18 Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon 19 is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.” ~ Proverbs 26:18-19
Joking is a big part of our society today. In fact, you can make a lot of money just by telling jokes. Making people laugh can be a lucrative business if you do it well. There are some, usually the older generation, who don’t believe in telling jokes because Proverbs warns about an idle tongue, but is that what the Proverb is saying? If joking were wrong, God would’ve instructed the author, King Solomon, to warn against joking entirely, but He doesn’t. The Scripture says that lying or deceiving a friend and then saying it was only a joke is just as dangerous or damaging as a crazy person firing a deadly weapon.
Our character is dependent on the words we say and our actions. In fact, one of the two silver bullets we have against the enemy, according to Revelation 12:11, is compiled of those two things. The word of our testimony only works if we have completed the action of accepting Christ and now have begun changing our lives as we follow Him, as well as proclaiming our testimony. Words and actions. If we deceive or lie and use ‘I was only joking’ as the excuse, then we have become like a madman firing a deadly weapon, for our lies and lack of repentance have destroyed the trust and friendship that we had. And in a sense, it has also destroyed our testimony, and without our testimony, then we have evidence of our salvation. Without the evidence of our salvation, we have no salvation. So, don’t try to cover deception and lies with fake jokes. Don’t believe the lie that you will be fine if others believe it was just a joke. Only the wicked deceive and lie. Lay this stronghold before God that He might wash you in the Blood of the Lamb that you might overcome, that you may receive a testimony to share.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Fake Joke.