Walking with the Wise #128: Deceived by Desire

“Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy.”
—Proverbs 12:20

How often do our hearts deceive us! Our flesh is a powerful foe against the desires of the Spirit! It is only by walking in the Spirit that we are able to keep ourselves from being casualties of war. Sin is deceptive because it is a lie that always presents itself as what is true, but to eat of the fruit of sin is to give ourselves over to that which destroys us.

Consider for a moment, J.R.R. Tolkien’s horrid creature, Smeagol, in his novel “The Hobbit” and subsequent series, “The Lord of the Rings.” Once a human, Smeagol was transformed into the loathsome creature Gollum because of his obsessive love for the magic ring. During the years when the ring was in his possession, he continually cherished, nourished, and gave himself over to it. Over time, the ring poisoned his soul and he became a tormented, evil creature who would destroy anything that got in the way of his beloved “precious.” Even after it was taken from him, he was driven to pursue it, plotted all kinds of evil in order to acquire it, and in the end, his love for it led to his demise. Tolkien captured the essence of sin and its disastrous effects in Smeagol. Through him, we can see what sin does to us over time—it slowly transforms us, isolates us from others, and will inevitably lead us into all kinds of sin that we never thought possible.

Today’s proverb also provides us with an accurate understanding of the terrible effects of sin. The heart is deceitful and desperately sick (cf. Jeremiah 17:9) and will lead us astray if we are not on guard against it. Whenever we plan on sinning, we are in actuality deceiving ourselves—because we are pursuing rebellion against our Lord. God is the God of truth, and whenever we choose sin, we are rejecting truth in favor of a lie. Our job is to identify the lie so that we may not give into it but stand in the truth of who God is, and by doing so we will have peace and joy.

Have you been giving yourself over to sin? Stop! One cannot tame sin, nor is there any context where sinning against God is acceptable! Do you not think that your sin is that bad? Then I would admonish you to revisit the cross and the terrible suffering of our Lord! God’s judgment and condemnation of sin was seen in the cross. We could not pay the price God required for our sin. But because of His love, God provided Jesus, His only Son, to be our substitute. Jesus took the wrath of God due us upon Himself. And by His death, we are freed from sin; therefore we must not give ourselves over to it any longer. Walk in freedom—remember that sin is not to be toyed with! Put to death the sins of the flesh by appropriating Jesus’ death on the cross as your own, and then walk in the freedom that Jesus’ resurrection life affords to us. And then you will have peace and joy knowing that you are living a life that God calls blessed in His sight! Amen.