Thoughts on Today's Bible Verse:

In this challenging and ever-changing world, we often find ourselves entangled in the deceitful nature of human hearts. Let’s delve into the topic of deceit and reflect on how to break free from it, becoming honest individuals who please God.

In today’s society, we are surrounded by an increasingly complex world, and the inner confusion within us continues to grow. The deceitfulness of human heart is like a hidden maze; even though we strive to understand it, it remains elusive. In reality, we often encounter various forms of deception, hypocrisy, and unpredictable behavior, all stemming from the corruption of Satan. This is the deceitful nature of human hearts. The deceitfulness of the human heart manifests in our understanding of ourselves and others. In personal relationships, we frequently face hypocrisy and betrayal because the true intentions of the human heart are often difficult to discern. In the illusory world of social media, people showcase the highlights and successes of their lives, concealing their inner anxieties and insecurities. We are often misled by surface glamour, making it challenging to see the genuine aspects of ourselves and others. The deceitfulness of the human heart is also reflected in our actions and choices. When driven by greed and self-interest, we often choose to indulge our desires, resort to deceitful and deceptive means, and disregard God’s teachings and the warnings of our conscience. We hear deceitful words, witness illusions, and find ourselves entangled in the web of deceit. Our hearts have become increasingly deceitful, to the point of utter wickedness. So how can we break free from deception and live as honest individuals? God says, “That God asks for people to be honest proves that He truly loathes and dislikes deceitful people. God’s dislike of deceitful people is a dislike of their way of doing things, their dispositions, their intents and their methods of trickery; God dislikes all of these things. If deceitful people are able to accept the truth, admit to their deceitful dispositions, and are willing to accept God’s salvation, then they too have a hope of being saved—for God treats all people equally, as does the truth. And so, if we wish to become people who please God, the first thing we must do is change our principles of comportment. No longer can we live according to satanic philosophies, no longer can we get by on lies and trickery. We must cast off all our lies and become honest people. Then God’s view of us will change” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. The Most Fundamental Practice of Being an Honest Person).

“Honesty means giving your heart to God, being genuine with God in all things, being open with Him in all things, never hiding the facts, not trying to deceive those above and below you, and not doing things only to curry favor with God. In short, to be honest is to be pure in your actions and words, and to deceive neither God nor man” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Three Admonitions).

From the words of God, we can understand that God favors honest people and despises deceitful individuals. Deceptive individuals live by satanic philosophies and laws. They adhere to sayings like “Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost,” “People need their pride just as a tree needs its bark,” “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” “Keeping silent on the faults of good friends makes for a long and good friendship,” and so on. These satanic philosophies have constrained our thinking and controlled our hearts. Under the influence of these erroneous perspectives, we have become increasingly crooked and deceitful. Therefore, if we desire to be honest individuals, we must change our principles of comportment and renounce lies. We must surrender our hearts to God and subject all our actions to His scrutiny. Additionally, we should regularly pray to God, asking Him to purify the deceitful intentions within us and help us get rid of this corrupt disposition. Through the practice and implementation of these principles, we can gradually break free from deceit and become honest people who bring joy to God.