Topic: Don’t Engage In Self-Deception [TREM Devotional 8 January 2019]
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 1:22 KJV
If all you do is to listen to the Word of God and you do not practise it, the Bible says you are simply deceiving yourself.
The worst type of deception is self-deception. When you get to a point where you can no longer tell yourself the truth, then you have lost it. Even if no one knows you, you know yourself. The whole world may be hailing you and calling you a prayer warrior, you know how much you pray. You may have been in the Church since the days of Methuselah but that does not change a thing. The Word that will benefit you is the Word you act upon.
Apostle James was so explicit in our text for today; verse 23 says anyone who is not a doer of the word is like the person that looks into the mirror, sees something out of place on his face, refuses to remove it or clean it out, turns away and continues as if nothing is amiss. He may choose to ignore it, but the truth remains that the thing is there. The question you would want to ask yourself is: why go to the mirror if you will not correct what is out of place?
That is the exact question you need to ask yourself if the Word is not changing you. You can never become immured to the Word of God. Don’t rush through your devotion, no matter how common the scripture for the day is; slow down and read it with meaning and as you read, the Lord will keep speaking into your heart and the more you yield to His voice, the clearer the Word becomes to you, and the more like Jesus you become.
The key is not reading ten chapters in a day that would add nothing to you; the key is to read the Word with a mindset of becoming a doer of the Word. Pray before you start, pray when you are done and watch God give you incredible insight into the Word.
Further Reading: James 1:21-27
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Gen 20, 21, 22 / Evening- Matt: 6:19-34
Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.
