Spiritual
Being Led By Deception
Proverbs 12:5 – “The thoughts of the righteous are just, but the guidance of the wicked is deceitful.”
As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, an interesting thought filled my mind. “Led by deception.” That caused me to pause. Proverbs 12:5 – “The thoughts of the righteous are just, but the guidance of the wicked is deceitful.”
This touches every area of life, and one that the writer highlights is in verse 11: “He who cultivates his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who pursues empty things lacks a heart of wisdom.” This touches every dimension of life, yet humans and many Christians equate spiritual success with material possessions, numbers, and position or recognition.
Proverbs 13:11-13 expands on Proverbs 12:11. It says, “Wealth obtained from empty effort (you didn’t work for it) dwindle, but the one who gathers with his hand abounds.”
Fascinatingly, the context includes the following two verses. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but the desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Fantasy that requires nothing from us is empty (every dimension of life). But pursuing the labor set before us has its reward, and, like the farmer, it produces a harvest that lasts and brings contentment.
Back to being led by deception. The cravings of man easily convince him that his desires, plans, pursuits, and motives are righteous. They convince the heart that this is God’s way, will, and Word.
Proverbs 16:1-2 – “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh. ALL the ways of a man are pure in his own sight (mind), but Yahweh weighs (evaluates) the motives.”
Proverbs 18:9 –“He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys.”
We quote 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” But we often miss the whole message that the LORD is the Spirit, and where the Spirit (Jesus) is, there is liberty.
- The liberty is embodied in the finished work of Jesus.
- The liberty is in complete surrender to Jesus.
- The liberty is diligently pursuing our assignment.
Deception is allowing our human desires and reasoning to convince us that our way is the right way. Usually, that is formulated because it benefits us. Deception is not being able to see truth because we only see what we want.
I am praying for illumination so that only God’s truth can remain.
May the Spirit of Wisdom and Discernment cover each of you and enable you to avoid being led by deception!
Gather Not Scatter
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 – “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.”
Today, as I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God, the word love echoed in my spirit. The Holy Spirit challenged me with thoughts of what love is and is not. I was challenged to consider the power of love, hate, and even indifference.
Some say I don’t hate but am indifferent and lack compassion. I remembered the words of Jesus, “He who does not gather with you scatters. He that is not for you is against you.” There are only two choices – love and hate.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 lays the foundation for understanding love, its value, and power. Spiritual gifts, acts of benevolence, religious activities, revelation, prophecy, and the like are meaningless without agape!
Then he tells us what love is and does. Love seeks to edify. The word “edify” in Greek means to expand or create a larger capacity. Love creates a larger capacity in the heart. Love enlarges. Love protects. Love disciplines. Love sacrifices. Love loves!
- Love gave us the Cross.
- Love gives us hope.
- Love gives meaning to life.
We are to love one another just as Jesus loves us. That is a thought to think on. As Jesus loved. Love is a bottomless pool that never exhausts itself. I cannot love “just as” until I am filled with HIM! Only as I surrender all can I receive all and become a conduit! Therefore, the first objective is to receive Him.
May this day be a day of gathering, not scattering!
Reservoirs of Boundless Love
Psalm 139:13-16 – “Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. You knew me thoroughly; 15 my bones were not hidden from you, when I was made in secret and sewed together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence.”
What is life without hope? What value is an unshared vision? (Not told but embraced by others). What is life without love? Love empowers, encourages, and inspires. I am thankful that I have love (received), enabling me to have love (given). Lord, help us to be reservoirs of boundless love.
As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, the thought of LIFE filled my consciousness. Psalm 139 is an amazing Psalm. God knows everything and is everywhere. In vv. 13-16, we realize that life does not begin at conception or birth but in the heart of God! Who and what we are is recorded before we were even conceived. What we are was recorded before we were!
In v. 23, David asked God to search his heart and know his thoughts and motives. God already knows that, so what was David really asking? For God to reveal to him the condition of his own heart.
Love and life are inseparable! If we love God, we love others. If we love others, we guard against offenses. We are careful not to wrong another. 1 Corinthians 8:12 reveals that if we sin against another member of the body of Christ, we are sinning against Jesus.
Everything we do should have the purpose of God and the eternal kingdom benefit in mind. 1 Corinthians 6:12 informs us that just because we can do something does not mean we should. What is the redeeming value of it?
Love (1 Corinthians 8:1-3) makes knowledge beneficial. Love enables us to rightly discern the Lord’s body. Love seeks to serve! If we are to live life to the full and be all God desires, we must become a reservoir and conduit of Love! 1 Corinthians 13 is a powerful reminder!
A germane truth is in 1 Corinthians 8:6. We exist for the Father. We exist through Jesus. Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life and that more abundant…”
Father, I pray for LIFE, not just existence! Let the LIFE of Christ flow to us and through us, exposing us and the world to the love that transforms! Help us to LIVE, truly live! Amen.
Have a fantastic day!
A Sign of Spiritual Immaturity
1 Corinthians 4:5 – “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in darkness and make manifest the motives of hearts.”
As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, a reality troubled me. Judgmentalism’s ugly head loomed before my eyes. Its constant companion, self-righteousness, stood by its side, sneering. It was a deeply troubling visual.
As I pondered what I was seeing and sensing, Psalm 127:1 caught my attention. “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the LORD watches the city. The watchman keeps awake in vain.”
Self-appointed guardians of truth often succumb to Judgmentalism and exhibit self-righteousness toward those who are hurt and toward the Body of Christ. Psalm 133:1 is germane. Judgmentalism is a sign of spiritual immaturity. (1 Corinthians 3).
1 Corinthians 4:5 is a succulent warning and guide. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart – “Rather than you trying to be the guardian of truth, teach truth. Rather than trying to expose every error, teach truth. In love, contrast error to truth without including personalities. Follow biblical principles in all things and pray for everyone.”
Matthew 18 must be followed. If I have not gone to the person I am judging as errant, I am in violation of scripture. I do not know the hearts of others, so I commit them to God, pray for them, and proclaim what I believe to be Truth. We do not justify sin. We do not ignore violations of biblical truth. But, if we become sectarian (1 Corinthians 3), we hinder the witness of Christ and limit the benefit to the Body of Christ.
Here is a thought to consider. Our objective is oneness with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Our purpose is the mission and commission of the gospel. We are to be the servant or slave of Jesus only. 1 Corinthians 7:23 – “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” If we focus on the errors of others, we become slaves to them. Our focus on their error hinders our seeing God’s truth in ever-expanding ways. What we focus on becomes our master.
Let’s focus on Jesus, truth, love, and the kingdom, and leave the judgment to Him. It is possible we could be wrong in our judgment or only partially right. We divide the body and hinder the world. So, let’s give them Jesus!
My cry today is LORD, help me to see my flaws, and in light of Your mercy, be merciful.
May the Peace of God rule your hearts today!
Foolish Vows and Promises
Judges 11:29-31 – “The Lord’s Spirit empowered Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites. 30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, 31 then whoever is the first to come through the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites—he will belong to the Lord and I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.”
As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, I was drawn to something I knew but had not connected. The account of Jephthah in Judges 11 arrested me and led me to realize something spiritually valuable.
Jephthah, in his desire to deliver Israel, made a vow to God. My first thought was, “Is making a vow or a promise to God wrong?” Of course not, if it is a surrender of heart. However, Jephthah’s vow could, and I believe it should, be considered an attempted bribe. It was the classic, “God, if you will, I will.”
It was unnecessary! He could have asked for God’s help and guidance. His vow was an attempt to make himself equal to God. “God, if you do Your part, I will complete the work with my part.” Rather than saying, “LORD, I surrender to You, give us help, he attempted to entice God with his bribe.”
Many things come to mind here. He vowed to offer the first thing that came out of his house as a sacrifice. That is intended to show his complete surrender and willingness to give God anything. However, it was an attempted bribe that was neither needed nor required. What did he think would come out of his house? A dog, a sheep, a slave? His daughter came out.
He said to her, “You are the one bringing me trouble.” NO! Sir, your bribe caused you sorrow of heart. God helped him win the battle, but his rash vow cost him his daughter.
What I’m attempting to point out is that we get ourselves in trouble with our mouths. We try to demonstrate our total surrender through rash promises. The Bible says, “Ask, not negotiate with God.” We have nothing we did not receive from Him, so we have nothing to negotiate with; it’s all His.
If we are His, we need to trust Him, surrender ourselves to Him, and ask for His help. Never try to bribe God. It is both foolish and costly. God wants to help, and as we simply obey, He will be God to us and through us. Do not let your mouth cause you to sin. You have nothing to bribe God with, but if you make a vow, He expects you to keep it. Therefore, we need to think carefully before we open our mouths!
Lord help us not be foolish and attempt to negotiate or bribe You!
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