Deceiving Yourself
James 1:22 NKJV – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Deceiving yourself comes from the Greek word paralogizomai. Paralogizomai combines three Greek words and means having reasoned to a false premise or to deceive one’s self. Think about it, if you have reasoned to a false premise, you will reason from a false premise.
What does this mean? The brain filters information based upon beliefs that are installed in the heart. One of the meanings of the word “heart” in the Hebrew and Greek is the innermost thoughts. In psychology, the heart would be called the “subconscious mind.” The subconscious part of the brain operates 100 times faster than the conscious mind.
Our nervous system is bombarded by 100 trillion bits of data per second. A part of your brain (reticular activating system) deletes 98% of the vast amount of superfluous data so that you can organize and attend to the most pertinent bits based upon your beliefs. Beliefs function from the heart (subconscious mind). As you believe in your heart so you are (Proverbs 23:7).
The brain deletes all the superfluous information so that you will be able to function. Too much data getting into your brain at one time would make you drool and shake a lot. So, you filter the world through the beliefs that are currently in your brain. Almost all of your beliefs were installed by someone else—parents, friends, school, the matrix of the world’s system, etc. When your beliefs (what you have reasoned to) are both real and true, great! However, when it is a false premise that “lies” within, you will filter out the truth and attend to information that confirms the lie.
There are people who can instantly recite a Bible verse and its address. Like a parrot, they regurgitate the Word without any deep structure, and their life shows it. So if you are not a doer of God’s Word, you are a superficial hearer only. You only have what the Bible calls gnosis.
Gnosis is a superficial knowing; it is skimming the surface, simply data or information that has no life-changing meaning. Gnosis only of the Word is a dangerous, heart hardening, anesthetizing position to remain in. You would profit so much more by taking the time to have one verse of the Bible implanted in your heart than memorize the entire Bible and only be able to regurgitate it.
James is teaching us that there is a way to recognize how we have deceived ourselves. If you hear the Word but are not a doer of the Word, you have deceived yourself.
Have you reasoned to a false premise? Assess your life and become an effectual doer of the Word.
Training Your Brain Exercise – Correcting Self-Deception
Today identify one area where you are not doing what the Word says. Decide to seek grace, the power of the Spirit, and transform that specific area of your life! We are not asking you to transform all the areas of your life, just that one area for now.
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