I think a perfect example of this Bible verse is New York City's incompetent mayor Zohran Mamdani. In the fall of 2025 he ran for the position of mayor in New York City, making a bunch of empty promises that any sensible person knew he couldn't possibly fulfill. Mamdani promised free child daycare for all New Yorker parents. Mamdani promised a price freeze on all rental units. Mamdani promised free subway transportation for everyone from now on. He essentially gave away the farm! His plan was to tax the rich and the public ate it up, loving his rhetoric. Well, when Mamdani won the election by a landslide and became mayor, the state's governor refused to go along with taxing the rich, and his plan backfired on him. Proverbs 19:22, “The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.”
To save face and come up with all that 'FREE' stuff that Mamdani promised to give away, he decided to tax the middle-class instead, by raising everyone's property taxes another 9.5% on top of some of the already highest property taxes in the country! Overburdened New York homeowners will now be taxed 19.84% a year!!! That is so criminal! Mamdani should be in prison for lying to get into office, knowing that there was no way he could honor his promises. Proverbs 19:22, “The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.”
I think Mr. Mamdani had good intentions as a young man, and a horrible socialist one I might add...
“Socialism is nothing more than shared misery.” —Winston Churchill
Pastor Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) explains Proverbs 19:22 this way...
I love the old adage that was common during The Great Depression of the 1930s...
A kindly, benevolent spirit appeals to all men because it is unselfish and thoughtful of others. But to make great promises while unable to fulfill them is reprehensible. It is far better to be poor and frankly admit one’s inability to do what the heart might desire, than to promise largely and be proven untrustworthy. To be what you are, and not to pretend to be what you are not, is a sound principle. An honest person, even if poor, gains the respect of anyone whose good opinion is worth having. See Peter and the lame man (Acts 3:6). SOURCEZohran Mamdani should have told the truth last year when running for mayor, and been upfront and honest with the people of New York. He's a sharp looking fella with a likable personality. I am confident that the citizens of New York would have still voted for him had he simply said they would all work together to find workable solutions, but his plan to tax the rich was doomed to fail from the start. A responsible leader understands that when you're in financial debt as a city, the only reasonable thing to do is cut spending. Sure, a lot of people are going to be angry and upset, but there is no other way. We've become so spoiled rotten in the United States that Americans refuse to do without anymore. Well, tough, that's life!
I love the old adage that was common during The Great Depression of the 1930s...
Use it up,Yes Sir! That's the winning ticket! When you and I don't have the money, we do without. So why should the government have it any different? It's not the government's job to provide free daycare for children. It's not the city's job to provide free train rides. They need to put the petty thieves who don't pay their train fare in work camps; not prison, productive work camps! We are literally destroying ourselves with our freedom! No one should have a “right” to steal, shoot up on illegal drugs, hurt people, loiter in a tent on a sidewalk, or become a nuisance to society. Our reckless federal government has deliberately created this problem by allowing the fraudulent Federal Reserve to bankrupt our nation and run inflation into the stratosphere!
wear it out;
make it do,
do without
Avoid Making Promises To People
Dear reader, there is nothing worse than a liar. In fact, one of the seven things that God hates in Proverbs 6:16-19 is “a lying tongue.” Proverbs 26:28, “A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.” Some people are habitual chronic liars. There are too many things that can go wrong. It is wise to refrain from making many promises to people. Granted, the marriage vows should be made at the wedding altar, and then honored for a lifetime. I am talking about the frivolous promises that we flippantly make to people day by day, which people so often fail to keep. I refuse to do that to anyone. Promises are important. And if you say you are going to do something, that becomes a promise!
I recently called Quality Roofing Solutions in Pensacola and spoke to one of their managers James Deere about repairs needed to my roof after hurricane Isaias. I was referred to him by Gulf Coast Home Inspections. I also asked James questions about adequate ventilation needs in my attic. He promised to email me some ventilation calculations which he said he'd obtain from Google satellite. He also promised to stop by my home that week to inspect my roof and needed repairs, included damaged vinyl soffits and fascia. But weeks later I never heard back from him.
So, I called James back but he refused to answer his phone. I sent him a text message and again gave him my address and email, kindly asking him to please keep his promises, but he just ignored me. It is bizarre, considering that we never had any cross words when I spoke with him. He mentioned to me that he is a Christian and attends a Baptist Church up on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola. Sadly, the guy is a liar! It's worldly abusive believers like him, if he is saved at all, why people have stopped going to church. There's a likely chance that his church is wrong on the Gospel. Professed Christians are often worse than the heathen world. The old adage is still very true that: A man is only as good as his word.
If you tell somebody that you are going to do something, you're integrity is at stake. Matthew 5:34, “But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” When people would intentionally lie in Bible times, they knew it was wrong to swear by God's name, so to lessen the severity of their broken oath (at least in their own warped mind) they would swear by the earth instead. But the Scripture warns that a promise is a promise, regardless who or what you swear by, so it's best to just not make them.
During World War II, every teenage male in the United States was itching to join the cause for going to war to fight the evils of communism. But many of them were unqualified because they were under the age of 18. So, what they would do is write the number “18” on the bottom of their shoe, so they could honestly tell the recruitment officer, “I am over 18.” That is dishonest. When the truth must be hidden, something is very wrong. That is deception.
When Katie Stubblefield was a beautiful teenage girl in high school, it was another mean girl's hurtful words at school that caused Katie to go home and attempt suicide with her brother's shotgun. Instead, Katie blew her face office and is now maimed for the rest of her miserable life. The other girl (a spoiled brat) who caused Katie's dilemma went on to live a normal life. Teenagers are in no man's land so-to-speak. They are old enough to interact with the world around them, inflict great damage; but yet are not mature enough in their mental capacity to process their feelings, painful emotions, hormones and disappointments. The teenage years are a dangerous time for young people, and their parents need to be involved with their lives.
My heart goes out to Katie. Her father said she is a determined girl, passionate and hard working. It was those qualities which compelled Katie to attempt to take her own life. I can relate to her because I am the same way, hence my website ministry and my passionate writings. I get my feelings hurt all the time, because I am a sensitive man and many people are insensitive, unkind and mean.
My heart goes out to Katie. Her father said she is a determined girl, passionate and hard working. It was those qualities which compelled Katie to attempt to take her own life. I can relate to her because I am the same way, hence my website ministry and my passionate writings. I get my feelings hurt all the time, because I am a sensitive man and many people are insensitive, unkind and mean.
One of the reasons why I don't like talking to people over the phone, or in live conversations, is because I am vulnerable. I just don't think fast enough. I need time to process everything. Due to that delay, and my sweet nature to avoid being unkind or offensive in any way, I keep it all in and stay quiet, usually later regretting the conversation. I am unable to speak up since my brain needs time to process what has been said. And if I do speak up without having had time to think about the matter, I usually regret that too. That is why I love my website ministry, because I have plenty of time to reflect upon my thoughts before publishing them.
As a rule, when I talk to people in live conversations I don't commit myself. I simply don't make promises. All my life I have prefaced my words with the phrase, “No promises!” And after I say that I usually keep my agreement that very same day. There is nothing more important for a man than that he honor his commitments, and fulfill that which he has committed to do. 2nd Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
As a rule, when I talk to people in live conversations I don't commit myself. I simply don't make promises. All my life I have prefaced my words with the phrase, “No promises!” And after I say that I usually keep my agreement that very same day. There is nothing more important for a man than that he honor his commitments, and fulfill that which he has committed to do. 2nd Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
That is why we read in Psalms 138:2, “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” God honors His Words. The psalmist declares that God has magnified (elevated) His inspired Words above His own name. The reason why is obvious because God's character is only as trustworthy, sound and reliable as His Words. That's why I make such a big fuss over the hundreds of corrupted perversions of the Holy Bible in the English language today, which obscure God's simple plan of salvation and confuse everyone. God only wrote one Book!
Our word means something, let's be careful about making idle promises. There's nothing wrong with telling someone that you'll do your best, but you're not making any promises.
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