“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?”  (Jeremiah 17:9 NASB)

Sin originated out of deception.  Sometimes deception is hidden in the most obvious places, making us clueless about its destructive nature.

Socially accepted behavior often camouflages unrighteousness. Popular opinion does not always reveal right from wrong.  The Bible labels alternative lifestyles as sinful, yet we disguise those things as acceptable under the smokescreen of so-called love, grace, and inclusiveness.   People and organizations who do much good in their own right can champion causes the Bible refers to as being sinful. We can turn a blind eye to things we know to be wrong because they are intertwined with things that are right.  “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough” (Galatians 5: 9 NASB).

I once saw a cartoon of two young guys walking down a street wearing ball caps turned backward.  The sun was in their eyes, and they were using their hands to shade the sun from their eyes.  One of the young men said to the other one, “one of these days someone is going to invent a ball cap that will keep the sun out of your eyes.”  If we see backward as forward or hear that bad is good long enough, you can start to believe it to be true.  Like the two young guys who were oblivious to the original design of a ball cap, we can have our vision blurred about God’s original intent for men and women.  No matter what socially accepted format propagates this deception, sin is still sin.  If we stray from what God says and imbibe of this lie, we will become clueless about sin’s destructive nature.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]