Genesis chapters 20, 21

Abraham just keeps on lying everywhere he goes; and forcing his wife to lie as well. And the consequences are mind-boggling. 

"Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the South country (the Negeb) and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur; and he lived temporarily in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah [into his harem]. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said, Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken [as your own], for she is a man’s wife. But Abimelech had not come near her, so he said, Lord, will you slay a people who are just and innocent? Did not the man tell me, She is my sister? And she herself said, He is my brother. In integrity of heart and innocency of hands I have done this. Then God said to him in the dream, Yes, I know you did this in the integrity of your heart, for it was I Who kept you back and spared you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not give you occasion to touch her. So now restore to the man his wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her [to him], know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours. So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things; and the men were exceedingly filled with reverence and fear. Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, What have you done to us? And how have I offended you that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me what ought not to be done [to anyone]. And Abimelech said to Abraham, What did you see [in us] that [justified] you in doing such a thing as this? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely there is no reverence or fear of God at all in this place, and they will slay me because of my wife. But truly, she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father but not of my mother; and she became my wife. When God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, This kindness you can show me: at every place we stop, say of me, He is my brother. Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham and restored to him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before you; dwell wherever it pleases you. And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given this brother of yours a thousand pieces of silver; see, it is to compensate you [for all that has occurred] and to vindicate your honor before all who are with you; before all men you are cleared and compensated. So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves, and they bore children, For the Lord had closed fast the wombs of all in Abimelech’s household because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife." Genesis 20:1-18 AMP

The NIV Bible says it this way: "This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, 'He is my brother.'"

Are you kidding me? "If you really love me, you will do this for me." We've all heard this before, haven't we?

Ladies, if your husband is asking you to do or go along with something you feel is a lie or just wrong, be encouraged! Pray earnestly and continually and God will turn your situation around.

Or, maybe you are reading this and you are in a deceptive situation that's complicated and you feel stuck. Just pray and wait for God to reveal the truth.

Abraham was not an evil man, but what he did was wrong on so many levels. For the second time, he put his wife in a terrible dilemma! 

He would have also caused the death of King Abemilech's entire household and devastation to his kingdom, had God not stepped in.

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." Sir Walter Scott

Maybe you have been deceitful. You are not alone. 

We all have been deceitful at times in our lives. Life is complicated; and when we try to work things out on our own, we complicate difficult situations even more! 

God is waiting, ready to step in and help you.

Let's pray King David's prayer together.

"Generous in love—God, give grace!
    Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
    soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
    my sins are staring me down.

 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
    it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
    whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
    in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
    Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
    scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
    set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
    give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
    shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
    or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
    put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
    so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
    and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
    I’ll let loose with your praise.

 Going through the motions doesn't please you,
    a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
    when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
    don’t for a moment escape God’s notice." Psalm 51