ODB: Counterfeits of the Heart
February 1, 2011
The only way to survive in a world of deception is by trusting the One who will never deceive us.
READ: Jeremiah 17:5-11
The heart is deceitful above all things. —Jeremiah 17:9
True stories about deceit and deception can sound stranger than fiction. According to an AP news item, a Georgia woman was arrested after trying to pay for more than $1,500 in purchases with a million-dollar counterfeit bill. When questioned, the embarrassed patron claimed to have been misled, saying that the fake money had been given to her by her ex-husband, who was a coin collector.
The size of the bill makes us question whether anyone could really have been misled into thinking it was real. But maybe that makes it a good illustration of the almost unbelievable problem of self-deception that the prophet warns us about. When Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (17:9 ESV), he expresses a sense of amazement that is beyond our ability to grasp. Here the prophet is not saying that some of us have a problem being honest with ourselves; he is claiming that everyone does.
Thankfully, God searches our hearts and understands what we cannot see (v.10). He gives us every reason to say, “Lord, we need Your help. Please show us whether we are being honest with ourselves and You. If we aren’t, help us to change and rely on You rather than on ourselves.”
— Mart De Haan
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Deception! – I used to say that the greatest form of deception is self deception! – And that happens when we allow our hearts to deceive us. The heart is indeed deceitful above all things! Only God can weigh our motives and search our hearts.
Let us depend on Him alone. Let The Word of God be your guide.
Proverbs 4:23 (New International Version, ©2011)
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
If we allow our hearts to be guarded by The Word of God, self deception will be far from us!
I love you Jesus!!!
dear LORD pls teach me to trust U wiv my heart always.
The heart not only the home of love but also the factory of deception
That’s why sometimes i find myself praying like David did. ‘search me oh Lord and see if there be any sin in me.’ The truth is we cannot really search ourselves thoroughly, and even if we do we can’t do it sincerely. it is only the search light of God’s word that can reveal the innermost thoughts of our hearts. T
houghts we never knew were there and most probably not as bad.