. Instead of being honest, she lied and said everything was fine. The cop then wrote them a ticket, and they drove off. The boyfriend drove them off to a remote area, and then he killed his girlfriend. If she had been honest with the cop, she would still be here today. Yes, someone would have gone to jail, but the point is she would be alive today if she had just been honest.

As I reflected on this story, God shared with me what really happened to her. God provided a way out, but she chose to handle the situation the way she saw fit. In handling the situation in her own way, she lost God, and when things spiraled out of control, God wasn't there to handle the situation for her, and so she was murdered as a result. What I've learned from all of this is that God always gives us an opportunity to do the right thing. None of us know when our time is up. We have all been headed down a path that ultimately leads to us losing God for all of eternity. Next time, no matter the situation, choose to speak the truth even if it costs you your job, a friendship, or the outcome you hoped for. It is better to lose out in this life than to lose God forever.