“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:9-10
The Bible talks about, over and again, those who deceive themselves, and thus, fool themselves into believing they are in the right, but are headed in to destruction. I think this is the worst kind of deception. And why? Because people are telling themselves that everything is fine when it’s not. Consider, if you will, that, at least in the US, we live in a society where people declare that having a cell phone is a basic human right. Growing up, I knew people who didn’t have a HOUSE PHONE (look it up), and they were just fine. I do not say this to knock anyone, but if we’re so happy, why is the suicide rate, the anxiety rate, the depression rate higher than they’ve ever been? As a whole, there’s more plenty, more information, more technology, more everything…people have chased their dreams, and yet they are finding them empty.
Sad as it is to say, we’re doing it to ourselves. We’re doing the same thing over and again, hoping “this time will be different,” and it’s insane! We’re delusional. So what, then, is our hope? If the world and all its pleasures can’t satisfy us, what can? Simply put: give up yourself. Surrender it. Crucify it. Bury it. Become New! And this isn’t something you can do on your own. It’s only through Christ that we can be made new. Loved ones, Jesus is the only hope we have. In Him we have peace beyond understanding. In Him we have hope and joy. By Him, the Holy Spirit comes to make His dwelling in us. And, while life around us may be chaotic, full of twists and turns, the joy and peace of God reigns within us, so that no weapon formed against us may prosper.
1 Corinthians 3:10-23
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
James 1:19-27
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
1 John 1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
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