Self-deception is the act of causing oneself to believe something that isn’t true. It has become a fact of life in our world today and we see it everywhere. From people deceiving themselves into believing they can change another into someone they want them to be. To people even convincing themselves that they are something that they aren’t. The sad truth though is that self-deception is even working its way into the church more and more.
We hear all the time now how so and so no longer believes that. Or are told by others how they know what the scripture says but just don’t think it is necessary. Churches everywhere have dropped pillars of the faith because they have convinced themselves they weren’t needed despite what God’s word tells them. This is nothing more than self-deception. Which creates issues in the church that only lead people further and further away from God. While removing tough scriptures and allowing certain sins to continue may make people feel good it won’t save them. Instead, it will only lull them away into complacency and quietly guide them towards destruction.
The Bible gives us insight into how self-deception plays out and it doesn’t result in becoming closer to the Lord. Saul is the perfect example of what happens when you deceive yourself. He had first deceived himself into sinful behavior by not following the complete commands of the Lord. Believing that his good intentions would outweigh his disobedience to God’s word. Which ultimately resulted in him being cut off by the Lord and losing the kingdom.
1 Samuel 15:18–23 (ESV)
18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has also rejected you from being king.”
But then he was still so deceived that he believed God would deliver David into his hands. He convinced himself that despite the words the profit delivered God was still fighting for him. A thought that only a few verses later is shown to be completely wrong. The inverse is in fact true and God was always protecting David from Saul. Keeping him just one step ahead as he fled through the wilderness.
1 Samuel 23:7 (ESV)
7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.”
1 Samuel 23:14 (ESV)
14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
If we are not careful we can end up just as deceived as King Saul. It is easy to see just how wrong he was when looking at the zoomed-out perspective of his whole life offered in scripture. But as we look at our own lives we can often miss our own deception just as he did. Believing that we can still be saved and enter Heaven even though we live in sin. We can falsely believe that certain verses and calls of God no longer apply. Yet, if we would only step back and look at such issues through the lens of scripture we would quickly see that we have only deceived ourselves. That what we have led ourselves to believe is false and leading to destruction. Hopefully, those who have decided themselves will see their deception and correct it before judgment day. Before they were told by Jesus to depart from me I never knew you even though they cry out Lord, Lord.
Galatians 5:19–21 (ESV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
John 3:3–5 (ESV)
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
John 14:15 (ESV)
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Matthew 7:21–23 (ESV)
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
When it comes to serving the Lord you cannot have your own truth or do things your own way. The Bible makes it abundantly clear with no other options given that there is only one way to be saved. Only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. Don’t deceive yourself into believing there are multiple ways into Heaven. Or that you can live a life contrary to the word of God and still be saved.
Acts 4:12 (ESV)
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
John 3:16 (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Acts 2:37–38 (ESV)
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:4–6 (ESV)
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
If none of what the Bible says actually matters or isn’t necessary then God would not have compiled it all into one book meant to guide us in His ways. He would have simply allowed us to live life however we wanted to in this life. Then meet every one of us in Heaven on the other side. But that isn’t how it works. There are only two ways a life ends by going to Heaven or hell. The only way to end up in Heaven is by living according to God’s word. All others will spend eternity in hell no matter how sincere they were.
What we have to understand is that we can not trust our own judgment. That our hearts are wicked and will lead us in the wrong direction. We simply do not know what is best for us but God does. Don’t try to lean on your own understanding but trust in God and allow Him to lead you. Take the time to pray and study His word seeking His direction. Don’t deceive yourself into following the trends of the world or churches that don’t preach the truth. If you want to make it to Heaven then take the Bible’s advice. Stop and look for the old godly path. When you find it, walk in it until you make it to Heaven.
Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)
9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
Proverbs 21:2 (ESV)
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV)
16 Thus says the Lord:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
Beware of self-deception. Be sure that you have not convinced yourself that living contrary to God’s work is acceptable. If you believe you are fine I warn you to still look over the way you are living in comparison to what the Bible calls for. As Paul said those who think they stand need to take heed lest they fall. Often those who are deceived never know it otherwise they would allow it to happen. It is also true that you can stumble into self-deception faster than you would ever realize. So pause for a moment and be sure that you aren’t slowly walking in deception to the hell you think will be Heaven. Sadly that will be the case for many but don’t allow it to be the case for you.
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