Proverbs 12:20
Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil;
joy fills hearts that are planning peace!
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Recently, a man in Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping and confinement of three young women who he held hostage and abused for more than a decade. Captured between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16, and 20, these women were freed in May 2013, when one of the women managed to escape and secure help. During sentencing, the captor was given a chance to speak in court. He launched into a lengthy “explanation” of how he was not a bad person… but rather a victim of his own sexual abuse - and subject to impulsive behavior. He maintained that he was not a violent person, and he tried to claim that he and the women shared a “normal family” relationship.
What a perfect example this is of someone who plotted evil and filled his heart with deceit! In fact, one of the victims spoke in court and labeled this man a hypocrite for attending church services every Sunday… and coming home to torture them afterward. Clearly, this is a sick, evil individual. I cannot imagine that he has an ounce of peace in his heart.
As upsetting and disgusting as this story is, we must remember that horrible, evil incidents like this have occurred since even Old Testament times. The devil is alive and well… and he loves to fill hearts with deceit. Lest we start slinging mud too fast and far, we should stop and acknowledge that we all have a propensity for deceit. Thankfully, most of us are not kidnappers and rapists… but we plot evil just the same.
When we “call in sick” so that we can do something fun, we are deceitful. When we make up excuses for friends, family members, co-workers, teachers, and others, we are devious, at best. Many of us lie, cheat and steal in some form or another all week long, then attend church on Sunday like the most pious of believers! Often, we tiptoe from one lie to the next… scared to death we will be “found out”… and stressed to the max as we try to juggle all of the deceptions we have created. Think of the adage by Scottish author and novelist, Sir Walter Scott (1771 – 1832)… “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Where is the peace in this statement?
I have to believe that the women this man captured clung to the hope of peace someday… that they planned for it… dreamed of it… and believed that peace would once again be theirs. If they experienced even the briefest moments of joy, these surely were found in thoughts of being free and reunited with family members and friends. And I ask you… how do you plan for peace? What do you anticipate… what is the focus of your hopes and dreams… where do you place your hope? I have no clue how you answer these questions, but I can tell you that my ambitions and aspirations ultimately begin and end with Jesus. I don’t know what my future holds… but I know that He holds my future. I don’t know where or how joy will come, but I know that He will ensure that my heart is filled.
A dear friend of mine told me just today that “I am wondering now how anyone functions without being covered in the Peace of God. Thank goodness He is growing me daily, carries my burdens, and leads me with a growing clarity.” My question for you today is this… “Who grows you daily, carries your burdens, and leads you with a growing clarity? Are you covered in God’s peace? Is your heart filled with His joy… or do you still make room there for the devil?” Won’t you stop and think about this today? Will you ask God to show you how and where you need to change your attitude… and your objectives? Will this be the day you begin to fill your heart with God’s joy by planning peace?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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