Topic: What’s Your Final Authority? [RICK WARREN Devotional 9 April 2021]

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What’s Your Final Authority?

“The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is.”

Jeremiah 17:9 (GW)One fundamental question in life stands above all others.

What will have the final authority in your life?

Will it be your parents? Or your peers? Maybe your friends or your career? Perhaps the books you read? The people you follow on social media? What about the movies or shows you watch, or the songs you listen to?

All of these sources will shape your values if you let them—and your values ultimately determine what has final authority in your life.

So, what will it be for you? God allows you to decide. He’s given you free will.

Most of your authority options fall into these three categories:

Your opinions: You can depend on your gut to tell you what to do. But there’s a problem with that. Studies show your perceptions are more likely to be wrong than right. In fact, sometimes you even lie to yourself. The Bible says, “The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is” (Jeremiah 17:9 GW).

The world: You can depend on what other people think to determine your values. However, people often value the wrong things. For instance, the world emphasizes beauty over character, tells you to pursue whatever feels good, and declares that whoever has the most possessions wins. You’re bombarded with these worldly values through all sorts of media—so much so that it’s easy to start thinking God put you on this planet to look good, feel good, and get stuff. But that couldn’t be further from the truth!

God’s Word: God’s Word is objective and truthful—unlike your own perceptions or the world’s opinions. God’s Word says, “If you continue in My word . . . you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NASB).

The choice is clear. There’s only one authority that’s always reliable and will never lead you astray. Decide today to allow God’s Word to shape your values. Give it the final authority in your life.

• Why is the choice of authority so critical?
• When have you allowed your own perceptions or the world’s opinions to have authority above God’s Word? What have the results been?
• When have you allowed God’s Word to have final authority? What have the results been?

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