@ Etude - Fear Leading to Lying

UV 3275/10000 @ Etude- Fear Leading to Lying

“ Please tell them that you are my sister so that things will go well for me for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you.”

Genesis 12 v 13

In this uni-verse, we see that Abraham, the man of faith, is fearful. He fears that on account of the beauty of his wife Sara, he would be killed by Pharaoh. The couple had moved to Egypt on account of the famine in Canaan. Fear causes Abraham to resort to lying in order to save his own life. His wife Sara would have been taken by Pharaoh to be his wife but for the Lord intervening by sending many plagues on Pharaoh and his household that opened the latter’s eyes to see that she was actually his wife. In retrospect, we can criticize or judge Abraham to be a liar but often in similar circumstances, we too resort to subterfuge and lies in order to save the day for us.

Fear of certain consequences often induce people to compromise, to either speak lies or to remain silent on many matters. We need the grace of Christ to be fearless and face any consequence. The same disciples who had deserted Jesus became transformed into fearless apostles ready to die for Him after they received the filling of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist spoke the truth about Herod that he was living in adultery with his brother’s wife. Of course, he paid the price with his head. Likewise, St Paul could look Herod and other kings of the age in the eye and speak the truth.
We need boldness and courage to be witnesses of Christ in today’s world, too. There is a price to be paid, consequences that might follow but the Holy Spirit will endow us with the courage and give us the words to speak in different situations. To be fearful is not an option for the believer. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” We are set free from fears that induce us to make the wrong choices, that inhibit our freedom. When we confess our various fears to the Lord, He will give us the grace or inner strength to overcome. Like He intervened in the case of Abraham and Sara, He will intervene and deal with even our formidable foes and enemies or with adverse circumstances.