Smoke and Mirrors

Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit.

– Proverbs 12:20

Slot machines and concerts may draw the big crowds in Las Vegas, but magic acts like David Copperfield, Criss Angel, and Penn and Teller are some of the hottest tickets in town. Their clever illusions and sleight of hand are designed to trick the eye — and all while deceiving the audience that it’s possible to make an elephant disappear into thin air. The crowd knows that there must be a trick, yet they still want to believe the incredible. Meanwhile, the magician never reveals the truth behind the smoke and mirrors.

A different kind of revelation is when our eyes are opened to a spiritual truth that changes everything. For Christ-followers, that can happen when God shows us that we're going down

the wrong path in some area of life. Then there's the ultimate eye-opener: when non-believers finally awaken to their need for Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That's not just life changing — it's eternal.

When God's light breaks through, the truth is revealed and we can finally see through the haze. Unfortunately, the world still prefers to remain deceived. What’s more, sometimes the deception is self-inflicted.

For example, following your heart is a favorite plot line found in novels, TV shows and romantic comedies. It’s here that the lead character spontaneously pulls up stakes and leaves their career, friends and home to live out their fantasies in some faraway, exotic location. A romantic love interest often fits into the equation — but logic never does.

Such dreamlike scenarios sell movie tickets and boost TV ratings. But in the real world, following your heart without thinking it through can lead to heartache.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower,” Jesus once asked the crowds that followed him from town to town. “Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”

We find the explanation for our delusion in the Book of Jeremiah. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure,” declares the Old Testament prophet. “Who can understand it?”

This means to some extent, we all suffer from a spiritual heart condition. And although we fall far short of God’s high standards, the thoughts, words and deeds of true Christ-followers tend to reflect the inner workings of his power through the Holy Spirit. So when that day comes when we meet Jesus face-to-face, let’s hope that our encounter will be like that of Nathanael, one of Christ’s original disciples.

“Now here is a true man of Israel,” proclaimed Jesus when he first met his future follower. “There is no deceit in him!”

Nathanael was stunned by these words because he had never seen Jesus. But as God in human form, Jesus knew everything about Nathanael — just as intimately as he knows about our own thoughts and motives.

So here’s the question: Are we living in the truth — or are we following our heart? Let’s not be self-deceived.