We have spent the last two weeks studying Colossians 3:1-2:
1“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, SET YOUR HEARTS ON THINGS ABOVE, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
2“SET YOUR MINDS ON THINGS ABOVE, not on earthly things,”
[Day 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23].
I’m not ready to leave these verses yet! Setting our hearts and minds is too important a topic. After all, Jesus Himself said that the most important commandment is this:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
(Mark 12:29,30, NIV).
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,”
That’s simple to understand but hard to live out.
Our hearts and minds are so easily influenced, and they influence us in return!
Deceitful Hearts
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
(Jeremiah 17:9, NIV).
Our own heart deceives us. Yet “it is the wellspring of life,” and “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Proverbs 4:23; Matt. 12:34, NIV84).
Minds Prone to Stray
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ,”
(II Corinthians 11:3, NIV).
Our minds can be led astray, even when we have a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”
Fact: Christians can be deceived.
We can be deceived by sin:
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness,”
(Hebrews 3:13, NIV).
We can be deceived by the words of others:
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming,”
(Ephesians 4:14, NIV).
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient,”
(Ephesians 5:6, NIV).
“I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments,”
(Colossians 2:4, NIV).
We can be deceived by self:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says,”
(James 1:22, NIV).
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,”
(I John 1:8, NIV).
“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless,”
(James 1:26, NIV).
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires,”
(Ephesians 4:22, NIV).
We need to set our hearts and minds on loving God so we will not be deceived!
But how?
I want this question to be our focus for the rest of the week.
For now, let’s ask God to bless our Bible study time this week as He teaches us and leads us through His Word by His Spirit.
Day 24 PRAYER:
Father God,
We want to set our hearts and minds on You, but we realize that we are capable of being deceived in our minds and by our own hearts.
Lord, bless us with a hunger for the truth of Your Word. May we thirst for Your wisdom and ache for Your presence. May we not look to anyone but You for answers!
Lord, we confess that we need You. Teach us to do Your will, for You are our God; may Your good Spirit lead us on level ground (Psalm 143:10).
Make us into deceit-proof disciples of Christ, no matter how much work it takes. We are ready to sweat in the Spirit; we are ready to get serious.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
