Deceitful Heart
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 17:9–11
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9.
Deceitful Heart
Father God, we glorify your holy name today and thank you because no matter what is happening around us you are the only true God.
You are God alone and you alone are worthy to be praised and adored. Through all the changing seasons of life, in trouble and in joy, Lord your praise has been one constant that has been our help in ages past. Your praise and your faithfulness have sustained and carried us till this day.
Father we celebrate your unchanging nature. We ask, O Lord, that you pardon our foolish ways and give us the grace to look to you, to work with you, and to experience the rewards of working with you in Jesus’ name.
In Jeremiah 17:9 the Word of God states clearly that the heart of man is deceitful and wicked. “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool,” Jeremiah 17:10–11. If the heart that we carry around is fully capable of deceiving us, capable of wickedness, then we need to ask for the grace to have the antidote to this deception and wickedness. When we read the Bible we need to believe and understand that the Word there is settled and it is beautiful. Since the Bible says that our heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, it means our hearts have the capability of deceiving us. It is possible for us to make decisions and act things out believing that it is the right thing even though our hearts have deceived us.
What can save us from the deception of the heart? The only way we can be saved from the deceitful heart is to have Jesus, the truth, in our heart. When Jesus comes into your heart, He disciplines your senses and how you act. We cannot help what we see but we can help what we choose to look at. It is one thing to inadvertently view something abnormal just by looking in that direction. It is quite another to really look at something, to make a conscious decision to look at it. A heart that has Jesus will show restraint and turn away from things that are evil, troubling, or inappropriate to look at. A heart that does not have Jesus will say, is it my fault that they’re naked? But the ones with Jesus in their hearts will have the restraint to look away.
There is certain information that is not edifying and the heart that has Jesus will turn its ears away from such. There are certain drinks that the heart that has Jesus will not drink: you cannot have the Holy Spirit and have the spirit of alcohol at the same time dwelling in the same residence. The heart that has Jesus is satisfied by the Spirit of the living God. The heart that has Jesus does not touch evil, will not put forth a hand to do evil because there will be a restrainer. If the Bible says that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked and the Bible is true, then you and I need Jesus constantly in our hearts. Jesus always has to be in our hearts. There is a song that says always remember Jesus, always keep Him in your heart. Is Jesus in your heart today? If Jesus is in your heart, He will carry out the operation and His restraints will deliver you from evil. If Jesus is in your heart, He will discipline your five senses; He will discipline what your mind processes. Is Jesus in your heart? If so, you are delivered from the deception and the wickedness of the heart of man.
You are a human being that is alive, you have a heart that is alive and that human heart as described by the Bible is deceitful. Your deceitful heart can tell you a lie and make you misunderstand the situation; it can deceive you and enjoy the wickedness. Yes, this is the heart that is inside of you, the heart you are carrying, not the heart of your enemies. The only antidote to the deception of the human heart is the presence of Jesus in your heart.
Prayer Points:
If Jesus is in your heart then I want to encourage you to give Him full control and enjoy the benefits of those who have Jesus in their hearts. If He is not in your heart, you need to surrender your heart to Jesus today. Ask him to come into your heart today. Ask Him to stay. Ask Him to come into your heart so that you also can be delivered from the deception and the innate wickedness of the human heart, that you will have Jesus in your heart and begin to live a new life in Him in Jesus’ name. Amen.
