The most dangerous thing about self-deception is that when we’re operating in it, we don’t even know that we’re being deceived. Failing to be true to what we believe is right causes us to rationalize and make excuses. Being true to our sense of what the right thing is relieves us from having to explain our actions; if we are false to our belief, then our excuses make the wrong thing that we’re doing appear right. Deceiving ourselves causes a disturbance in us that we can’t reconcile because deep down inside, we know exactly what we should do. Fooling ourselves in this manner results in spiritual blindness to the truth. This type of thinking is something we must beware of because it’s built into the world’s norms and values. The best way to avoid this trap is to follow through and live the Word of grace after hearing it; this powerfully internalizes the truth as it is now.
