praying effectively: Don't Give False Testimony (Ex., Deut.)

(Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20)  “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

(Exodus 23:1-3)  “You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. 2 You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute."

(Exodus 23:6-8)  “You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty. 8 “You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just."

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:
- that we do not lie or give a false report
- that we do not give false testimony against anyone
- that we do not pervert justice
- that we do not take a bribe
- that we do not kill the innocent or the righteous

Today's prayer:

Lord, help me always to speak the truth about everyone - and help me only speak those truths when it is appropriate.  And if I find myself in the middle of a dispute, help me to remain fair and true, with the pure motives of bringing about justice and reconciliation.

When I do not know the facts, help me not to be swayed by gossip, which could very well be unfounded information, misguided words, or outright lies.

I definitely pray for our countries' news reporters that they will feel convicted to stick to the facts - and stop reporting opinions which pretend to present themselves as facts in order to sway people into voting and thinking they way they want.

Please help our society deal with the massive manipulations going on around us from all sides.  Help all of us to be able to detect what is fake news and not buy into it or help spread it, as it is only intended to incite hatred and anger, and intended to disrespect and malign those You have placed in positions of leadership.

Protect those people who have been falsely accused of crimes.  Guide and help our legal system to sort these things out.   Guide and protect all officers of law.  Protect our court systems from falsely accusing innocent people.  Protect its integrity so as not to pervert justice. Give wisdom and insight to the judges and juries across our nations.  Amen.