Jan 20

“…he deceiveth himself.” Galatians 6:3

Generally speaking natural man has this very flaw prominent at heart, he deceives himself. Forgetting the frailty bound in his physical being and that it is only by God’s grace that he is kept alive and breathing, he deludes himself with all sorts of notions of grandeur and self-glorification. Ultimately, this pride and forsaking of God, will result in the most traumatic and destructive end for humanity. The most insidious self-deception, is the self-aggrandizement which causes us to believe we are better and greater than is so in reality! This is particularly dangerous for the Christian. This kind of self-deception can make us think we are more spiritually apt and mature than our lives give evidence for. It causes many to stop growing, depleting true desire for searching the scriptures and deepening biblical knowledge, and killing the reliance we should have on God, through faith, trust and prayer. The Lord in His love and consummate knowledge of our flawed and fallen human nature, has given many warnings against the trap of pride and self-exaltation. The prime example of this ancient sin, was the fall of the mightiest angel Lucifer, who lost his original estate through pride, to become the defeated, and doomed, arch-enemy of God. The infection of his sin was passed onto the human family shortly after creation, and has plagued us ever since in many varied forms. The greatest single expression of sin continues to be pride and rebellion against God. This is what marks and stains human beings from conception, and will cause the eventual eternal damnation of all the human family that refuses to accept the only antidote and remedy available for the sin-sick soul – God’s salvation! Coming to know Jesus means also coming to an understanding that without Him, we are nothing but lost, miserable and dead in iniquity and sin - in other words, a realisation that we have nothing to be ‘proud’ of! This reality check and the development of a close, intimate relationship with the Lord, should arm every believer with the correct degree of genuine humility! It is therefore totally incongruous, that a Christian should give way and subscribe to pride in any form, and be self-deceived when he knows that outside of Jesus, he is nothing. Any good thing that he is able to perform, any good action, thought or motive, any useful and charitable expression, is only through and because of the One from Whom all blessings flow, and Who is the author and finisher of the our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ! 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion