There is a way that seems right to a man

...... But its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12). I remember seeing a Moody science video years ago, illustrating this verse. It was a true story of a plane that had overshot its destination because the pilot had not believed his instruments. Unbeknown to him there was a massive tail wind that carried them to their destination much earlier than anticipated. His “reality” was that they still had a long way to go, but they ended up dying in the desert. There is a popular belief out there that we can create our own reality. If you google “create your own reality” you get over a billion hits!” I wrote a politically incorrect blog in 2017 entitled “The “reality” I live in feels real, even if it's a lie!” (25 August). I was trying to get inside the mindset of mothers who willingly send their children out as suicide bombers.

They say that if you don't believe the truth, you will believe anything, and I believer that. In fact it seems to me that the Lord has given the Evil one permission to deceive those who do not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. The same passage talks about those who have pleasure in unrighteousness, and that as with Pharaoh after he had hardened his own heart several times, God hardened Pharaohs heart. In the passage I am talking about God Himself then sends strong delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). It seems worth pointing our that while there is pleasure in sin, it is only for a season (Hebrews 11:25), and as in this morning's Proverb the end thereof is death.

I was listing to a podcast from Rolland Baker, who was talking about some of the trends in the Church, some of our imbalances, things in Scripture we fail to hold in tension. He cites the Love of God and the Justice of God. We seem so intent in speaking of His love that we have failed to speak about the coming judgement. There is no fence guys, no middle ground. If we are not for Him, we are against Him (Matthew 12:30). We have emphasized the Grace of God to the point where we have become presumptuous. “God will forgive me, that's His job.” In doing this we either dismiss or minimize those passages which tell us for example, that if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no sacrifice for sins, but only a fearful looking for of judgement (Hebrews 10:26, 27).

Father, the very last thing I want to do here is to lay a guilt trip on those who are struggling to overcome addictions. And so I want to thank You for Your promise that if we continue in Your Word we will know the Truth and the Truth will progressively set us free (John 8:31, 32). But Lord I pray for all of us who have imbalance in receiving Your truth, for truth out of balance is no truth at all. So bring us back into reality, that we may have the assurance of eternal life (John 5:24) without presumption. Keep us close to the flame Lord, it is the only safe place. In Jesus Name Amen