Dazzled and deceived?

Can you tell when you are being deceived?

All of us are being deceived almost everyday!

Have you purchased a 'burger from one of those ubiquitous burger "restaurants"? Did it look anything like the in-store poster, or TV commercial? Of course not... so why did you accept the sub-standard offering?

Because most of know that the pictorial depiction of our meal is a visual lie, a gross exaggeration of our repast, and yet we accept it. We don't often take it as personal insult, simply because we are so used to advertisers deceiving us all the time. It really doesn't have much impact, only occasionally does someone erupt into rage and let fly with fists, or worse.

When family or friends deceive us the pain and hurt is real, but it's self-deception that does real and often everlasting damage. Unless we conquer this damaging habit it will conquer us... often we can tell when someone in our lives is deceiving us, but when it's our own heart that is doing the deceiving, it’s difficult to step outside of ourselves and take the necessary course of action.     

Georges Braque a contemporary of Pablo Picasso said, "Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented.” Winston Churchill said "The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is." 

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I Jehovah search the heart, I try the reins, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.  Jeremiah 17: 9-10 MKJV

We have to particularly brave to ask God to search our heart; our soulish, fleshly nature is unbelievably good at dazzling and deceiving... 

King David prayed this prayer....
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my anxious thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! — Psalm 139:23-24

This is surely the most "unsafe" prayer that any of us can pray. Why would we even ask God to search our heart, when He already knows it!

Understand this: without Christ, we don’t have a good heart. Have you ever made  this statement about someone - - - ‘Oh, they have a good heart.’ Actually, if we want to be truthful, they don’t.

David (and us if we pray as David did) was asking God to examine him, test him, try him and just for

good measure, while you’re at it God, know my anxious thoughts. How many of us are really willing to say that to God and have Him open us up and really reveal what’s in our heart.

Why would we say, “God, show me my anxious thoughts?” What we fear the most might reveal where we trust God the least. Think about that. What we fear the most reveals where we trust God the least.

What we fear is the biggest lie for most of us. Most of the things that we fear will not come to pass. Most of our fears are irrational, and like that good looking hamburger, are greatly exaggerated. The solution to our fears is this: The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, My heart  shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, In this I will be confident. Psalm 27:1-3 NKJV. 

From God's Word


But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7