God desires us to overcome our human nature and grow, but we tend to place major hurdles in the way of accomplishing this. Here are impediments to overcoming.

In our relationship with God, we must emphasize principle over pragmatism. If we are led into deception, it is because our carnal nature wanted it that way.

Satan is capable of much greater complexity than man is. Still, we can envision how Satan deceives by considering some of the strategies in the world around us.

Our world is full of lies, and many are ignorant of just how much deceit is out there. The best way to resist deception is being convicted of the truth.

On the heels of self-deception and self-justification often comes self-righteousness. This occurs when we set our own standards rather than God's.

A new lie alleges that a tomb has been found with the remains of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and their alleged son Judah. It may undermine the faith of many.

Self-exaltation was one of the sins that got Satan in trouble. Conversely, we are to humble ourselves so God can exalt us in due time.

A great impediment to overcoming our sins is self-justification. We tend to excuse ourselves for what we do, and this only makes it harder to become like God.

The lessons of the book of Job, which carry distinct New Covenant insights, applies to all. Job was complete, yet had spiritually stalled.

II Timothy 3:1-5 contains 19 characteristics of carnality. The common denominator is self-absorption and pride, placing the self above others.

Religious hucksters use the bait of self-gratification, selling non-essential or even heretical ideas. The elect resist deception by knowing the real article.

It is natural, as age increases, for a person to feel the end creeping up on him or her, and we begin asking how, when, where, and what is to be our end.

We must take a closer look at ourselves, inviting God into the vetting process, recognizing the difference between what we are and how we present ourselves.

In any sin, deceit is involved. Society considers lying as a whole to be harmless. Everyone does it, so it must be okay, right?

Jesus warned His disciples to cease pretending to be better than they are, focusing on the faults of others while whitewashing and justifying one's own.

As Moses had to veil his luminous face, so, metaphorically, the God of this age mercifully blinds carnal individual for now because light hurts their eyes.

Jesus Christ wants His people to look for and recognize the signs of the times, including rampant deception in the world and, sadly, even in the church.

God alone possesses truth and we must seek this truth as we would seek precious gems. Pride could be described as disagreement with the truth.

The Good Samaritan parable teaches that unless one practices doing good rather than just knowing good, his faith will be severely compromised.

A vicious circle begins with elevating ourselves in relation to God, which leads to our failure to submit. Separated from God, we then lie to ourselves, neglecting any opportunity for repentance.

The 'people of the lie' do not believe they have any major defects and, consequently, do not have any need to examine themselves, let alone change.

Laodiceanism, the prevalent attitude in God's church today, can be overcome if we submit to Christ's judgment rather than our flawed self-evaluation.

Christ warned that many would be deceived, though no one ever admits to being deceived. The Bible warns of deceptions from within and without the church.

'Functional' refers to fulfilling the role for what was intended or performing as designed. Functional families deal with conflict, avoiding abuse or neglect.

The world is so full of lying and other forms of deceit that 'bearing false witness' has become a way of life for the vast majority of humanity.

To avoid taking the Passover in an unworthy manner, we are to put ourselves on trial, making an ardent effort to detect our shortcomings.

A community can only be established upon a foundation of stability and truth. Our relationships must be based upon God's truth, producing faithfulness.

The Day of Atonement, when God commands us to afflict our souls, is a day of self-evaluation and repentance to seek unity with Him and our brethren.

God demands that we love, do justice, and walk humbly, assuming the role of a servant rather than a tyrant, after the manner of the Gentiles.

If we were to consciously monitor our thoughts, we would be appalled about the percentage of our day that we are exclusively wrapped up in ourselves.

We are so close to our sins that we cannot see the proverbial forest for the trees. We miss glaring faults in our character because of familiarity.

Conspiracies are characterized by two or more people who fear loss of status or power, believing that they are justified to remove the perceived threat.

God wants us to walk—live our lives—by faith, but our pride and vanity frequently get in the way. Critically, pride causes us to reject God and His Word.

We cannot measure how much evil the tongue has perpetrated, for falsehoods disguised as truth have destroyed reputations and even nations.

The sin of pride underlies many of our other sins, and it is often the reason for the contentions we get into as brethren.

Our human nature is pure vanity with a heart that is desperately deceitful and wicked, motivated by self-centeredness, a deadly combination for producing sin.

Satan uses lies and disinformation to promote self-satisfaction over obedience to God. The way to the kingdom is through self-denial, even suffering unjustly.

Religious narcissists, who identify with the servant who received ten talents, cherry-pick Scripture to enhance their self-love and support their views.

Christ cautions the Pergamos congregation to shun the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The Church suffers when it harbors those who compromise and offend.

We must embody truth as did Jesus Christ, absolutely refusing to bear false witness in our words, our behavior, and our cumulative reputation.

Many think keeping Christmas is fine, yet God never tells us to celebrate His Son's birth. Celebrating such an obvious mix of biblical truth and paganism is presumptuous.