This section of Ephesians 4 deals with the things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Since we know that the Holy Spirit dwells in each believer, and that we are to live according to His dictates so that there will be a constant flow of His love and wisdom and power flowing from our spirits into our souls – it’s really important for us to understand what pleases Him and what offends Him. On the top of the list of the things that grieve the Holy Spirit, is lying, or speaking falsely. Not speaking the truth goes against the core nature of the Holy Spirit. John 16:13 says, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and He guides us into all truth. It’s really important for us to understand what truth is. Contrary to the world’s view, there is only one standard of truth we are to hold to, and that is the Word of God. Telling a lie, or untruth is more than just saying something we know to be incorrect concerning a day-to-day occurrence. For instance, when a child is confronted about a missing cookie, and he denies he took it when he actually did. This would be considered a basic moral issue that should be taught at the earliest age and built into the foundation of our moral consciences. We can assume Paul is instructing the church to be sensitive to their basic moral conscience, but even more than that, to be sure to never allow themselves to speak contrary to God’s truth, concerning all things. Even when our flesh is feeling contrary to what the Word says – what we confess, even in our conversations, must align with the truth of the Word. When we see the enemy infiltrating wicked, immoral practices into society – we must speak what we know to be true. No matter how controversial the subject, when we are asked what our stand is, we grieve the Holy Spirit when we offer any answer that is contrary to His truth. Always, and in all circumstances – speak the truth in love. This is our duty as carriers of the Holy Spirit, and representatives of God’s kingdom – as we do this, He will take care of the results. No matter the cost – don’t grieve the Holy Spirit – speak the truth in love.