The Older We Get, the More Quickly We Believe Our Lies

“Lying alters memory. It creates a new memory for something that didn't happen.” ~the Journal of Brain and Cognition

In a secular study, people were asked to write down true statements and lies. Forty-five minutes later, they were asked which were true. Young and old alike could remember what they'd written, but some of the participants had started believing their own lies, especially people over age 60.(1)

This should be no surprise to Christians. The Bible tells us that sin damages us. And lying is a serious sin. It affects more than our memory. It affects our soul. And perhaps the reason some older people believe their lies more quickly is that they've made a habit of lying for a longer time.

People lie for many reasons—to get themselves out of trouble, to make themselves look good, to discredit someone they don't like, etc.

Lies often hurt innocent people, but they do more harm to the liar, damaging his heart, soul, and mind. Those who lie without repentance eventually lose their ability to separate truth from lies (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

So let's take time today to read through the passages below, repent of any past lies, and seek God's help in developing an honest heart and a renewed mind. And take time to read the footnote at the bottom too.

Proverbs 12:22: "The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy."

Proverbs 19:9: "A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish."  

Psalm 34:12-13: "Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies." 

[quoted in the N.T.🠟]

1 Peter 3:10: "For, 'Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.'"

1 Timothy 4:1-2: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron."

Psalm 101:7: "No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence."

Colossians 3:9-10: "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." 

Speaking to those who opposed Him, Jesus explained:  

John 8:44: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."  

1 John 2:4: "Whoever says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person."

-----------------------

(1) Seniors are not bigger liars than young people:

People of all ages lie. But Scripture clearly teaches that unrepentant sin sears our conscience, so it makes sense that an older person who lied consistently throughout his/her life would have more difficulty than a younger person in dividing truth from error. The problem isn't aging. The problem is repetitive, unrepentant sin. 

Bible Love Notes