The word chosen for this weeks Bible study was deceit.
Deceit:
Concealing or misrepresenting the truth- a lie, duplicity, deception, trickery and fraud.
Quite a few scriptures stood out to me about deceit I was unable to pick just one,
Have you ever been hurt by lies or deception? Have you hurt someone else this way? I am sure that the answer is yes, everyone of us have sinned in this way, we are human, it isn't fair and it isn't right. When it happens to us, it is so very painful. It is then that we should look back at our selves and see how we can grow from it. Every thing we go through in life is a chance to grow, to change and to become a little more like God. It is how we handle our selves in these situations that really count. Do we hold tight to grace? To peace, and to all things good? When we see our wrong, do we try to right it through prayer and repentance? Every small step toward God in these times is a leap in the right direction, a chance to turn from evil and embrace good,
Psalm 52: 2-4
2You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.
3You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.c
4You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!
I challenged everyone to find a psalm each week that speaks to their heart and this is mine, so many times the power of the tongue is used for ill, and something that powerful as scripture tells us should be used to build others up and not to tear them down.
Jeremiah 9:6 says,
you live in the midst of deception; and in their deceit they refuse to knowledge me.
This struck a cord with me, because in my life I have found it to be true, when I have been deceitful, I can tell that I not only wasn't acknowledging God, but didn't even think about Him and all he has done for me. I assume that is how it goes down for all offenders.
Jesus gives us the answer to how we should best respond to deceit in the book of Matthew
Matthew 4:5-7New Living Translation (NLT)
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[a]”
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[a]”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[b]”
Jesus not just countless times, but every time responded to the devils lies with scripture and we should always make the Bible our Go to place as well, it is so full of wonders and wisdom, all just packed in there for us to discover. With all of the amazing scripture on the word deceit it was hard for me to choose which one to S.O.A.P, but finally I chose Proverbs 20:17 (NASB)
S: Proverbs 20:17- Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth is full of gravel.
O: When we gain by deceit, at first it is good, but soon will turn sour. I can think of some times I have said something knowing it wasn't the truth, and because I thought it would make others think more highly of me I said it anyway. I can also think of times I have been having a normal conversation with another person and an untruth came out in that exchange without me really noticing until later. As with all deceit, in the beginning it seems so small but it grows and grows, a pit forms in my stomach, making me physically ill and all the thoughts of self condemnation pop up, all those lies that the devil tells us are added to it making it hard for us to see the truth. This scripture reminds me that not only does deceit taste yucky, it makes one feel yucky.
A: I will continue to speak of lovely things and repeat the truth of life, and Gods love found in scriptures so the devil can not gain foot hold in my life, because he is really sneaky and slippery, his goal is to slip in through the tiniest cracks in your life and expand until he takes over. So we need to guard our homes, hearts and minds with the love of God found in His holy scripture, use that goodness as a barrier, and not let him in.
P: God, I pray that you make known to me any deceit before it leaves my lips, that you help me bridle my tongue with your wisdom. Father I pray that I speak and you help me to speak pure and lovely things as you work on placing more pure and lovely thoughts in my soul.
