Edition #040 | The Truth Tax | Friday, April 17, 2026
You know something you need to say and you have been holding it back for weeks. Maybe longer. The longer you wait, the heavier it gets.
Let's get into it.
1 VERSE
Proverbs 12:22
"The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy."
God does not just prefer honesty. He detests the opposite. That is a strong word for a reason. Trustworthiness is not a personality trait. It is a spiritual discipline. Every time you choose truth over comfort, you are building something that cannot be faked or bought.
1 VOICE
Chris Voss
"No deal is better than a bad deal."
Chris Voss spent over two decades as the FBI's lead international hostage negotiator. He built his entire methodology on one foundational truth: the most powerful thing you can do in any conversation is say what is actually true, even when it is uncomfortable. His book Never Split the Difference is not about negotiation tricks. It is about having the courage to say what you see. It is not a negotiation manual. It is a courage manual.
Most people say something just to end the discomfort. They soften the truth, they hedge, they agree when they should push back. Voss built a career proving that the person willing to pay the Truth Tax to say the hard thing plainly and without flinching is the one people actually trust when it counts. The truth costs something upfront. The lie costs everything over time.
1 CHALLENGE
The Truth Tax
Say the thing you have been holding back today. In person or on a voice call. Not a text. Not an email. Lead with "I care about you and I need to share something honest with you." Then say it. The principle: The Truth Tax is the price you pay every time you choose honesty over comfort. Every truth you avoid becomes a larger silence. Every silence becomes a wall.