The Deceitful Heart - One Year Devotions for Women

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“The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” - Jeremiah 17:9

Did you know that we are responsible for our response to temptation? If we believe that, we may not yield quite so quickly, and certainly we would not want to be a temptation to anyone else. If I sin in response to someone’s tempting me, that’s bad; but if I initiate a temptation and cause both of us to sin, that’s even worse!

In the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), David led Bathsheba into sin. However, when she realized David’s intentions, she might have refused his advances, but she apparently acquiesced. Both David and Bathsheba were in a tempting situation. There was a chance to stop, but they did not. It might have helped them to realize what Jeremiah explained, “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

We women need to be very careful not to get ourselves into such tempting situations. We also need to be sure not to be temptations. Do we consciously or unconsciously send tempting signals? What messages do we send with our eyes, our words, our clothing? Those who meet the opportunity for unfaithfulness know the battle that ensues. They know they are capable of sin. The marvelous thing about being a Christian is that at such a time, God says he’ll give us the power to say no. Say no to sending the wrong signals; say no to inappropriate desires; say no to temptation. You’ll never be sorry.

For Further Study: Jeremiah 17:7-10

Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.

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