We all remember the children’s story about Pinocchio. Pinocchio is known for having a short nose that became longer when he told a lie.

In the story, the fairy tells Pinocchio “Every time you tell a lie, your nose will grow. When you tell the truth, it will shrink,” said the Blue Fairy. “Pinocchio, you can only become a real boy if you learn how to be brave, honest and generous.” Can you imagine that every time we told a lie, even a white lie, our noses would grow for all to see? Thankfully, most children are not like Pinocchio.

We are often humored or inspired to see the innocence of a child. Sometimes it can be refreshing to hear the honesty from a child; however, it can sometimes even be embarrassing. Nonetheless, their hearts are pure and you don’t have to guess what they have to say or what is on their minds. Unfortunately, children do not stay that way. They grow up to be adults, in a world that is filled with deceit and dishonesty.

So do you know a Pinocchio? Someone that when he or she opens their mouth you wonder if they are telling the truth or not?

Remember when your word was all that was needed in a binding contract? A simple handshake was all that was needed. Not anymore. Now when you enter into a contract, you must read all the fine print and plow through pages before signing.

Why? “Everyone deceives his neighbor and does not speak the truth, they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity… Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit; with his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, but inwardly he sets an ambush for him” (Jeremiah 9:5-8). So to make sure we are not ambushed with a lie, contracts must be signed and many times with lawyers.

We cannot trust even our political leaders, who are supposed to be there for our good. They are full of broken promises. Many give promises just so they can be elected. Many are caught in lies after lies. “Politicians were mostly people who'd had too little morals and ethics to stay lawyers.” ― George R.R. Martin, Ace in the Hole

To help us survive and not be ambushed in this deceitful world, books are published on how to tell if someone is lying or not. You can even take classes to study body language. By watching a person’s body language, you can learn to discern if they are lying to you or not. Articles have been published on the subject of lying, such as “Ten Ways to Tell If Someone Is Lying to You,” by Elisabeth Eaves (Forbes, November 2006).

God speaks out against lying, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). "The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).

Unfortunately, there is a need for books and articles on how to tell if someone is lying or not. And even then, some people are just masters at deceit and can fool anyone who cannot see into their hearts. But no one can fool God, for He sees into all the hearts of men (Jeremiah 17:10, 1 Samuel 16:7). We must not be like this, but strive to have a pure heart. So what does it mean to have a pure heart?

The word “pure” in the Merriam Webster Dictionary means to be unmixed from other matter, free from dust, and spotless. David has a definition for a pure heart in Psalm 24:4,“He has hath clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” According to this Psalm, a pure heart is a heart that has “nothing” to do with falsehood. It is truthful and free from deceitfulness.

To be pure, we must have a clean heart. We cannot have a pure or a clean heart if our words are deceitful and dishonest.

To be pure in heart is perhaps the most central and significant of all the beatitudes mentioned in this fifth chapter of Matthew (Matthew 5:8). You cannot be poor in spirit without having a pure heart. You cannot mourn for the things that displease God without having a pure heart. You cannot be meek, you cannot hunger and thirst for righteousness, you cannot be merciful; you cannot be a peacemaker or be prepared to stand persecution for the name of Christ without having a pure heart. Certainly, if our words are deceitful and dishonest, we will not have a pure heart.

Actually, this is one of the most central principles of the Christian life that we see in the whole Bible. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. It all begins with a pure and honest heart.

Honesty asks us to be true to ourselves and to be truthful to all we come in contact with. “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23, New American Standard Bible).

Yes, we live in a world where deceit and lying are the norm. Trust and promises are broken. We have to be different. "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25-32). To be honest requires a pure heart.

No wonder God says we must become like little children to enter into the Kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3). A child’s heart is pure. 

None of us want a Pinocchio nose—a nose that grows every time we tell a lie. We all should want a pure heart. We all must strive to be pure in heart in order to receive a great promise from God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). We must ask God for a pure heart.  No Pinocchios will inherit God’s Kingdom.