Deception through ourselves
Deception through ourselves (self-deception)
Having the fallen nature makes us naturally imperfect. Some of the deception that people experience is self-made. It is true that Satan and his fellow deceiving spirits do labor to take advantage of our fallen nature.
However there are instances where it is purely out of our own exercise of the freedom of choice that results in willful wrong choices. In such instances demons play no role in influencing us.
Remember that evil spirits, including Satan, cannot read our minds. All angels whether fallen angels or God's angels cannot read our minds. They are created beings that God limited in their abilities. One of these limitations is that they cannot read our minds. Fallen angels are able to whisper corrupt ideas to our minds but they do not know what we're thinking in our minds. The only way they can later tell is through the way we respond to the ideas they try to plant.
If fallen angels could read our minds they would not have influenced the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus knew his mission yet fallen angels, including Satan, had no idea of what was ahead. Fallen angels remained ignorant even when Jesus preached about his mission many times. His crucifixion marked their ultimate downfall. Had they known exactly what Jesus knew they would not have influenced Jesus' opponents to crucify him.
Satan and other fallen angels being unable to read our minds means they do not control what and how we think. We're in charge of the thinking process, what preoccupies us and how we respond to our thoughts. That is why everyone, including unbelievers, will be judged on how they acted upon the thoughts in their minds.
God gave us full custody over our own minds and will judge us on how we allowed our minds to do the things we did – good or bad. Satan will not be part of the excuse. Our biggest enemy is therefore within us. It is our own fallen nature.
Some of the matters we think and how we think are due to the fallen nature that we inherited from Adam and Eve. God cursed Adam and consequently all humanity after he sinned in the Garden of Eden. The whole world, including us God's children is under the curse of the Original Sin. Such a curse is better called the fallen nature, the corrupted nature, the flesh, and so on.
The fallen nature is what makes us imperfect physically in our physical health and physical looks, and spiritually in our minds, understanding and behavior. In our minds this fallen nature can be seen through the following thoughts and actions: self-centeredness, greed, pride, territorialism, materialism, lustfulness, gluttony, jealousy, anger, vengeance, unforgiveness, laziness, workaholism, and so on.
“When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire , he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death,” James 1:13-15 (emphasis added).
Notice in the passage that it says a person is tempted by his own evil desire. It does not say tempted by Satan. There is a realm of temptation and wrong thinking that can go on in our minds without any input from evil spirits. The wrong or bad thoughts that go on in our minds without any input from evil spirits are what constitute our own evil desires. They are products of our own fallen nature.
“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God,” Romans 8:5-8.
Notice the distinction between the “sinful mind” and the new nature. They are opposites. The “sinful mind” is “set on what that nature desires” while the new nature is a “mind controlled by the Spirit.” One is self-controlled by the inborn fallen nature while the other mind is powered by the Holy Spirit.
We therefore all need the Holy Spirit to help us to restrain the fallen nature from having its wishes. Salvation is the first step. Obedience to God's word and the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate step.
Philosophy, psychology and other noble human fields cannot work to restrain the fallen nature from having its wishes. Neither can socialism, communism, and worse, capitalism, work to tame the flesh. Other religions too preach goodness, cooperation, love and charity, yet they have no power over the flesh. As well intentioned as they may be they have no power over the flesh. Only the Holy Spirit who gives us the new nature, the new mind of Christ, is able to tame the flesh.
What is self-deception or deception of our own ourselves?
Having settled that our own fallen nature does exist and shown how it works it's worth moving on to defining self-deception.
A good definition of self-deception is given by Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. It says, “Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance, or importance of opposing evidence and logical argument,” (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Wikipedia, “Self-deception”).
From a Christian perspective we can say self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance, or importance of promptings from the inner conscience in order to satisfy the desires of the fallen nature.
The definition is this straightforward. Self-deception is basically self propaganda. Propaganda is deceptive or distorted information that is tactfully spread or broadcasted to people in order to promote a false idea, cause, policy, or doctrine. In relation to self propaganda or self-deception a person acts to convince himself that fulfilling a false or wrong matter is good or worthwhile.
Here are a few quotations that illustrate the unredeemed and unrestrained fallen nature:
- “Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth,” by Desiderius Erasmus ((1466-1536) Dutch theologian).
- “No man was ever so much deceived by another as by himself,” by Brook Fulke Greville (1554 - 1628)
- “A fraudulent intent, however carefully concealed at the outset, will generally, in the end, betray itself,” by Titus Livius (Livy).
- This is why humanity so desperately needs the heart of God. People remain vulnerable to sinful ways without the heart of God. God's spiritual heart comes through salvation and through the inner filling (anointing) of the Holy Spirit.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws,” Ezekiel 36:26-27 (emphasis added).
People without a new heart remain vulnerable to the influence of the human fallen nature and to evil spirits (fallen angels). Some would collapse from shock if I were to chronicle the wickedness in many of the world's highest levels of politics, business, the media, and other influential areas. But the right time for much hidden matters will be at the end of time when all things will be revealed to us. Everything including our own lives and the deep secrets of those in high places.
Three sources of deception:
3. Through other people: a) In the World
There are three sources of deception:
1. Deception through deceiving spirits (fallen angels): Covered Above
2. Deception through ourselves (self-deception): Covered Above
3. Deception through other people: a) In the World: Covered Below
3. Deception through other people: b) In the Church
Next Part Deception through other people
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