Hello again, nice people.
Lots going on. Lots of work pressure. It’s hard to keep up with it all. Maybe I can’t. Especially when I submit to Thano’s push that we go fishing tomorrow. He’s eager to try out a little 2hp engine on his kayak. We’ll see.
May your day be blessed. Love and prayers. We all need both. Ray.
I began composing a song some time ago that I never finished. At this point I don’t know where my notes are. But I think I should look for it and try to bring it to completion. The first line goes, “Everyone is full of something all the time.” I still believe that to be a valid thesis. It’s one I believe to be supported by the judgment of Jesus when He chides the hypocritical Jewish leaders by saying, “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34, NIV).
There is no doubt in my mind that God has designed His Word, the Bible, to be much more than a typical book that simply relates a story line or imparts information. I believe it is actually empowered by the very Spirit of God so as to illuminate anyone sincerely seeking truth.
So, the recipe for being deluded is very easy to fulfill—as easy and automatic as breathing. Just don’t seek TRUTH with all your heart nor allow yourself to be exposed to God’s Word to the point that it actually alters your thinking. In fact the condition of delusion is integral to our universal NATURAL SIN NATURE. On the other hand, according to the Psalmist, God’s Word/TRUTH is the only effective antidote to delusion and sin. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalms 119:11, NIV)—because if I don’t, I will—that is, if I don’t program my deluded heart with His Word, I will sin against Him and live contrary to His plans and purposes as automatically as breathing.
The process of breathing actually offers a great metaphor to illustrate the dynamic of victorious Christian living. We already know that living is not even possible without breathing. So I breathe in or inhale the Word of God, and breathe out or exhale the response of meditation, prayer, and obedience. And I don’t just do it once or a few times—I have to keep doing it over and over in order to continue living.