Daniel 6:7, "The royal administrators... have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions' den." John 8:44, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Think

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And those who wanted the attention of King Darius desperately wanted Daniel out of their way. In a desperate attempt to gain the trust of the king, they played on his fragile ego and convinced him that EVERYONE agreed that only he should be prayed to for 30 days. However, not EVERYONE did agree. The king's most trusted administrator, Daniel, would never have agreed to this decree. They knew they had to exaggerate the facts and lie to the king to gain his approval. Pride doesn't worry with facts when the lie sounds better. Exaggerations are part of the self-unaware agenda to convince other unaware individuals to fall in line with their plan. However, the self-aware understand the wisdom of wise counsel from the right THEY and seeking truth before making decisions. They pause when words such as "all", "everyone" or "every time" are used. They know God and His truth. Protect yourself from the deception of lies and exaggerations by drawing close to God and the wise people He puts in your life.

Act

Make a list of people in your life who consistently point you to God when seeking answers. If your list is difficult to make, it's time to get involved in Flavour, Men of the House, or one of our many Connect Groups!

Pray

Father God, thank You for Your truth that sets us free. Help me to recognize truth and not get caught up in the deception of exaggeration. Remind me to turn to Your Truth for answers every time. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!