This post was last updated on June 24, 2026

Day 74 (Year 2)

Honesty and Exposing Deception  

“For the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” (Ephesians 5:9 NASB)

When believers behold the glory of Jesus, we can gradually be transformed into His likeness. Today’s scripture tells us that the fruit of God’s light includes all that is good, righteous, and true. In fact, any sustainable community promotes these three qualities. They can connect to God’s light, too. For example, the love many parents have for their children reflects something of God’s goodness. The laws of societies contain at least some measure of justice. Honesty is indispensable in commerce, for no one wants to do business with deceivers. I believe, however, that among these three qualities, honesty is primary—without it, all other virtues are difficult to sustain. 

The word “truth” in the verse comes from the Greek word aletheia, meaning here “conformity with truth and reality, with the mind free from pretence, falsehood, deceit.” For believers, truth is defined by God’s words and judgments. The profound significance of having the eyes of our hearts opened is that we can see reality as God sees it and walk in His ways. When our words and actions align with God’s truth, that is genuine fruit, arising from rightly ordered thinking calibrated to align with God’s. I believe that some believers are driven to leave darkness because they have been deeply wounded by dishonesty, deception, falsehood, pretense, or lies, and have developed a deep loathing of evil. This loathing leads them to long for and rely on God, bearing fruit of godly goodness, righteousness, and truth.

People usually come to abhor the benefits of deception and break free from the allures of falsehood before they can sincerely pursue God’s truth and receive His light. Think of how Eve was tempted long ago and do the opposite: overcome the schemes of the devil. In today’s world, the pursuit of illusions, pretense, and deception can bring not only material benefits but also momentary satisfaction. But if we want to expose the deceits, falsehoods, or pretenses of others, we need first to understand them. However, if we pursue and enjoy various forms of falsehood and pretense, it becomes difficult for us to sustain a genuine pursuit of truth from within. The pursuit of God’s truth is the foundation of a life moving toward light. Thus, when we seek light, we must cast away and loathe all falsehood in our minds.

Reflection questions:  

1) Are there any forms of falsehood or pretense in anything you enjoy or are accustomed to? If so, are you willing to cast them off?

2) Are you good at exposing deception, falsehood, and pretense? If so, are you willing to help those around you?