Pompous Deception

Ez 14:3 "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?" ESV

 

These people were really messed up. They worshipped other gods, they caused others to fall in sin as they followed them and not only did they think that what they said was from God and would be fulfilled (yesterday) but they also tried to give God advice. Talk about pompous deception. These guys had it and they didn't even know it.

 

Pompously deceived. That is how we can get sometimes. We think we are spiritual, we think that we are walking with God but there is this one thing that we just want to hang on to. There is this one thing that gets in the way. There is this one thing that is so important to us that we make decisions and do things that are so totally contrary to scripture that proves that we have made this thing an idol, and we don't even realize it. In our deception we think we are able to give advice, so we freely share our ideas and our values with others in an attempt to sway them. This is dangerous stuff.

 

In Ezekiel's day the advice came from these idolaters who tried to tell God's prophets what to do, how to live, what decisions to make. (v4) God had a warning to the advice takers: "Don't listen to them, for if you do, your end will be the same as theirs." (The rest of the chapter.)

 

This hits me two ways: First, am I pompously deceived? Is there anything there that is blocking my relationship with God? Is there anything there that is taking His place? Is there anything there that drives my decision making more than His word? If there is, don't try to give advice. Don't teach. Don't counsel. First, get the idol out of my life and walk with God…then maybe God will use me in the lives of others.

 

Second, are there people in my life who try to give me advice who think that they know the right thing to do, the right decisions to make, but things that they have done reveal that they should be the last ones I take advice from? Beware. I need to surround myself with people who are Christ focused, who make decisions based upon His word and not what is convenient.

 

I need to take an inward and outward look and make sure that I am not pompously deceived.