3 Paths to Self-Deception

There are a number of paths to self-deception and self-destruction, but these three are very popular:

1. Hearing but not obeying God's Word

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22-25

2. Excusing sin in ourselves and in others

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10 

“Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

3. Thinking too highly of ourselves

“If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.” Galatians 6:3


When we become self-deceived in any area of our lives, we make wrong choices and damage our souls. Let's carefully examine ourselves to make sure we are not headed for spiritual trouble: 

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:7

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For more encouragement to avoid deception, see Choosing the Ancient Paths and Living in the Midst of Deception. 

If you are not already a subscriber, I encourage you to sign up for a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Bible Love Notes HERE. 

And please check out these two helpful, relevant books:

WISDOM FOR LIFE: Do you know the story behind my book Wisdom for Life? You can read it HERE. 

LIES IN DISGUISE: Check out the subject of each chapter, the endorsements, and the important purpose of Lies in Disguise HERE.

 

 

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Things Look Different from a Heavenly Perspective

by Marika Marton

Check out her bio HERE.

To see things from a heavenly perspective means viewing them in the light of eternity. This earthly life is brief—like a vapor (James 4:14).

People often ask why there is so much evil in the world, and many blame God. Yet they fail to recognize that our sin brought corruption into the perfect world God originally created.

But God, in His mercy, provided a solution for humanity through Jesus Christ. He died for our sins to restore our fellowship with God and to give us the hope of eternal life with Him—a life free from the presence of evil.

I once saw an illustration of a long rope. A tiny portion at one end was colored differently, representing our earthly life, while the rest of the rope symbolized eternity. Compared to eternity, this life is incredibly short.

God’s priorities are always centered on eternity. It is more important to Him to shape our character and teach us to live godly lives than to remove our problems. Our eternal destiny matters more to Him than our temporary comfort—even physical healing.

When we begin to see life from His perspective, our problems will seem less significant. We will understand that His purpose is to make us more like Jesus—to follow His will, obey Him, and remain faithful to the end (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Even if we don’t understand everything now, one day we will (1 Corinthians 13:12). Until then, let us renew our minds (Romans 12:2) and choose to see life from God’s perspective.

For more on this, see Imagine the Joy of Hearing How Our Lives Blessed Others! and Being Farsighted.

💙 The Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life features one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs. You'll find some great sale prices on this hardcover devotional on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD. 

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Religion or Relationship: Which Describes Your Faith?

Modern Christians tend to think “religion” is a negative word. They'd rather say they have a relationship with the Lord. 

The word “religion” is used positively in James 1:27. But modern Christians typically associate the word with a shallow, legalistic belief for people “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Genuine faith says, “I'll obey God's commands because they are good and I love Him. He has done more for me than I can ever repay” (Psalm 103; Romans 12:1-2).

As Jesus said, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”  John 14:23-24

Paul put it this way: 

“I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”  Philippians 3:7-8

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Note: Name-it-claim-it is one of the manipulative religious teachings in the modern church. It's laced with superstition: “If I say I'm sick, I'll be sick. If I say I'm well, I'll be well. If I pray a certain way and talk a certain way, I'll be healthy and wealthy.” See The Power and the Limit of Words and The Popular Teachings of Joel Osteen: Beware.    

Tell your friends about Bible Love Notes and encourage them to sign up for a free subscription HERE.

And tell them about these two helpful, relevant books:

WISDOM FOR LIFE: Do you know the story behind my book Wisdom for Life? You can read it HERE. 

LIES IN DISGUISE: Check out the subject of each chapter, the endorsements, and the important purpose of Lies in Disguise HERE.

 

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Why Christ Tells Some People, “I Never Knew You.”

Let's discuss Matthew 7:21-23:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

1. “Lord, Lord”—they greeted Jesus, thinking He was their Lord and Savior.

2. “in Your name”—They felt the ministry they did was done in Christ. 

3. “evildoers”—Jesus calls them this because they had an outward “form of godliness,” but they never gave their hearts to Him and refused to repent of lifestyle sins such as those listed in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. 

Christ never knew them, and they never knew Christ. But they thought doing ministry in His name was enough.

Jesus wasn't saying genuine Christians must be perfect, or we'd all be lost! But “no one who continues to sin” (living a lifestyle of unrepentant sin) knows God (1 John 3:6). 

This passage need not concern any who have truly given their lives to Christ. Their respect for God's Word proves that they take their relationship seriously (Philippians 2:12-13; John 14:23; 1 John 2:5-6; 1 John 3:24).*   

But let's warn those who think they're saved while continuing in unrepentant sin.

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Please take time to do the Bite Size Bible Study, When Jesus Tells Professing Christians "I Never Knew You." It will explain more about these verses. For example, it discusses whether these people actually performed miracles in God's name when they weren't actually saved.

Also see Lessons We Learn from Secret Sinful Lives about a prominent Christian personality who lived in sin for 20+ years. 

If you haven't purchased a copy of Lies in Disguise, please check out these reviews of Lies in Disguise 

from the son of a martyr, a seminary professor, and a gifted Christian author.🠞

* Note: Genuine believers disagree about whether a person can lose their salvation, but this devotion is true no matter your view. People who are truly saved accept and seek to obey God's Word. If they appeared to be following God for part of their lives and then began living immorally, the one view says they were never truly saved and the other view says they walked away from God. Either way, we must admit that a person who doesn't respect God's Word is not saved even if they made a profession of faith (1 John 2:3-5; John 15:10).

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Enjoy God's Love: 5 Encouraging One-Minute Devotions

Enjoy these five one-minute devotions that share different aspects of the wonderful love we enjoy.

 

"We'll Take Her!"   

Why would anyone love this neglected little child? She wasn't pretty to look at, and she wasn't healthy. But Kacy's story is a wonderful illustration of God's love.

 

Cartoons and Cinnamon Rolls 

My grandchildren so often teach me important truths about God. This fun situation helped me better understand God's love.

In View of God’s Mercy 

This one-minute devotion reminds us of some wonderful truths about God's love and mercy. 

 

 

Fact: God Loves His Children 

If you ever start to wonder about God’s love, read through these passages and get your facts straight. 

 

 

God’s Love ~ He’s Always With Us 

This one-minute devotion helps us understand that nothing can separate us from God's love.