Guarding Against Self-Deception

 

 

The Eighties was a time of tight rolled jeans, Super Mario Bros, and BIG HAIR! Apparently as a young teen, I didn’t get the memo. It was 1992 and I was still rocking my high bangs. Everyone else had the Jennifer Aniston bob, or the Mariah Carey perm but not me, I was stuck in the eighties with my backcombed hair sprayed super stiff bangs. My own father used to poke fun at me and say I had a bird’s nest on top of my head! I chuckle now as I write these words but in all seriousness, no one could tell me anything. I thought I was cute! I was serious about my bangs and everyone else could do nothing but stare and wonder “what in the world was she thinking?” I was self-deceived into thinking that those bangs complemented me in some way. Boy was I wrong!

Self-deception Webster defines as: the action or practice of allowing oneself to believe that a false or not validated feeling, idea, or situation is true. That is today’s topic. How many of us have heard or used the excuse, “The devil made me do it?” the bible teaches that this is not always the case.  Deception occurs in three ways:

 

 

The Devil	Other People	Our Own Hearts
He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was thrown out--the ancient serpent, which is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world.	Ephesians 5:6 “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 2 Thessalonians. 2:3 “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction” 2 Timothy 3:13, “while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.	Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Obadiah 1:3, “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” James 1:14, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.”

 

Today we will focus on the third column, when we as Christians begin to believe our own press, we can be rendered ineffective. There are many ways we can become self-deceived. Just like the eighties have come and gone Christians can get stale in their salvation and become self-deceived. We can start to trust in our own heart and lean on our own understanding which the bible warns against (Proverbs 3:5-6) and then we fall into the web of self-deceit. I don’t claim to be a bible scholar but I have come across ten ways we as Christians can fall into self-deception.

1.       Believing that the Unrighteous will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

1 Corinthians 6:9 says, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

QUESTIONS:  We need to ask ourselves: Are we practicing anything habitually on this list or do we have a continual pattern of freedom from these sins on this list? The bottom line, if indeed we are in Christ, sin no longer has dominion over us. We can choose to yield to the Spirit and not that old familiar pattern of sin.

 

2.        Believing the company we keep doesn’t impact us.

 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

The Corinthian’s were surrounded by company that was trying to convince them that the resurrection did not occur when Paul penned these words. Culturally they were surrounded by sinful practices that were the norm in society not unlike America today.

QUESTIONS: We need to ask ourselves: Is the company we keep drawing us closer to the Lord, challenging us towards obedience, or to walk in the light? Every time we hang out with people, do we feel edified, uplifted, encouraged, loved or do we feel defeated? Better yet are we influencing our friends towards the things of God or drawing them farther away due to sin in our own lives?

Just because it is the cultural norm and everyone is doing it, is not a good enough rationalization in God’s eyes!

 

3.        Believing we won’t reap what we sow.

 Galatians 6:7-9 says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people and especially to those who are of the household of the faith...”

QUESTIONS:  We need to ask ourselves: Are we sowing to the flesh or the Spirit? Every action we make, word we speak, down to the motives we have… are they in the flesh or in the Spirit? Are we doing what we do, to make a name for ourselves or to glorify God? Are we reaching out to others out of obligation or guilt or are we truly being led by the Spirit? When we say what we have to say, is it out of love or out of a need to be right? Help us LORD!

                                      

4.       Thinking God is not good. 

James 1:16 says, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”

QUESTIONS: In our suffering, is God still Good? Is our situation caused by circumstances out of our control or sin that we chose to sow? Ouch help us Jesus!

 

5.        Being only Hearers of the word and not doers of it.

 James 1:22-25 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

QUESTIONS: When we read the bible or are in church do we say, “I wish so and so was here to hear this?” Do we practice what we preach? When we hear the sermon on Sunday do we look for opportunities to apply what we’ve learned? Do we have a whole bunch of head knowledge or do we actually live out what the word says?

 

6.       Christians don’t have to bridle their tongues.

James 1:26 says, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

QUESTIONS: What is our speech like?  Is it harsh? Does our tone of speech display love towards others? Do we use profanity? Do our words bring life into other’s lives or death? Do we speak the truth in love or do we always have to vent our own opinions? One pastor said if we spent half that time talking to God instead of talking, imagine how much more can be accomplished?

 

7.       Thinking we are something when we are not.

Galatians 6:3-5 “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load.”

QUESTIONS: What title, position, or status have we trusted in to stroke our egos? Everyone is level at the cross. We all fall short of the glory of God!

 

8.       Thinking we are wise in our own eyes.

1 Corinthians 3:18 says, “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.”

QUESTIONS: Are we arrogant thinking we know all or are we teachable? Do we have a pliable heart to see our own faults and errors even in our thinking?

 

9.       Trusting in Vanity.
Job 15:31 says, “31“Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his reward.”

QUESTIONS:  How much time do we spend making sure the externals are presentable when inside our hearts are disasters? How much time do we spend getting ready for church or others instead of preparing our hearts to worship God in Spirit and in truth?

 

10.   Saying we have no sin.

1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

QUESTIONS: How much time do we focus on other’s sins and not look in the mirror and see our own? How easily are we to notice specks in other’s eyes but miss the planks in our own?

 

Plato said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:5-6, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” The good news is if we find ourselves anywhere caught in the web of self-deception we can turn and repent.

One day, I realized I didn’t have any hairspray in the house so I had to wear my bangs flat. I was so insecure that day but I remember this young teen coming up to me in the bathroom and saying lovingly, “Wow, you look so much better! You should wear your hair like that more often.” Many, many people told me how much better I looked that day when my hair was flat; needless to say I never went back. I needed the sobering truth of others to change my view of what looked right. Thank God we have the truth of his word!

 

Unfortunately, I have lived in many of these webs. When I choose to renew my mind with the truth of God’s word I sober up and see where I have erred. Here is a prayer that might help you. Thank you so much for reading and supporting. Live Fit4eternity!

 Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for the truth of your word. Thank you that you are a God who does not lie and I can trust in you at all times to tell me the truth. Please forgive me for the times that I have chosen to walk and live in self-deception. Please remove the scales from my eyes to see clearly, to walk uprightly, and to not live in self-deception. Where there is any unrighteousness in my life, please bring it to mind so that I can confess it and forsake it. Surround me with godly friendships and relationships that will love me unconditional and challenge me to grow closer to you. Give me grace to make an impact on those around me to draw them into a deeper fellowship with you. Grant me grace to yield to your Spirit and not sow to my flesh. Forgive me for the times that I have chosen my flesh over your Spirit. Forgive me for the times I have questioned your goodness and blamed you for consequences for my own choices and not circumstances out of my control. Make me into a doer of your word and not a hearing deceiving myself. Give me divine opportunities to put into practice your word daily. Put a muzzle over my mouth to only speak words of life and truth. Let no unwholesome talk proceed out of my mouth to hurt or injure others. Forgive me for every idle word I’ve said out of hurt, anger, loose lips, or revenge. Remove falsehood and lies far from me. Forgive me for the times pride has blinded me to think more highly of myself than I am, or the times I have thought I was wise and acted arrogantly. Grant me daily humility to know that apart from you I am nothing. I am your servant Lord. Let me not trust in vanity but trust only in YOU! My rock, my redeemer! Grant me strong conviction to see my own sin first before I try to point out someone else’s. Thank you that you are slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. Thank you that when I confess my sins you are faithful and just to forgive me of them and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Teach me how to abide in you and allow your words to abide in me so that I will be guarded against future self-deception. I pray all these things in Jesus Name AMEN!