Daily Devotional
Are You Deceiving Yourself?
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
Ephesians 2:1-3
July 14, 2024
Ponder This
In the time of Joshua, long before the Israelites became accustomed to the sinful ways of the Canaanites, they became interested in the way the Canaanites worshiped. Through this interest, they became friends with the world. Many of us are in danger of this same practice. You are fellowshipping with Canaanites rather than fearing Canaanites; you’re becoming like them. The Bible says, “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4). Too many of us take a laid-back stance on sin by thinking, “It’s really not that bad; we don’t really need to surrender all to the Lord Jesus.”
We are deceived if we think we can control sin. A long time ago an old preacher told me, “Sin will take you further than you want to go; it will take you longer than you want to stay; and it will cost you more than you want to pay.” You may think you can control sin, but before you know it, sin will be controlling you.
- Are there ways you are keeping company with sin?
- When has sin taken you further than you wanted to go and kept you longer than you wanted to stay?
Practice This
Identify any sin you are keeping company with; surrender that sin to God. Share with an accountability partner and ask him or her to pray with you.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Real Truth Never Changes
Real truth never changes, and the truth about government is that it is God who ordains it, leaders who are responsible for it, and citizens who are accountable to it. The privilege of being called Americans comes with significant responsibilities—to God, to each other, and to the world.
