Got Deceit?

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

  Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
  And in whose spirit there is no deceit. – Psalm 32:1-2

Jesus came so that the original sin of Adam (but that women sinned first!) could be removed from all mankind.  From that original sin, all sin was born.  We like to think some sins are more severe than other sins, but all sin came from the original sin, which was refusing the authority of God.  Sure, some sins have much more severe consequences than other sins.  A murderer is much different in its effect on people than someone stealing a piece of bubble gum from a convenience store.  However, in their essence, both refuse the authority of God.  One of these sins is full grown and destructive and the other is a baby, but if the baby sin is allowed to grow, its defiance against the authority of God will one day destroy lives also.  All sin, fully grown, takes life (James 1:15).  Sin always takes you farther than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you intend to pay.  The original sin took Adam and Eve’s lives.  The only sin I’m aware that they committed was eating the fruit of the tree they were told not to eat.  Yet God held that sin to the same accountability as the sin of the murderer.

Praise God today that we can be forgiven!  Blessed are we that we have a Savior!  Blessed are we that our sins (transgressions) are forgiven!  Blessed are we whom the Lord does not hold sins against!  Is there a greater blessing in your life?  Are you living in the grace and mercy of the one true living God who has forgiven you of all your sins?  Be restored today!

An important piece of these verses is the very last sentence of verse two.  Blessed is the man whose sins are not counted against him by the Lord AND whose spirit holds no deceit.  This is the genuine part of the sinner’s heart.  This is the part man can’t see in another man.  The intent here is to say the sinner had sincere and real repentance and a changed heart.  He is not a hypocrite, faking his change for the perception of other men, while holding onto his idol deep in his heart.  Everyone has done this at some time in their life.  We may have believed that we wanted to be rid of something (anger, drugs, alcohol, lust, hate, murder, jealousy, envy, etc.) and do what we knew we were supposed to do, but after a while we called back to that idol that we held down deep and truly never left.  We are depraved children.

Surely we all see this in those who fail time and time again in rehabs, but then see the one who didn't go to a rehab and stopped in a single day.  One never left it in his heart (deceit) and the other left it completely (no deceit).  One was appeasing others and the other gained a new faith.  Those who are deceitful with selfish intentions cause great pain in others, often burdening them with their continued addictions and consequences from those actions from the addictions.  There is a wake of destruction behind them.  Those who have had a great change are great joy to others, overflowing in their thankfulness for being made new.  They are uplifting to those around them.  Everyone who sees them gains faith and hope.

Pray today thanking God for His forgiveness of your sins.  Pray for God to reveal any deeply held idols that you may have held onto, even unknowingly.  Let them all go today and worship the one and only living God.  Be alive!