How Can You Believe A Lie When You Know It's A Lie ?
All of us are guilty of often times allowing our emotions to override our thinking. The protective wisdom of what we know is often ignored by our feelings, which is why we read so much in Scripture about the deceitfulness of the human heart. But when the Scripture talks about those who choose to believe a lie, this is where I often find myself scratching my head trying to understand what this really means. How is it even possible for someone to believe a lie if they know it's a lie? I can understand the propensity to believe a lie if it's accompanied with enough deceitful evidence to make it convincing. All of us aren't beyond the ability of being deceived. But how can someone believe a lie if they know from the start that it's a lie? That sounds like a contradiction to me. If you know it's a lie, then you know it isn't true, so how can you believe what you know isn't true?
I used to believe that a person's perceptions and views were formed by whatever information their mind had received. In other words, whatever information that is exposed to the mind is what leads the individual into holding whatever views they hold. Most of us would probably say that this is how most everyone forms their views and opinions which is why tolerance, patience and understanding should always be extended to those who see things differently than we do.
But as I've grown older, I've begun to realize that this isn't always the case. As a matter of fact, it's rarely the case. I've reluctantly come to discover that many, if not most people, do not base their views and opinions on information received into their mind. The reason for this is because their heart decides first how their mind will receive and process that information.
In other words, the heart decides how the mind processes reality. If the heart wants the truth, the mind will receive it. If the heart wants something else, then the mind will jump thru whatever hoops it has to in order to give the heart what it wants.
Now I understand what the Psalmist meant when he said, "The fool has said IN HIS HEART, there is no God." Now I understand what Paul meant when he said, "When they knew Him and recognized Him as God, they didn't glorify Him as God, neither were they thankful; but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." This is why the Bible says so much about the examination of the human heart, how God is near to those with a humble and contrite heart while only knowing the proud from a distance.
Whatever you think you know about any issue under the sun, make sure your heart is humble before God and desiring the truth, NOT JUST WHAT YOU WANT THE TRUTH TO BE.
I used to believe that a person's perceptions and views were formed by whatever information their mind had received. In other words, whatever information that is exposed to the mind is what leads the individual into holding whatever views they hold. Most of us would probably say that this is how most everyone forms their views and opinions which is why tolerance, patience and understanding should always be extended to those who see things differently than we do.
But as I've grown older, I've begun to realize that this isn't always the case. As a matter of fact, it's rarely the case. I've reluctantly come to discover that many, if not most people, do not base their views and opinions on information received into their mind. The reason for this is because their heart decides first how their mind will receive and process that information.
In other words, the heart decides how the mind processes reality. If the heart wants the truth, the mind will receive it. If the heart wants something else, then the mind will jump thru whatever hoops it has to in order to give the heart what it wants.
Now I understand what the Psalmist meant when he said, "The fool has said IN HIS HEART, there is no God." Now I understand what Paul meant when he said, "When they knew Him and recognized Him as God, they didn't glorify Him as God, neither were they thankful; but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." This is why the Bible says so much about the examination of the human heart, how God is near to those with a humble and contrite heart while only knowing the proud from a distance.
Whatever you think you know about any issue under the sun, make sure your heart is humble before God and desiring the truth, NOT JUST WHAT YOU WANT THE TRUTH TO BE.
