fanaticism

What has the power to influence your thinking without you even realizing it?

Alcohol can lower inhibitions, weaken judgment, and distort what a person sees.

But Scripture warns us about other kinds of intoxication.

False religion can be intoxicating.

So can wealth.

Comfort.

Success.

Material abundance.

Revelation 18 describes a world so captivated by false worship and luxury that people become blind to what is really happening around them.

And that danger isn’t limited to the future.

False religion can still deceive people today.

So can prosperity.

We can become so comfortable with religious activity that we never examine whether we truly know Christ.

Or so absorbed with possessions, comfort, and financial security that eternal things quietly move to the edges of our lives.

Then Zechariah raises another heart-level question.

When we feel sorrow over sin, what kind of sorrow is it?

Are we grieved because we’ve sinned against God?

Or merely because our sin brought consequences, embarrassment, or pain?

One kind of sorrow produces repentance.

The other can leave the heart unchanged.

So today we’re asking two important questions:

What is controlling your heart?

And:

When you’re sorry for sin, has your sorrow actually changed the direction of your life?