Dangers of Deceit
Today's Scripture
"If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts."1 John 1:10 NLT
Thoughts for Today
This week we've been discussing the importance of being honest about our sins. Honest with ourselves. Honest with God. But sometimes we may choose to deceive ourselves. We can never deceive God because he knows everything about us.
We might deceive ourselves about our own sin by rationalizing or minimizing the wrong. We might blame other people or circumstances instead of accepting responsibility. No matter how we deceive ourselves, it is important to understand the dangers of deceit.
Consider this …
If the sin is not an action but something we are harboring in our hearts, it will fester and grow and can even become a life-controlling problem. Unforgiveness can become bitterness and affect our outlook on life. Unchecked jealousy can consume us and begin to control our actions. Fear takes our eyes off God.
Perhaps the sin is already affecting our actions, our day-to-day life. We are acting it out in unkindness, angry acts, manipulation, or any number of ways. On-going sin of any kind can lead to strained or broken relationships, problems with our children, trouble on the job.
The most important danger of delusion is what it does to our relationship with God. If we deny our sin, we are calling God a liar. We are blocking our own path to walking with him.
Is there sin in your life that you've been denying? Ask God to help you admit the wrong, take responsibility for it, and turn to him for forgiveness. He will help you overcome.
Prayer
Father, I've been fooling myself about this problem, but I know I haven't been fooling you. Please forgive me. I want my relationship with you to be right again. I want to give you my best. I need your help. In Jesus' name . . .
These thoughts were drawn from …
Stepping into Freedom: A Christ-Centered Twelve-Step Program by Jimmy Ray Lee, D.Min. This twelve-step program is suggested for use in support groups, recovery groups and home groups. It offers help for anyone struggling with a life-controlling problem like drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual addiction, gambling or workaholism. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.
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