How To Spot A Liar (Free Psychology 101 Course in Less Than 5 Minutes)

A liar is unnecessarily aggressive. And this aggression is chiefly directed against those on the path to discovering their lie; or those who seem to have discovered it already but want the liar to admit it. Usually, a lie is unnecessary, except to conceal a crime. Show me a liar and I will show you someone trying to hide a crime; someone unwilling to own up to their crime. Consider, for example, the case of the first man ever born of a woman — Mr Cain.

Genesis 4:8-9
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

Notice the aggressive response Cain had to God’s simple question. Instead of replying, “Sir, I don’t know where Abel is etc . . . what did Cain say to God?

First he lied by making a curt statement; then the aggression followed.

Am I my brother’s keeper?

This is how to detect a liar and someone trying to hide a crime. Watch out for that unnecessary aggression. And any attempt to suppress this natural aggressive reaction will cause some sweat to appear on the forehead or palms of the hands; or, if the person is light-skinned, you may notice their neck turning red, showing increased heart activity. Of course stress can cause a person’s unwarranted aggression — and certainly a few other factors also — but aggression, especially in response to a potentially incriminating question, is likely an evidence of guilt and simply the aggression of Cain.

This is why sinners not planning to repent hate God secretly in their hearts. They know He knows all about them and are frustrated by the fact that there is nothing they can do to hide anything from Him. But they prefer to enjoy their “peace” without being reminded of their guilt. And this is why cowardly preachers dare not preach against specific sins in their congregation. They are afraid of the aggression of Cain, who was so angry about being reminded of his sin he forgot Who he was talking with and dared to raise his voice at the most High. To play safe and retain members, most preachers will talk about bowing down before idols (the 2nd Commandment) when the issue in their congregation is stealing (breaking the 8th Commandment). A preacher would rather pontificate about morality in a general manner, instead of urging his congregants to urgently repent of the sins he knows they are guilty of.

Conversely, although it is true that all have sinned, there is a class of people God loves. Like Cain, these people are absolutely guilty of breaking God’s commandment(s). But their response when confronted is different. And it is this seemingly slight difference in reaction to conviction for sin that will either send people to heaven or to hell.

Luke 18:13-14
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

God has a lot of respect for anybody with a contrite heart — that’s a heart that admits when it is guilty. Remember king David. The natural consequence of this admission of guilt is, of course, repentance. And that is the catch: the heart that will not admit its guilt does not admit its guilt because it does not want to repent. So it gets defensive and aggressive. But God loves those who refuse to argue with His verdict and rather seek forgiveness and decide to repent.

Isaiah 57:15-16
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth:

May God have mercy on all of us.

NB
Some days ago, my neighbor invited me to mediate in a case that got him very angry. An artisan he had engaged collected money from him to fix something but did not exactly do that. This artisan was now insulting the intelligence of my neighbor by asserting that he had done the job. When I began to interview the artisan with specific questions, I noticed his aggression every time I got to the crux of the matter. So I knew I was experiencing the aggression of Cain. To get him to admit his crime and save my time, I promised him immunity from prosecution — if he will admit he is lying. And, as anticipated, he then nodded like a little child and admitted his guilt. This man later told me he had six children. I felt pity for him and encouraged him to toe the path of righteousness in his trade and depend on the blessings of God to sustain his family. Of course I fulfilled my promise. But it wasn’t easy because my neighbor was rightly enraged by the bold-faced lying, which made him look like a false accuser.

This proves that the Bible is also a manual for understanding human psychology, apart from being a manual on How to Live an Effective Earthly Life And Inherit the Kingdom of God.

Have a blessed day.

Joe Dauda