Stop Deceiving Yourself IV
Job 15:31 AMPC
Let him not deceive himself and trust in vanity (emptiness, falseness, and futility), for these shall be his recompense [for such living].
Beloved,
Another way people deceive themselves is when their speech and actions are misaligned. t is not wise to talk too much. But it’s worse to speak impulsively and without thinking. To have an unbridled tongue is a dangerous habit and it’s a matter of time before it lands a person in trouble.
The Bible says this:
If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man’s religion is vain.
James 1:26
An unbridled tongue is an evidence of a lack of spiritual discipline. No matter what title you have or post you hold in your church, your speech will eventually reveal any lack of spiritual immaturity if your tongue is unbridled.
The Living Bible puts that same scripture like this:
Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn’t control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion isn’t worth much.
James 1:26, TLB
Yet another way people deceive themselves is by claiming to be a believer with no work backing up the profession of their faith. There is an old song that says, “and they will know we are Christians by our love”.
Is the faith your profess evident in how you treat people? Another way to ask this question is do you address people and situations according to how you feel or in alignment with who you are in Christ Jesus? If people and situations influence you more than the Spirit of Christ in you influences them, yet you call yourself a Christian, you are deceiving yourself.
Beloved, I implore you to examine yourself. If you see any misalignment between your speech and actions, and God’s word, address it at once! Otherwise, you are only deceiving yourself.
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
I call you blessed. I call you NATIONS.
