[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-trap-of-self-deception":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-trap-of-self-deception-surround":57},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":11,"columnName":40,"date":41,"description":17,"extension":42,"image":43,"meta":44,"minRead":45,"navigation":46,"path":47,"postType":48,"publication":49,"publicationUrl":43,"seo":50,"stem":51,"topics":52,"__hash__":56},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-trap-of-self-deception.md","The Trap of Self-Deception",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10],"Amos","Philippians",{"type":12,"value":13,"toc":36},"minimark",[14,18,21,24,27,30,33],[15,16,17],"p",{},"Remember Jesus' story about the Pharisee who went to the temple to pray, and said, \"God, I thank you that I am not like all other men . . . or even like this tax collector\"? It's a vivid word picture: the arrogant Pharisee reeks of self-righteousness while the tax collector humbly pleads for God's mercy. An odd thing can happen, though, when you read that story. Does a part of you look down your nose at the Pharisee? Do you think self-righteously, \"God, I thank you that I am not like that guy\"?",[15,19,20],{},"I once read a story about a man who lived in Long Island, New York, in the early 1900s. An amateur meteorologist, he ordered a barometer from a mail-order company. But when the package arrived and the fellow removed his new barometer from the box, he was disappointed. The barometer's pressure reading was so low, the hand on the dial pointed to \"Hurricanes.\" Concluding he had been sold a defective barometer, the man prepared to send it back to the manufacturer. But later that day an unexpected hurricane blew across Long Island. The barometer, it seems, had been accurate after all.",[15,22,23],{},"God's Word is a spiritual barometer, but when the dial points to \"Self-righteousness,\" it's hard to accept that it's correct—and it's talking about me! The most dangerous part of an iceberg is the unseen portion beneath the water. The most dangerous railroad crossing just might be the one where you seldom see a train, so you grow complacent and neglect to look both ways before driving across the tracks. Likewise, the Christian life contains an unseen danger: We can become so familiar with God's Word that we no longer take it to heart.",[15,25,26],{},"Smug and self-satisfied, we ignore the Great Physician like a person who shrugs off the doctor's warnings about high blood pressure because he feels no painful symptoms. We see the faults of others, but conveniently overlook our own. We trade the fresh wind of God's Spirit for the polluted smog of religious performance—a colorless, odorless spiritual carbon monoxide, deadly to our souls.",[15,28,29],{},"Go to church for a while, and you'll learn how to say the right words and create an impressive image, but God sees behind the facade. \"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies,\" the Lord told the people of Israel. He didn't want their offerings or their music. Instead, he wanted them to \"let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream\" (Amos 5:21-24).",[15,31,32],{},"The good news is, Jesus loves Pharisees. That's why he confronted their hypocrisy, rebuked their legalism, and unmasked their pride. His grace can transform proud hypocrites into humble servants. Just ask Nicodemus. Or Saul of Tarsus, who traded his prideful self-description, \"as for legalistic righteousness, faultless,\" for a higher motivation: \"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ\" (Philippians 3:6, 7).",[15,34,35],{},"Is there a bit of Pharisee in me? I hope not. But if I deny it, I fall into the very trap of self-deception the Pharisees themselves were unable to recognize. It's better to simply say, \"God, be merciful to me, a sinner.\" I need his help to be Pharisee-free.",{"title":37,"searchDepth":38,"depth":38,"links":39},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","2001-01-28","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-trap-of-self-deception","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":17},"articles\u002Fthe-trap-of-self-deception",[53,54,55],"Biblical Theology","Spiritual Formation","Church Leadership","oNKYR9s_9RTSfexHfoWdwKKSsIoEfWVawjIlHi8MzFo",[58,63],{"title":59,"path":60,"stem":61,"description":62,"children":-1},"The Touch of the Master’s Hand—and Ours","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-touch-of-the-master-s-hand-and-ours","articles\u002Fthe-touch-of-the-master-s-hand-and-ours","Did you shake someone’s hand at church last Sunday? Did someone give you a welcoming pat on the back? Those brief encounters may be more important than we realize.",{"title":64,"path":65,"stem":66,"description":67,"children":-1},"The Treasures in My Garage","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-treasures-in-my-garage","articles\u002Fthe-treasures-in-my-garage","Have you seen the credit card commercials that ask, “What’s in your wallet?” Here’s another question: “What’s in your garage?”"]