Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Have you ever been lied about? I bet that question stirred some emotion.  At some point in their life, everyone has had someone tell a lie about them with the intent to hurt.  It's something that people do to make themselves feel better or to purposefully hurt you because they genuinely don't like you.  Some people spread lies about you by accident.  They are given faulty information, and they did not know the difference.  The question is, how do we handle that?  When we realize that, at the end of the day, we should only be concerned with what God thinks of us, it clears up a lot of the unnecessary pain others try to create.

In Psalms 109, David said, "My God whom I praise, do not remain silent, for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues."  People haven't changed a bit in thousands of years.  Sure, our society looks different, but people have not changed.  People will lie, and when the consequences of that lie surface, they will lie more and ask for pity for a scenario they themselves created.  And wonder why their life is the way it is! There will never be a shortage of evil that comes from the tongue. James, the brother of Jesus, said, "No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." But when we enter each day knowing we don't put our trust in man but in God, these lies that try to attack our character don't hurt as much. Jesus said, "Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and MANY enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a FEW find it."  Read that again. Few people will live as Jesus has instructed.  So don't worry about the opinions of men. As long as you live above reproach and truly follow Christ in your words and actions, the rest is inconsequential.

Prayer: Lord, we know this world is broken. But You have prepared a perfect place for me. As long as I'm on this earth, lead me through each day with wisdom, courage, and grace to take on the evil of this world and counter it with Your love and truth.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God's Word.

• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today's passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises?
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you?
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.