{"id":224585,"date":"2023-09-20T04:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/?p=224585"},"modified":"2023-09-22T14:19:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T21:19:38","slug":"how-can-we-guard-against-self-deception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/how-can-we-guard-against-self-deception","title":{"rendered":"How Can We Guard Against Self-Deception?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>David (fictionally) wrote Samuel about how he would avoid self-deception. But from the actual words of prayers in his Psalms, we have reason to believe that he practiced self-examination back in the days.<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Psalm 139:1\u20134..23-24 (NLT)<br><sup>1<\/sup>O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.<br><sup>2<\/sup>You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I\u2019m far away.<br><sup>3<\/sup>You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.<br><sup>4<\/sup>You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord&#8230;<br><sup>23<\/sup>Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.<br><sup>24<\/sup>Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear Father in the Faith, Samuel,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your words, like a shaft of divine light, have pierced the shadowed recesses of my soul, revealing hidden chambers I dared not enter. The royal court, a maze of intrigue and veiled intentions, becomes navigable only by the luminescence of your wisdom. Even King Saul, the man I serve, wanders these corridors lost, his mind a labyrinth unto itself, no longer recognizing faces, not even mine, as if a veil obscures his vision [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The snare of self-deception you so eloquently described has gripped my attention. The signs you&#8217;ve outlined\u2014shifting blame, compensating through rituals, and minimizing one&#8217;s own wrongs\u2014are pitfalls I vow to sidestep. Your wisdom has led me to a place of deep contemplation, urging me to consider how I might shield myself from such dangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, I have chosen to embrace a daily ritual of soul-searching. As the sun bids the day farewell, I will seek solitude and invite the Holy Spirit to guide me in a review of the day&#8217;s unfolding. I will lay bare my actions before God, seeking His forgiveness for any missteps and asking for His wisdom to guide my future days. This will be my sanctuary in time, a moment to align my soul with the Divine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, I will open my heart to those who can hold it accountable. In the vulnerability of genuine relationships, I see a bulwark against the isolation and self-deception that often accompany power [2]. My soul yearns for a friendship that transcends the superficial bonds often found in these halls\u2014a friendship rooted in mutual respect, love, and the shared pursuit of God&#8217;s will. O, I pray that I will find such a friend for my life journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samuel, as I commit to these practices, a question lingers in my mind: How does one maintain such accountability when standing at the pinnacle of power? Even you, a prophet of God, must grapple with this. I would be honored to hear your thoughts on this matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a heart full of respect and love,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>David<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>Share with your friends, &#8220;<strong><strong>How often do you review your thoughts and actions before God? Do you have any friends who would hold you accountable at all?<\/strong><\/strong><\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n<cite>[1] This explains why Saul couldn&#8217;t recognize David in 1 Samuel 17:55-57 after he defeated Goliath<br>[2] Proverbs 27:17 speaks to the importance of iron sharpening iron, which can be seen as a form of accountability. James 5:16 also encourages confessing sins to one another. Being part of a spiritual community can offer opportunities for others to act as mirrors, reflecting back to you your own state. (Hebrews 10:24-25)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David (fictionally) wrote Samuel about how he would avoid self-deception. But from the actual words of prayers in his Psalms, we have reason to believe that he practiced self-examination back in the days. Psalm 139:1\u20134..23-24 (NLT)1O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.2You know when I sit down or stand up. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":224587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-224585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-david"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Can We Guard Against Self-Deception? - Redemption Point<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Can We Guard Against Self-Deception? - Redemption Point\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"David (fictionally) wrote Samuel about how he would avoid self-deception. 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