The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things And Beyond Cure, Who Can Understand It
Inherited Sin
JEREMIAH 17:9-10
“”The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
”Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV
https://www.bible.com/114/jer.17.9-10.nkj
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Sin from its very first moment in Adam and Eve, separated us from God. It contaminated us all, and the human race inherited sin. And even though Jesus paid our debt of sin on a cross, even at the lowest level, sin is not acceptable to God and leads us to death; it has to go.
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
James 1:14-15 NKJV
We are called to repentance; to submit to God and commit to change; to turn from our old sinful ways toward God. This starts process of transformation that begins with cooperation with God and can only come from Him (ROMANS 12:1-2).
But there is an issue in our heart. It doesn’t consider sin as a problem, or whether we sin or not; it’s agenda is to survive and please the flesh, and feeds the sub conscious mind, which decides is good or bad or what it considers to be true or false, and remembers those things as absolute truth whether they are or not.
That includes what we eat, drink, our religious beliefs, our sexual orientation, the things we do, and so on and becomes fixed in our very souls (our mind, will, and emotions) as a strong hold of the mind and holds us with all kinds of habits, needs, and false beliefs.
That is where the saying “I believe with my heart” comes from.
The problem is, we cannot undo those lies ourselves; we have no control over the subconscious mind, and therefore, we need God’s help to undo the lies and replace them with truth.
Jesus said, the truth will set you free (JOHN 8:31-36).
My brethren our hearts are a part of the flesh and are deceitful and desperately wicked.
Your heart is ready and willing to justify sin by twisting words and thoughts in your mind: “It’s just a little white lie,” “I don’t have any choice,” “everyone is doing it.” “I am a man in a woman’s body.”
Our hearts, which are of the flesh, are naturally inclined toward sin from the moment we are born because we inherited it; it is passed on from generation to generation and if allowed, will so easily causes us to continue or fall into all kinds of sin, false beliefs, habits and addictions that separates us from God.
Sin justifies the devil and his army of demons and lets them in to reside within your flesh and influence our thoughts, actions, and behaviours even more; even the sin of one’s ancestors. No wonder Jesus said, the truth shall set you free.
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
James 4:7-10 NKJV
Since we cannot live right in our own strength, God has given us a way forward. He sent His Holy Spirit to live in us as a Helper, to lead and guide us through life (JOHN 14:16-18).
Temptation will come, But we all have a choice. We can either yield to temptation, or ask God for help to resist temptation by walking in the leading of the Holy Spirit.
God paid a high price for for you (1 CORINTHIANS 6:20).
“Therefore, my brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Romans 8:12-13 NKJV
My brethren, God has spoken to us all through the Profit Jeremiah, saying, “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
Jeremiah 17:10 NKJV
My beloved, we cannot produce good fruits in our own strength. We need God’s help.
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Galatians 5:16-26 NKJV
But how my beloved, does one receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
I tell you the truth, it’s not a complicated process, Peter put it like this.
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.””
Acts 2:38-39 NKJV
The promise of the Spirit is salvation and is extended to one’s children and to all who are far off. Even those who seem far from God.
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
