There are six things the Lord hates,yea seven are an abomination unto him-------------a lying tongue-----------------------etc.

- Proverbs 6:17

Coach James Arnett of Lakeland, Fl., an exceptional student teacher, defensive coordinator and assistant football coach was recently arrested for possessing a thumb drive loaded with child pornography.

Ariel Castro of Cleveland, Ohio, faces multiple charges and a possible death sentence for imprisoning three women in his home for a decade.

Jason Collins, the basketball player, finally confessed after 34 years and a long term relationship with a woman, that he is gay.

In Bangladesh, more than 600 bodies have been recovered from an eight story collapsed building that was structurally designed to be no more than five stories.

Joe Paterno's legacy at Penn State is tarnished because of turning a blind eye to the pedophile on his staff.

The Catholic church is still reeling from a history of sexual abuse by unfaithful priests.

We are being overwhelmed by the rising tide of fatherless children, broken homes and bitter divorces.

The following is an excerpt from a News Chief article dated May 14, 2013 about prostitution string arrests:

"Included in these arrests, according to the Sheriff's office, were a 15-year-old girl and the man who brought her there; a 45 year old California youth minister who was in Orlando to speak at a youth ministry conference."

It is a debilitating human weakness, a stubborn shortcoming, a despicable failure, this inability to be straightforward and honest. It causes us to hurt, injure, maim and abuse our fellow men.

In its wake are cries of injustice, discarded dreams, broken promises, ruptured hopes, tattered relationships and faithless people.

It is the basis of much of our troubles and a major source of all our difficulties and hardships.

A businessman, knowing our word is so notoriously unreliable and to protect his livelihood, posted this sign above the cash register of his establishment, "We trust God, all others pay cash."

Because its effects can be far reaching, all-encompassing and eternal, God himself warned us, "Thou shalt not bear false witness."

From the dawn of mankind's existence we have struggled with this frailty. Adam hid from God in the garden as he called out, "Adam, where art thou?"

Cain, being evasive with God's question about the whereabouts of his brother Abel, "Am I my brother’s keeper?"

Samson, losing his hair, strength and God because of the machinations of deceitful Delilah.

King David, rewarding the faithfulness of Uriah the Hittite with adultery and murder.

Judas, betraying his Savior for thirty pieces of silver.

Whilst Jesus is identified with truth in his declaration, "I am the way, the truth and the life, the cornerstone of satan's kingdom is deceit. It is no wonder that satan is called the father of lies.

Except in extremely rare cases such as the matter of Rahab and the two spies of Jericho, the consequence of misleading people is always destruction and death.

Once ensnared in the tangled web of deceit, you become a hopeless captive where your lies become your life, and the end result is unkind, unholy, unpleasant and deadly.

Lingering for a long time in the valley of lies, you risk becoming the proverbial emperor with no clothes, residing in a flimsy house of cards erected on a foundation of sand.

Your existence twisted and out of shape because of the weight, burden and toll of dishonesty, you begin to fear that which is right, just and aboveboard.

Driven by the forces of hell, you will go to any lengths to conceal, even though there is no such thing, the "horrible, distasteful or ugly truth.” In the deep end of a whirlpool of deception, your life spirals out of control where the yoke of slavery, rigor and hard bondage of deceit deny you any joy or worthwhile purpose.

At this juncture, the humble, wise, fortunate, blessed, favored and forgiven amongst us arrive at an epiphany, the light goes on in the darkness of despair. If you find yourself in the hole you must stop digging. They remember the words learnt so long ago in the kindergarten of life:

Speak the truth and speak it ever,

Cost it what it will,

He who seeks to hide the wrong he did,

Does the wrong thing still.

At the "genesis" of a new birth,the words of Christ resonate with them and become uplifting and real, "take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Their burdens lifted at calvary, they joyously conclude, realize with elation and a resounding sense of liberation and relief when they finally grasp what is recorded:

Ye shall know the truth

And the truth shall make you free

V. Knowles is a husband and father with an interest in penning issues that serve to uplift mankind. He melds his love for Classic literature, The Bible and pop culture - as sordid as it may be - into highly relatable columns of truth, faith and justice. Hence the name: Just Thinking. If he's not buried in a book or penning his next column, you may find him pinned to his sectional watching a good old Country and Western flick.