“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”
Ephesians 4:25-27
I was reading further into this and found some interesting stuff. There was, at that time in history, a general understanding in the culture that it was ok to lie if the situation was right. Examples were if the truth would hurt someone.
“A lie is better than a hurtful truth.” -Menander
“He may lie who knows how to do it in a suitable time.” -Plato
So it seems that today that idea still prevails. It is an ideal that I myself have stuck with for most of my life. That is, until I began reading and studying the Bible. Here, and in verse 15, it tells us to speak the truth and do so in love because we are all united together in a Spirit, which is Christ. I spent so much time hiding little truths so that those close to me wouldn’t be hurt by the things I had done. This is how I could avoid arguments, avoid trouble, and avoid consequence.
Ephesians was the first chapter in the bible that I studied. Look at the next line: “do not let the sun go down on your anger. And give no opportunity to the devil.”
If you are married or thinking about it, may I suggest you pay close attention here. A lesson of great importance was learned by these two verses. Along with being truthful which leads itself to full and honest confessions, (this is the path to finding peace and God’s will for your life) there needs to be a cleansing of all anger and unsettled aggression or distemper before one lays their head down to sleep at night. In a marriage there needs to be total honesty. Without it, a marriage won’t survive. Along with that, you need to clear the plate of any bitterness or unresolved issues each night. You have to find peace with each other before you go to bed. This unchecked area is exactly where the enemy loves to prowl. There is room for him to linger and fester as you sleep. Don’t give him a foothold!! Swallow your damn pride and realize that you’re being selfish or arrogant and apologize. Confess. Acknowledge that perhaps you could have been kinder in your speech to your spouse. Confess and you will receive forgiveness, just as you would with God. Do this with your spouse every night. Confess anything you would to God, even mental sins. Allow your spouse the space and provide that respect for them by being completely honest. There is only one way to find peace in life and in a marriage, and it is thru God. His ways are difficult to us because we have been brought up (well, I have been brought up this way) to believe that a little lie is ok and that just opens the door to the rest of the bullshit that takes you down a path of self destruction and defeat. I don’t pretend to know anything. All I know is that this truth is hard to put into practice. But once I started being truthful in all areas of my life and once I learned the value of going to bed in a peaceful manner, my entire life changed. My mind and body made choices that led to better choices and so forth. My world turned completely around and so did my outlook. I get down sometimes. It’s true. But I have hope now. I have faith now. I have God and that gives me peace. And I have learned what love really is. It’s sacrifice. It’s selfless. And it’s beautiful. I pray that today is your best day and that you fill it up with God’s love as He desires to walk hand in hand with you. He’s already beside you waiting for you to take hold of His hand. Bless you and Godspeed!