So why is it that the world is not attracted to the things of God? Instead of being drawn to Him, they’d rather say, “Go away!” The answer can be found in Jeremiah 9:6 where it says, “You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge Me, declares the Lord.” Our carnal nature tells us we are independent self-made people who don’t need anybody’s help. Couple that with all the world’s misleading and deceptive ideas and it’s no wonder we would have no desire to worship God. Deception tells me I’m the center of the universe…the Truth bears witness that I’m not…and I don’t want to admit that.
Tag Archive | deceitful
Jeremiah 16:19 ” O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to You the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, ‘Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.’ “
Over the course of history there hasn’t been anything made by man that could take the place of Jesus Christ. From the wooden statues overlaid with gold to the modern-day idols we chase after today…they are and will always be fraudulent, deceitful, and totally worthless. I Samuel 12:21 warns us, “Do not turn away after useless idols.” For anytime we take God off His throne and place a man-made object there instead, we’re putting our trust in ourselves. And no man-made idol has or will ever have the power to save our souls…only Jesus can do that.
Joshua 23:6 ” Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.”
Time was short for the elderly Joshua when he warned the Jewish leaders about being enticed by foreign gods. He wanted them to be fully aware of what the allure and deception of foreign gods could do to the Jewish people. He urged them to remain faithful to the Word of God…persevering with self-discipline in their walk…guarding their hearts and minds from deceit…veering neither to the right nor to the left but always keeping on the straight and narrow. Joshua’s words ring true for God’s people today…Be courageous, keep guard, remain faithful.
I John 2:26 ” I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.”
John was so concerned about the early Church being deceived by false teachers that he repeated this warning later on in his letter…for he wrote in Chapter 3:7 of I John, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray.” Any teaching that denies Jesus Christ is God incarnate…and any teaching that places any thing or person above Him is fraudulent. With cunning and wiliness false teachers will speak of a “type” of Jesus, but if you listen carefully, it’s a corrupt version and not the truth. So how can you know you’re not being lead down the path of destruction? Without the firm foundation of the truth of God found in the Bible, we can all be easily duped and mislead. Open the Bible…read the truth…allow it to formulate the basis of your belief system. For when you have the truth within…no one will be able to lead you astray.
I Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Whether you agree we’re in the end times or not, this verse points out the subtle and indirect way we can be lead astray. We don’t have to rebel outright…turning our backs on the Gospel, to be caught up in deception. In fact, in casual listening, what we hear may not sound wrong at all. For twisted and corrupted “religious beliefs” are all around us…with new and even more Holy Spirit grieving ones popping up everyday. As a Believer, you need to carefully discern what you hear…does it line up with the Bible, not just a little, but totally?
Jeremiah 9:6 “You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge Me, declares the Lord.”
The world’s deception isn’t blatant…it’s a sly twisting of the truth that may ring true in parts, but in the whole, is false. For the causal listener, it sounds fine…but is it really? The world wants to mislead, trick, and fool us…to lull us into a false sense of security that a loving God would never send people to hell…never judge people who go against His Laws…never pass sentence on those unwilling to recognize Him as Lord. The world’s deception has been a slow and insidious process…like a slow-growing cancer. What was taboo for our Grandparents is now touted openly…what was considered risqué then, is now in everyday commercials. Our minds have been slowly desensitized and deceived over the years by a twisting of what we should believe today as “normal”. But our God will not be mocked and soon all will stand before Him to be judged.
Jeremiah 9:8 ” Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks with deceit. With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.”
A person who speaks out of both sides of their mouth can’t be trusted. You may think the two of you have a good relationship, when suddenly you hear false accusations coming from your so called friend. The deceitful tongue can shoot out lies just as well as compliments.
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