What is your definition of a lie? Personally I don't think it's wrong to shade the truth a little bit when it isn't going to make any difference, as long as it doesn't do any harm, but I suppose you wouldn't agree. — Z.J.

No, I can't agree with you, and the reason is because God calls us to live by a higher standard in our speech. Jesus told His followers, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37).

I also can't agree with you that shading the truth a little "isn't going to make any difference." After all, if it isn't going to make a difference, why bother to do it? A lie always makes a difference, no matter how small or big it is; if it didn't make any difference, we wouldn't tell it to begin with. But every lie is meant to deceive someone, and deception is always wrong in God's eyes (as well as the eyes of the person we deceive). The Bible says, "Do not deceive one another" (Leviticus 19:11).

Every untruth, however, also hurts the one who tells it. Eventually, others will catch on to a person's tendency to lie—and when they do, they will conclude he or she isn't trustworthy. When people decide you can't be trusted, they'll treat you with caution or even rejection, not friendship. One sign of Christ's second coming is that "evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Timothy 3:13).

The real issue you face, however, is this: What place does Jesus Christ have in your life? Face the truth of your need for Him, and build your life on the truth of what He has done for you.