"Oftentimes, to win us to our harms, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray us in deepest consequence."
- Banquo, The Tragedy of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare
"Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end is according to their deeds"
- 2 Corinthians 11:14-15
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To feel an attraction to godliness, a desire to know divine truth, a desire to be associated with the people of God... coupled with an unwillingness to yield the most precious treasures of your heart when those treasures are found to rival God in your affections... is perhaps the most dangerous place a person can be. For, the religious sentiments that seem so genuine serve to blind the eyes of the heart to the hypocrisy which prevents faith from being genuine.
Many people have convinced themselves that what is expressly forbidden by God (in the Bible) is OK for them because their circumstances are different. "God desires my greatest good and joy in life" ... (This is True) ... "This (forbidden lifestyle) is what brings me greatest good and joy" ... (this is a misunderstanding of what greatest good and joy really are)... "Therefore, God must want me to pursue this, even though the Bible seems to say otherwise" ... (Here is the lie). The very convincing power of the lie rests in its use of the truth. Many are the victims of this subtlety, and many will thereby perish. Beware the truth that trifles in order to lead you willingly along the broad path that leads to destruction.
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1 comment:
Wow! How convicting and true.
"YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Luke 10:27
The verse above encompasses every part of our being.
I read the following in a book titled, "the enemy within" written by Kris Lundgaard (great book dealing with indwelling sin. Have you read it?):
"A duty offered to God as an act of mind and will without the affections is abominable to God. A duty without spiritual affections is a sacrifice without fire-worthless, unacceptable"
How can I say I love Him if I embrace the very things He hates and died to free me from.
Thank you for this post!
Angela
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