Hey, Carpool Crew. Happy Sunday. I hope you are off to a great start today, maybe having some breakfast or heading to church. I'm so glad you're joining us. I'm Pastor Justin. You know, let me ask you this: Have you ever told one little lie, just a small one, and then you had to tell another one to hide the first one, and then another, until the whole thing got way bigger than you ever meant it to? That is the sneaky thing about lies. They almost never stay small. They always travel in groups. One little lie needs a friend, needs a second lie to help it. And then a third one comes along to help those lies. And pretty soon, you're carrying around a whole group of lies that is pretty heavy and annoying. So today, let's talk about what to do with it. Let's jump in with the one thing that I want you to remember for the ride. A small lie keeps growing, but the truth sets it down. Listen to this from Proverbs 12:22. It says, "Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but faithful people are his delight." Now, don't let that first word scare you. Detestable just means God really doesn't like lying. But look at the back half. Faithful people, truth-telling people, are His delight. When you tell the truth, God is actually delighted with you. Think about that. God isn't standing over you with His arms crossed, waiting to catch you. He's leaning in, hoping that you'll just tell the truth, make the right choice, because He knows the truth is what sets you free. It's what can stand up strong all by itself. Now, here's what's true about that growing lie, who always brings his lying friends with him. It feels safer to keep it hidden, but hidden is exactly what makes it heavy and what makes you tell more lies to hide it. See, the second you tell the truth, the whole stack of lies come down, and you can finally breathe again because the truth stands tall and strong by itself. If Jesus were sitting down with you right now, hanging out, I think He'd say, "I already know the whole thing, and I still love you completely. So go tell the truth. Tell your parents, tell your friends, tell your siblings the truth. I promise it's always lighter when you tell the truth, and it is heavy to carry around a group of lies wherever you go." It's the middle of summer, and you told one little lie a while back, and you've had to keep telling little lies to hide that first lie. Every day, it sits there, growing stronger, adding more little lies, and getting heavier and heavier. Then finally, you decide you're done carrying around this lazy group of lies, and you go and find the person. Maybe it's a friend, maybe it's a sibling, maybe it's a parent, and you say, "Hey, I need to tell you the truth about something." Now, your voice is shaking a little bit, but the second the words are out, that heavy feeling, it falls right apart, and you feel lighter. You feel easier because the truth can stand tall all by itself. Now, it doesn't mean that you won't get in a little bit of trouble, doesn't mean you won't get a little discipline for lying, but it's worth it, because telling the truth is always better than carrying around a group of lies. So this week, here's a couple things you can try. First, if there's a lie that you've been telling other little lies to hide, go and tell the truth today. Even if it's scary, it will be something you won't regret. Second, when you're tempted to tell a lie, just remind yourself, God is delighted when you tell the truth. And third, and here's a really important one, ask yourself, do I think hiding keeps me safe, or do I believe that the truth is what actually sets me free? Let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. A small lie keeps growing bigger, but the truth can stand strong all by itself. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, think of a family at your church in a busy season right now and share the podcast with them. I know that they would love it, and that's one of the ways the podcast has been growing, because people like you share it with your friends. Now, before you go, let's answer this question together. Is there anything you've been carrying that would feel lighter if you told the truth about it? I hope you have a great conversation, and I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.
