Rose Colored Glasses

I felt like I had it all together. Things were going well. Everything looked pretty and perfect. I didn’t have any problems so I busied myself trying to fix the problems with my husband, my children, and my friends.

Then – BAM! BANG! BOOM!

I got knocked in the head and my rose colored glasses fell off. That’s when I noticed I didn’t look so good after all. God revealed the deceit in my own heart.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NIV

The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

"I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

To point out the faults of others comes so easily, but to examine my own self takes effort. Self-deception is to think that I’m better than I really am. Elevating myself over others. If this process were allowed to continue, eventually it will lead to self-destruction.

I’m thankful to God for His word which is alive and active and sharper than a two edge sword that penetrates the soul and spirit, judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) I realized that I was easily condemning those around me that I love the most causing hurt and frustration. I stabbed at their hearts with my words that wounded. Life and death are in the words we speak and I spoke heart breaking words instead of life-giving words. My pious attitude caused pain in others.

There’s hope. Peter did not think he could mess up either. Jesus said at the Last Supper that Peter would deny him three times. Peter said, “no way! I would never deny my Lord!” Before Peter realized it he denied the Lord three times just as Christ told him. He wept bitterly. (Luke 22:54-62) Peter felt deep remorse over what he did.

I too felt deep remorse over using my mouth to sin. That is good news. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.” (2 Corinthians 7:10) No regrets in confessing my sins to a God who is faithful to forgive my sins. Repentance cleanses the soul of guilt.

To repent is to turn away from a sin. How do I keep my deceitful heart from deceiving me? I must change the way I think.

Romans 12:2 NLT

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

How do I let God transform the way I think? I transform by fighting the fight of faith in the spirit.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

When the thoughts come to me that someone else is wrong and I want to fix them, I must stop and ask God to examine my own heart. I started praying and asking the Lord to show me what I need to learn through this experience. I must ask the Lord to show me how He sees the situation and filter it through His Word.

I must remove my rose colored glasses to stop the self-deception and start the self-examination that leads to repentance and obedience and maturing in Christ!

Engrafted by His Grace-

Note: I am participating in a chronological Bible reading with Bev. For more information on joining us in the chronological reading, please visit Bev's blog.