For Real?
Today’s Verse:
They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. ~Jonah 2:8
Have you ever been fooled? Have you ever been a victim of fraud? If you have, you understand the incredible remorse that you can have. You kick yourself, thinking, “I should have looked into this further.” When it comes to the truth, it will always stand the test of time. However, believing lying vanities can get us into a lot of trouble! This morning, we need to test what we hear and read, and we need to ask the question, “For real?”
We see the deceitfulness of lying vanities.
Lying vanities are philosophies, statements, and fables that are assumed to be true when, in fact, they are not. Putting off getting saved at a more convenient time is a lying vanity. The idea that you can get away with your sin and never face any consequences is a lying vanity. Putting off an important responsibility that has an impact on others is a lying vanity. We must remember that the source of all lying vanities is the devil. He is a liar from the beginning. He packages lying vanities into making them look credible when, in fact, they are not. He told Eve that in the day that she eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she would not die.
We see the danger of lying vanities.
Jonah believed his faulty ideas that he could run away from God. He thought that he could hide from God. He thought that he could disobey God and leave his calling. Then, God caught up with him, and he wound up being thrown off a ship and swallowed by a whale. He learned that “they that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.” This means they put themselves at risk. This means they might have to be chastened so that God can get their attention. They endanger themselves and others around them.
We see the discernment against lying vanities.
In order to avoid becoming a victim of lying vanities, we must be diligent in our reading and study of the Word of God. “The entrance of thy words giveth light.” We are to let the Word of God dwell in us richly in all wisdom. We must fight lies and deceit with the truth. If we know the truth, the truth shall set us free! “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” We can only be discerning people when we know the truth. Know what you believe! Know why you believe what you believe!
Be careful that you do not fall prey to lying vanities! Keep your heart and thoughts with all diligence. Test everything you hear to the Word of God. Don’t be like Jonah, who wound up in a difficult situation and discovered that he had been listening to the wrong voices. Know the truth and it will set you free!
Have a truth-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Mark 10-11