In Jeremiah 17:9 I read, “The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is.” (GW)
One fundamental question in life stands above all others.
What will I allow to have the final authority in my life? Will be work/career, family, or media. What books do I read? Who are the people I follow on social media? What about the movies or shows I watch, or the songs I listen to?
All of these sources will shape my values if I let them, and my values ultimately determine what has final authority in my life. So, what will it be for me? God allows me to decide. He’s given me free will to choose.
Most of my authority options fall into these three categories:
My opinions: I can depend on my gut to tell me what to do. But there’s a problem with that. Studies show my perceptions are more likely to be wrong than right. In fact, sometimes I even lie to yourself. The Bible says, “The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is” (Jeremiah 17:9 GW).
The world: I can depend on what others think to determine my values. However, people often value the wrong things. For instance, the world emphasizes beauty over character, tells me to pursue whatever feels good, and declares that whoever has the most possessions wins. I’m bombarded with these worldly values through all sorts of media, so much so that it’s easy to start thinking God put me on this planet to look good, feel good, and get stuff. But that couldn’t be further from the truth!
God’s Word: God’s Word is objective and truthful, unlike my own perceptions or the world’s opinions. God’s Word says, “If you continue in My word . . . you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NASB).
My choice based on these should be clear. There’s only one authority that’s always reliable and will never lead me astray. I will decide to allow God’s Word to shape my values and give it the final authority in my life.
In summary, the human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. And no one can understand how deceitful it really is. So given this, what will I allow to have the final authority in my life? Will be work/career, family, or media. Will it be the books I read, the people I follow on social media, the movies or shows I watch, or the songs I listen to? All of these sources will shape my values if I let them, and my values ultimately determine what has final authority in my life. So, what will it be for me? God allows me to decide. He’s given me free will to choose. Authority options fall into these three categories: My opinions: I can depend on my gut to tell me what to do. However my perceptions are more likely to be wrong than right. In fact, sometimes I even lie to myself. The world: I can depend on what others think to determine my values. However, people often value the wrong things. God’s Word: God’s Word is objective and truthful, unlike my own perceptions or the world’s opinions. God’s Word says, “If I continue in His word, I will know the truth, and the truth will set me free.” Given this list, there’s only one authority that’s always reliable and will never lead me astray.
Father, I want to allow your Word to shape my values and give it the final authority in my life. Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my training for a future job role and for leading a small group. I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.
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