A Leader Must Avoid Lying And Deception

Survival is one of the long-term plans and aims of every organisation and every leader desires to succeed and persist in his successes. However, there are traits that can end the term or success of a leader. These are traits that every leader must avoid. Lying and deception are negative traits that cause all your successes to be short-lived.

The lip of truth shall be established forever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment

Proverbs 12:19
Because deception is a false foundation, what is built on it is short-lived and often comes crumbling down after a while. A marriage built on deception will come crumbling down after a short while. A ministry built on deception will come crumbling down after a short while. This is why deception is such a negative and destructive trait.

“What is deception?” you may ask. Deception is the art of misleading people by false statements or false appearances. A large part of the world lives and thrives on deception. Most things are not what you think they are and most people tell lies as second nature. Christians struggle for years to overcome the habits of lying and deceiving. But remember that lying and deception will destroy prosperity. So how exactly can lying and deception shorten the lifespan of a leader's success?

Lessons on Lying and Deception

1. Lying and deception are negative traits and practices that bring curses. A cursed person is a frustrated person. Nothing works out for him and he is usually found lamenting about his misfortunes. “Cursed is the deceiver,” says the Word of God. The deceiver will be frustrated! The deceiver will not succeed! The deceiver will not be happy! The deceiver will be disappointed!

But CURSED BE THE DECEIVER, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

Malachi 1:14

2. Lying and deception are coverings for hatred. When somebody lies to you, the person hates you. The Bible is clear about this and says, “A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it…” (Proverbs 26:28). The Bible also teaches that deception is the covering of someone's hatred for you. “Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shown before the whole congregation.” (Proverbs 26:26).

A person full of deception and hatred is not going to build anything good. He is an evil person who will self-destruct. The Bible predicts the self-destruction of wicked people. It says, “But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it” (Proverbs 2:22). The Bible also says, “…Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days…” (Psalm 55:23, NASB).

The Astrologer
Louis XI, the great Spider King of France, had a weakness for astrology. He kept a court astrologer whom he admired, until one day the man predicted that a lady of the court would die within eight days. When the prophecy came true Louis was terrified, thinking that either the man had murdered the woman to prove his accuracy, or that he was so versed in his science that his powers threatened Louis himself. In either case he had to be killed, the king felt.

One evening Louis summoned the astrologer to his room, high in the castle. Before the man arrived, the king told his servants that when he gave the signal they were to pick the astrologer up, carry him to the window and hurl him to the ground, hundreds of feet below.

The astrologer soon arrived, but before giving the signal, Louis decided to ask him one last question: “You claim to understand astrology and to know the fate of others, so tell me what your fate will be and how long you have to live.”

“I shall die just three days before Your Majesty,” the astrologer replied.

The king's signal was never given. The man's life was spared. The Spider King not only protected his astrologer for as long as he was alive, he also lavished him with gifts and had him tended by the finest doctors. In the end, the astrologer outlived the king by many years.

As you can see from this story, the king and his subjects were lying to each other and deceiving each other. The astrologer and the king actually hated each other and their worlds thrived on deception. It was a dangerous game of how much each could deceive the other. When you become a Christian you must move away from a life of lying and deception. Whichever way you look at it, lying and deception have a negative effect on the liar. In addition, there is also punishment for lying and deception. Dear leader, strive to avoid lying and deception!

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