On Confronting the Liar

You hear that someone has either lied about something, lied on you, or is planning to tell a lie.  You know that this person has a shady past when it comes to telling the truth.  You also know that if you should confront this person about what you know, you just might have to deal with some sort of backlash in the future.  Liars avoid confrontation.  They don’t want to admit to lies and they don’t want anyone shooting holes in their stories.

 

Nowadays, when we have so many liars in mainstream media and elsewhere, if one has a huge amount of followers, he or she can get away with telling lies because so many believe one’s stories.  If you present truth in front of one’s fan-base, you are most likely treated like an enemy.  People who are in love with their favorite relative’s/mentor’s/best friend’s/idol’s product, service, and even his or her look will not believe any unfavorable truths about the individual such as: how mean they are to others, what wicked deeds they have committed, and anything else deemed wrong or negative.  Rather, they want truth-seekers and tellers to look the other way, talk nicely and don’t ruffle anyone’s feathers.  Basically, let the liar say what he or she wants and just pray for him or her.  The adoring fan has a love affair with how the liar makes his or her flesh feel, yet has no interest in opening his or her eyes to the liar’s schemes.

Liars know how to manipulate people into believing they are right and others are wrong by doing things like: stating how credible they are, how many people love and support them, what they have done for others and what others have done for them, and they also know how to threaten to harm others if need be.  For instance, a lying Christian type will say the kind of prayers that don’t necessarily build a person up, but causes them unnecessary worry, confusion, and other nerve-racking feelings.  For the liar, God sits at his or her feet and is called upon when he or she really needs something; otherwise, the deceptive one runs his or her life the way he or she wants while working hard to achieve power, fame, or fortune.

 

The Evil One has a field day with the lying Christian type (of course one can’t be a sincere believer in Christ and have a career of lying, but it happens).  Satan knows this believer, who announces to everyone how much he loves God but does his dirt, has one foot on holy ground while the other stands at hell’s gate.  So he uses the liar’s so-called faith in such a way that moves others to want to redirect their focus on God’s will and on to the issue or thing that is causing them much sadness, worry, upset, etc. in this way the weak will begin to trust in the liar’s prayers, conversation, money, and anything else the liar is willing to share so as to keep the relationship going.

 

The liar’s way of comforting others is by telling them stories, usually exaggerated, made up, or lacking in details.  This manipulator says things he or she believes a hurting person wants to hear, while moving the individual to do whatever he or she wants.  This deceptive individual desires to win friends in whatever way possible, because he or she has had a long history of lying and then being exposed by others; therefore, the network of family and associates must be replenished.  What better way to keep the unsuspecting close to him or her is to study people’s personal and professional lives then create stories that will appear as if they benefit the liar’s audience, when in reality the only one who truly gains anything from the relationship/partnership is the liar.

Now here is when things take an ugly turn between liar and victim.  For instance, a circumstance comes up and the liar is caught deceiving others.  This deceptive person is going to find various ways to save his or her reputation with yet another story to keep that relative, friend, co-worker, or some other person close.  The gullible type of victim will just accept whatever the story or excuse the liar gives him or her.  However, the discerning child of God will not readily believe what the liar is saying until he or she puts this person through a series of tests.  The first will most likely have something to do with the liar’s previous stories as well as other information related to the recent circumstance.  It is important that the believer exercises self-control when talking to a liar otherwise the individual will shut down.  

The believer will be pointing out what facts simply don’t add up in the liar’s stories.  He or she will be questioned and observed by the believer or anyone or group who feels betrayed.  The believer will also pray for the liar whether in his or her presence or elsewhere.  He or she will seek God for revelation—an act that most liars fear because they know God will expose them.  Depending on what the results are from the exchange will determine whether the liar will remain in the victim’s life.  Some people have no choice, at least for a time, when it comes to ousting a liar out of his or her inner circle.  Sometimes the liar is a mother, a boss, or marriage partner, so unless there is something terribly going wrong with this person to the point that it is destroying other’s lives, he or she may still have access to the one who has been lied to, but the relationship most likely will be strained for a time.  It is up to the believer to draw near to the Lord, protect his or her heart, and be discerning and wise when dealing with liars.

Nicholl McGuire