Believing lies about anything can lead to problems but believing lies about your spiritual life and eternity can be downright dangerous. Yet, rarely do we think we are vulnerable to such lies. That’s part of the danger. Lies and those who promote them can be so appealing. But since our eternal destiny is at stake, how can we be sure we aren’t believing lies?
Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day.” Before we get started, why not make the coming year the best ever when it comes to your understanding and enjoyment of Scripture by signing up for these daily devotionals? They will take you through the Bible in a year and provide valuable commentary that can help you apply the Scripture to your daily life. (If you are already receiving them, thank you so much! And there is no need to re-sign up.)
Now on to today’s readings …
Today’s Readings:
Zechariah 10-12
Psalm 149.1-4
Proverbs 30.32-33
Revelation 19-21
Are You Believing Lies?
Zechariah 10-12:
The Idols Speak Delusion
Yesterday we looked at Revelation 18 in our New Testament reading and how the world’s religious and socioeconomic system will be destroyed at the end of the age.
But, in the meantime, the false religions that are part of that system can be very alluring. In light of all that, I found Zechariah 10.2 very interesting. It says:
For the idols speak delusion; the diviners envision lies, and tell false dreams; they comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; they are in trouble because there is no shepherd.
What makes believing lies and getting involved in false religions so easy? Could it be that they appeal to our pride and self-righteousness?
False Religion
False religion tells us we’re “OK” if we just keep these rules. Take the sacraments. Cross the “t’s” and dot the “i’s.”
It enables us to feel superior because those outside our group don’t get it!
Or it tells us that we don’t need to submit to God. God is within us.
It’s the reason we get so enthralled with things like “The DaVinci Code” and tales of “lost gospels.” It’s the appeal of the Masonic Temple and many “secret” organizations.
False religion tells us we can earn some god’s favor by self-denial or self-abuse or martyrdom.
It lures the unsuspecting into cults where they give their leaders their obedience, their earthly goods, and even their bodies.
But the problem as the Prophet Zechariah said is, “… the idols speak delusion; the diviners envision lies.” And whether in this life or at the door to eternity like a house of cards, those lies will come crashing down.
Protection Against Believing Lies
The best protection against lies is truth.
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth (Jn. 17.17).
The truth is Jesus is the only way.
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (Jn. 14.6).
Another truth is that, as Paul Tripp says, we can’t rely on our own righteousness because we don’t have any.
But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind (Is. 64.6).
The truth is salvation only comes through the gospel.
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4.12).
The gospel is for all who realize they can do nothing to save themselves. That they cannot earn salvation through religious works or keeping rules. Instead, they see their need for a Savior and put their faith and trust in His finished work on the cross.
We Need Each Other
And the truth is we need each other because it’s so hard for us to recognize our own blind spots.
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Heb. 10.24-25).
We need to be part of a strong New Testament church. One that preaches and teaches God’s Word in its entirety (Acts 20.27). One that practices discipleship and encourages the one-anothering the Bible talks about (Rom. 14.19, 15.14; Gal. 5.13; Jas. 5.16).
And we need to be reading God’s Word in context for ourselves. The best way to recognize a lie is to know the truth.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 149.1-4:
The Song of the Redeemed
Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints (v. 1).
The new song is the song of the redeemed! When we gather together, we are to sing and rejoice for the great gift of salvation!
Proverbs 30.32-33:
Nursing Our Wounds
Verse 32 says, “put your hand on your mouth” if you have angrily devised evil, if you have meditated on some wrong and been tempted to spew it out because just like churning milk produces butter and twisting the nose produces blood, anger will only produce more strife (v. 33)!
Much of our anger comes from meditating on our hurts and nursing our wounds. When we have been sinned against in some way or someone has not met our expectations, we often play the video of the event over and over and over, sometimes embellishing it as we go, and almost always attaching some motive to it.
Pretty soon we are filled with anger and bitterness. Hebrews 12.15 warns against harboring those things:
[L]ooking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.
It not only hurts other people, but it also hinders our relationship with God.
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt. 6.15).
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Eph. 4.31-32).
Let’s seek to be more and more like Christ by being quick to extend grace and forgiveness.
Revelation 19-21:
Jesus—King of Kings
Toward the end of the Tribulation, the armies of the world under the control of Antichrist will gather together to destroy Israel. Instead, Jesus himself, the Conqueror, will come on a white horse, followed by His army, all of us!
He is called “Faithful and True” (19.11) and is “the Word of God” who will destroy all Satan’s forces with His Word, that sharp two-edged sword (19.13, 15). He is “THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” All the armies, all the power, all the schemes of the devil will fail to stand against Him.
Coming Up:
In the next few days, we’ll talk about how to face tests and trials, how the Bible is not 66 books, but one, and about the importance of giving our best to God. I hope you’ll join us.
Get Ready for the Coming Year
The new year will be here in a few days. By the time you read this, we may have already turned the calendar. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? And what will you read that can help you grow and change? I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time. If you join me here, I’ll take you through a plan that covers both the Old and New Testaments in about 15 minutes a day. Sign up here for my daily email. It can serve as a gentle reminder to stay on track and I believe you’ll benefit from the additional background and application comments that I share. Why not start today?
My Bible in a Year series will also be on YouTube this year. You can subscribe now and preview the first video here.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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