He was having an affair. The boss looked him in the eyes and said, “Pretend like this is God sitting and talking to you. Are you having an affair with a co-worker?”

He looked her in the eyes and said, “No, I am not.” The problem was it was not April Fools. He was having an affair and he flat lied to his boss. The man calls himself a Christian.

It’s no joke when someone lies to you. And God made a major point about lying when Ananias and Sapphira told a lie about selling property in the book of Acts. God had them fall over dead from those lies.

But today, lying seems to be in style and even encouraged at times. And while God may not strike dead a person for lying, we should not forget the consequences of sin. Lying is a sin. It is deception and impacts your relationships.

Sometimes people justify lying to a partner because he or she thinks the person can’t handle the truth. Yet the truth is usually revealed at some point and the lie makes the betrayal even worse.

Sometimes people lie because they think others can’t handle the truth. The truth may be difficult to hear, causing tremendous emotional upheaval, but is still better than being lied to.

Sometimes people live with people who lie because they want their lifestyle to continue. I treated a number of clients who chose to live with a lie in order to maintain their prestige and lifestyle. Yet the lie always resulted in pain.

Sometimes people lie to make themselves look better than they are. Little “white lies” are harmless, right? Wrong, God makes no distinction in lies. A lie is a lie.

Whatever the reason for lying, it doesn’t work out in the end. The saying, ‘The truth will find you out” is usually the case. Tell the truth up front. While it might be hard to do, the end result is usually better than betraying someone or lying and breaking their trust.

April Fools? Only today for fun! The rest of the year, be honest!