Hidden Dishonesty

These weekly devotionals I will be posting come from and are copyright to Pam Iannello, my pastor's late wife who went home to be with the Lord on June 18, 2008.


Learning how to face our family problems through an in-depth study of the troubled home of Joseph.




This devotion is part of the "Family Problems" series.


How much respect would you say you have for the truth today? Do you show respect for the truth by guarding yourself against lying? Are you readily able to spot a lie or are you easily deceived? When would you say you are most tempted to lie? Would you say it is usually when you want to avoid family problems or perhaps to work your circumstances out for your own benefit? There are many reasons why and many ways that people twist the truth to manipulate others, as we'll see today in our continued study of the life of Joseph. Turn with me to Genesis chapter 37 where we'll take a look at verses 31-33 which say:

And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

How quickly one sin leads to another as we strive to disguise our wickedness! Once Joseph's brothers followed Satan's wicked counsel within their hearts and plotted against their brother Joseph, the rest became easy for them, as they tried to cover theft and murder with their lying. But the Bible says that he that covers his sins shall not prosper, amen? There is no real peace… Ladies, if we truly desire to work our family problems out, we must at once be ready to put all forms of lying aside and not only admit the truth to ourselves but be completely honest with our loved ones as well!

Ephesians 4:25
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

You see, the deceitfulness of sin first hardens our hearts and then calluses our relationships at home. As a matter of fact, so hardened were these men's hearts that they had no problem even deceiving their very own father! A family is only as strong as the level of honesty between its members. Is it easy for you to lie to your loved ones, dear lady? No doubt, you've first swallowed one of Satan's lies to make it such a habit! Without truth, deception will win over. The brothers dipped Joseph's coat in the blood of a slaughtered goat, leading Jacob to believe that his beloved son of his old age had been killed and devoured by a wild animal. There was no respect for the truth or authority in their wicked lives - much like it is with men and women today! While we would all agree that the words, counsels, kisses, houses, and hearts of the wicked are full of deceit, we must not overlook the fact that even religious persons are capable of deception and being deceived...

Jeremiah 9:5
And they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.

I want to talk about Joseph's coat for a moment… Within every stitch of that precious coat went Jacob's whole heart; for that coat was a sign of the sincere love he had for his son Joseph. There was no deceit that existed between Joseph and His father, much like the personal relationship Jesus Christ had with His heavenly Father. The Father always told the Son the truth and the Son always told the Father the truth. Therefore, we could liken Joseph's coat as symbolic of the Word of God, the pure and precious promises that the Father gave His Son and the security of his everlasting love. However, Joseph's brothers did not enjoy a personal relationship with their father. They worshipped only themselves; they had no interest in the man whatsoever. Consequently, they had no respect for him or the work that he fashioned on that coat of many colors. So what did the brothers do with it? Under the influence of Satan, they tried to destroy their father's work, by turning the truth that it represented into a lie…

Romans 1:25
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

So it is with the Word of God today and the many warped Bible versions that are out there. Ladies, we are fools if we don't consider the fact that the devil hates the Word of God and the truth it contains that will set us free from his lies. Satan does not like to see God's children enjoy a relationship with the Lord built upon truth, the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth! Therefore, the devil diligently seeks to distort the Word of God, to dip it goat's blood if you will - dip it in a lie and turn it into a religious counterfeit that leads even Christian people astray by subtracting a verse here and a verse there and twisting the Word of God for His own selfish means. The true Word of God is dipped in Lamb's blood, amen?

Revelation 19:13
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Did you notice in our main text today that scripture says "without doubt" Jacob was led to believe that Joseph was rent in pieces? Did you notice that Jacob never asked a question of his sons or sought any information out for himself; he just embraced what was brought before him and believed it wholeheartedly! Certainly we have in Jacob's life the example of a Christian who was not on guard for lies!! Beware Christian lady that you are not being deceived by versions other than the King James Bible, the only Bible without a copyright on it!

2 Timothy 2:9
....but the Word of God is not bound.

If we truly believe that the Word of God is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice, then we need the whole counsel of God, amen? Ladies, if we are truly serious about repairing our homes, about fixing our family problems, truly serious about cleaning up our personal lives, then we ought not to be using a Bible that is missing part of the truth! Dirty water does not wash clean... A half-truth is a whole lie. Today most of the books in Christian bookstores that believers are purchasing as helps are established upon warped versions of the Bible. How can the content of the book possibly be trusted when not founded upon the whole truth??

Col. 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Psalm 101:7
He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.

How many books do you have in your home whose authors stand upon versions other than the King James Bible? Things that are different are not the same. Apples are not oranges, although they are both fruit. Is your Bible dipped in goat's blood or Lamb's blood?? Search it out for yourself - don't just embrace what I am telling you. Learn from Jacob and make sure you're able to spot hellish fraud! If you've got the truth, then I hope that you've purposed in your heart to live by it and defend it. It's time we stopped the devil's work in our hearts, our homes, our churches and our nation! We handle the Bible deceitfully by mixing philosophy and error with God's truth in order to win human approval. Deceit and dishonesty have ruined the family, the core of society, and the heart of the church. We must strive to put an end to all forms of lying, for it alienates us from both God and man.

2 Cor. 4:2
But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003 Meet Ms. Pam

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New Beginnings Baptist Church Website