Home
>
Spirituality
>
Be Aware of the Supreme Deceiver (Part 1)

Be Aware of the Supreme Deceiver (Part 1)

One cannot read the account of Benhadad and Hazael in God's word not be overcome by a certain sense of sadness. You recall Benhadad was ill and sent Hazael to the prophet Elisha to make inquiries regarding his recovery. Elisha told Hazael that Benhadad would not die from his illness, but that he would nevertheless, die. Elisha then stared with horror at Hazael before suddenly bursting out in tears. Not understanding what was happening to Elisha, Hazael asks him why he was crying. Elisha tells him that he was weeping for the children of Israel. It pained Elisha to foresee the horrendous suffering Hazael was going to inflict upon the people of Israel. He tells Hazael that he "will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women."

But with righteous indignation Hazael admonishes Elisha for suggesting such a despicable thing and told Elisha that he was not even in a position that would make such an act possible. Then Elisha tells him that he would be king over Syria. Hazael was clearly upset by the predictions of Elisha. Yet, we learn that on the following day, Hazael kills Benhadad and succeeds him as King of Syria.

I do not think that Hazael beforehand could have imagined himself a murderer. After all, he was a human being like you and I. Benhadad apparently trusted him enough to carry and bring back messages that were important to him. And so I am inclined to think that Hazael probably thought a lot of himself as a person and felt murder in any of its many forms were beyond his capability. And yet, he killed.

This suggests to me that man is extensively ignorant of the evil that lurks within. We are not cognizant of all the dirt and filth and meanness that reside in our hearts; the supreme deceiver.

It was Jeremiah who declared that "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" We do not and cannot fully know the carnal heart. And this ignorance is almost universal. Self-righteousness inevitably leads to undue self-estimation. We imagine others to be so wicked, so perverted, so low-down, so deadbeat, so barbaric, so inhuman, while we think ourselves to be above these things. We believe we function on a higher plain and could never stoop to the depths of all those other degenerates. But Scripture teaches us that this is not true. The possibility of committing all kinds of heinous act is always in our hearts. "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." Matthew 15:19.

And so we need to stop thinking we are so good and stop talking about what we absolutely will not do. Holy Writ succinctly reveals the condition of our hearts and declares that we are capable of doing just about anything. We need to stop viewing ourselves in worldly mirrors and start seeing ourselves through the divine mirror ? God's word. As long as we view ourselves in the world's mirror, we will see only what we want to see; we will see only the exterior, only the dust. But when we look at our selves through God's divine mirror, we see things that make us cringe; we see things we did not know existed, we see ugliness and meanness and deception. When we have a look at ourselves in God's mirror, we do not see a pretty picture. So if you look in the mirror and see all beauty and goodness, you can rest assured you are looking through the mirror of the world. You are being deceived by your own heart.

You see, the heart can deceive us because that is where sin is. The sinful heart makes right seem wrong and wrong seem right. Deceitful hearts distorts judgment and darkens understanding; it binds the will, pollutes conscience and betrays memory. It deceives the whole man, both physical and moral and mental with hypocrisy and cunning trickery. David Black observed:

There is not anything in the history of mankind more surprising, or at first view more unaccountable, than the self-partiality which prevails in the world. One would be apt to imagine, that it should not be so difficult to arrive at the knowledge of our real character, possessing, as we do, every possible advantage for attaining it. But we see, in fact, that of all knowledge this is the rarest and most uncommon. Nor is it difficult to account for this fact, since the heart is deceitful above all things. Self-love casts a veil over the understanding, the judgment is warped by various circumstances, and hence it is, that many seem to be almost entire strangers to their own character. They think, and reason, and judge quite differently in any thing relating to themselves, from what they do in those cases in which they have no personal interest. Accordingly, we often hear people exposing follies for which they themselves are remarkable, and talking with great severity against particular vices, of which, if all the world be not mistaken, they themselves are notoriously guilty. It is astounding to what a pitch this self-ignorance and self-partiality may be carried! How frequently do we see men, not only altogether blind to their own character, but insensible to every thing that can be said to convince them of their mistake. In vain do you tender to them instruction or reproof, for they turn away everything from themselves, and never once imagine that they are the persons for whose benefit these counsels and admonitions are chiefly intended.

(continued in Part 2)

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available soon.

You are welcome to visit amen ministries: your soul's service station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification, browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall or review our recommended books you may want to add to your personal library.

Blessings to all!

bedroom cleaning professionals Highland Park ...

In The News:

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Electric vehicle maker Lucid adds hands-free driving through an over-the-air update for Air sedan owners with the DreamDrive Pro package and Gravity SUV support coming later.

Protect your home network from hidden dangers, including router vulnerabilities, ISP tracking and smart device weaknesses with proper encryption, firmware updates and VPN technology.

Be Aware of the Supreme Deceiver (Part 1)

Spirituality