I have been spending some time in Ephesians recently.
It’s actually the place in Scripture I go whenever I am feeling spiritually malnourished.
Yet in all the times I’ve read that letter, I had never noticed 4:22 where Paul describes to the Ephesian Christians what kind of life they are lead as followers of Jesus:
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires
The idea of “deceitful desires” sticks with me.
Because that’s the way it is with many of our desires, isn’t it? They deceive us into thinking that by meeting them we will achieve contentment.
But the reality is that many of our desires promise much more than they deliver.
It’s a deception to think that the affair you desire will satisfy you sexually and emotionally.
It’s a deception to think that the fame you long for will satisfy your ambition.
It’s a deception to think that the larger, better, nicer house you desire will fix the problems your family is having in the house you’re in now.
It’s a deception to think that the next drink or next line of coke you desire really will be your last. Until you get serious about recovery, it won’t.
So many of our desires are futile attempts to meet the needs for which God has already made provision in his Son.
What desires are deceiving you today?