28 May How Do I Know When I Am Being Deceived?

So very excited to share with you with the Lord showed me yesterday morning…

For this people’s HEART has become calloused
they hardly HEAR with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise, they might
SEE with their eyes,
HEAR with their ears,
UNDERSTAND with their hearts
and turn,
& I would HEAL them. (Matthew 13:15)

Not only is this in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John BUT ALSO IN Isaiah (by Isaiah)
AND Acts (by Paul).
WOW!
6 times it has been spoken to us through the Bible, that’s big!

Lord, teach me more about the heart and eyes.
And what are you trying to show me through this?

So I began to look up scriptures and I could not believe how many had both words in the same Scripture.
Heart and eyes.

He was showing me that, deception comes from a hardened heart, in a particular area!

A hardened heart dulls a person’s ability to perceive and understand.

What does that mean? That means, whatever area of your life has a wound, offense, hurt, unforgiveness, anger, or any lie of the enemy, will then in turn, harden your heart and you will be deceived in that particular area because you will no longer be able to see.

Someone who has a wound by someone in the church, normally lives to be against “the church”…. the wound fogged their site.

For a woman who has been hurt by many men in her lifetime, her view of men is filtered through the eyes of her pain.

For those who are angry with God, can no longer see His goodness and see him through a deceptive lens.

So how do you keep from being deceived?
First, by making sure that you don’t come in agreement with the enemy (the deceiver) and his lies.
Knowing the truth will save you a lot of heartache or confronting someone in love.
Next….
By going to God and taking EACH offense, wound, unforgiveness etc, to him and asking him to lead step-by-step (in what he wants you to do for your part),
by the Holy Spirit until your situation is right or restored again.

It is deciding that you want God to handle this and you are trusting him vs handling it in your own way or getting back at someone.
Making the right choices (godly character) is not easiest at all! But it’s possible when you’re determined to do the right thing.

Lord show me a biblical example of this?

I found a great article by Andrew Wommack ministries…
He was speaking about the story of, Jesus walks on the water. (Mark 6:45)
He pointed out that when the disciples were in the boat and they saw Jesus
(not knowing that it was him),
they were terrified and thought he was a ghost.
And in other words Andrew explained,
we will know that our hearts are softened (toward God) when we
ARE NOT SURPRISED by God showing up, but rather EXPECTING him to show up.

And as I begin to read more into the “Jesus walks on water”, I came across verse 52 which says, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
I thought Wow!

Lord, in what area of my life am I not seeing, hearing, or understanding?
Is it possible that my heart is hardened in this area and if so, why?
Holy Spirit, show me the root so that I may bring this to God for healing.
(even if it’s God himself)….
If I’m not expecting God then is my heart hardened towards him somewhere?
(Mt 5:23-24)