The Deceitful Heart

March 15, 2026

The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:9

When we look at the image of the stone heart our natural reaction is that we think man, I'm glad my heart isn't like that. It may be the natural reaction, but our hearts deceive us.

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5. It only took six chapters and five verses into the scripture for God to regret that He made man. That's about 1650 years since the beginning of time. Pathetic! We all like to think we are a good person but to say so is to call God a liar. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. Psalm 14:3

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ ¹³ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be ^[d]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14

Whenever I read this portion of scripture it makes me cry every time. "The tax collector standing afar off" because he understood that God is holy and that in his current condition, he was unworthy to approach. The tax collector "would not so much as to raise his eyes to heaven" because he felt the shame of sin and it was overwhelming. Then the tax collector "beats his breast" because sin is a heart condition. And then came the cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner." The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17

The Pharisee felt good about himself because he was comparing himself to other men, i.e.,

"extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector." Easy to puff yourself up if you do that! But if we judge ourselves by the light of God's word it gives us the right perspective.

The Apostle Paul said he was the chief of all sinners. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 

1 Timothy 1:15 There is little said about Saul before his conversion except that he persecuted the church. A heavy weight. God doesn't gloss over Paul’s sin, but neither does  He expose as him as He could have. Paul’s sin is only exposed when it serves as a "teachable moment" for our benefit.

Many things come against us as believers but it turns out that our greatest adversary is not Satan but our own hearts. So how do we stand? What's the remedy? The cross and blood of Jesus! I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

=LG