FRIDAY November 15, 2019
Self-Deceived
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
James 1:16-18
The Apostle James has given to us good advice. He told believers that they should not be self-deceived. Deception can be a big problem in a person’s life. They may believe their own lies! Christians cannot go ahead and sin and think there will be no consequences. That is not true. God does not bless sin. There is always the law of sowing and reaping to your sin:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:7-8).
Think about it. These verses of Scripture are easily understood. When you plant and water a seed, it will grow. It is the same with sin–– it will grow stronger and stronger until it is in full bloom. Sin brings death in a person’s life––it will kill you spiritually, physically and emotionally. When you sin against God, you cannot emotionally operate right––you become altered. The change is seen in your countenance.
You cannot hide sin. People will see something is not right in your life. Sin grieves the Spirit of God. God will give you a time to repent. However, over time, God will reveal your sin. After a stern warning, God sets up for us a pattern so we can understand how He operates in the life of the believer.
We are His firstfruits–– I like that! We are to follow Him and be the best disciples we can be. How do we do this? By taking up our cross!
The Christian to a large extent carries his future in his hands. If he denies himself and takes up his cross in meek obedience, his deeds will become seeds of life and everlasting glory.
~A.W. Tozer~
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