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Creflo Dollar

Creflo Dollar - Defining Self-Deception

August 4, 2025 | 28:53

Creflo Dollar - Defining Self-Deception
Join the dynamic leadership and teaching of Dr. Creflo and Taffi Dollar.
#WordofGod #Wisdom #Foolishness #Deception #SelfImage #Truth #Inspirational #Generations

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Creflo Dollar | Creflo Dollar - Defining Self-Deception | August 4, 2025
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  • Coming up next on "changing your world."
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  • Creflo dollar: one level of deception will graduate you to
  • 00:00:12.515 --> 00:00:15.285
  • Another level of deception, and before you know it, you've
  • 00:00:15.285 --> 00:00:18.054
  • Become hardened in your heart and you don't even know that
  • 00:00:18.054 --> 00:00:20.890
  • Is--you don't even know you're deceived no more.
  • 00:00:20.890 --> 00:00:22.759
  • You are now officially believing the lie.
  • 00:00:22.759 --> 00:00:28.364
  • You'd be amazed how we lie to ourselves.
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  • Creflo: today i wanna deal with the subject,
  • 00:01:43.072 --> 00:01:45.842
  • "defining self-deception."
  • 00:01:45.842 --> 00:01:48.745
  • What is it, i don't wanna leave it
  • 00:01:48.745 --> 00:01:50.113
  • Up to everybody to come up with their own definition.
  • 00:01:50.113 --> 00:01:53.016
  • I want us to be on the same page.
  • 00:01:53.016 --> 00:01:55.652
  • And in 1 corinthians chapter 3, verse 18 in the king james, he
  • 00:01:55.652 --> 00:01:59.756
  • Says, "let no man deceive himself.
  • 00:01:59.756 --> 00:02:04.227
  • If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him
  • 00:02:04.227 --> 00:02:10.466
  • Become a fool, that he may be wise."
  • 00:02:10.466 --> 00:02:13.136
  • In other words, the man that's supposed to be wise in this
  • 00:02:13.136 --> 00:02:16.606
  • World is on the level of a fool when it comes to talking about
  • 00:02:16.606 --> 00:02:21.611
  • God's wisdom.
  • 00:02:21.611 --> 00:02:23.313
  • And he says, "let no man deceive himself."
  • 00:02:23.313 --> 00:02:28.818
  • Now, look at the same verse of scripture in the
  • 00:02:28.818 --> 00:02:31.020
  • Message translation.
  • 00:02:31.020 --> 00:02:35.191
  • "let no man deceive himself."
  • 00:02:35.191 --> 00:02:39.162
  • The message translation says, "don't fool yourself."
  • 00:02:39.162 --> 00:02:45.435
  • Now, i know we're all quick to say, "well, i'm not fooling
  • 00:02:45.435 --> 00:02:48.438
  • Myself," but you don't really know if you're fooling yourself
  • 00:02:48.438 --> 00:02:50.673
  • 'cause you might be deceived.
  • 00:02:50.673 --> 00:02:52.041
  • If you're deceived, you don't know that.
  • 00:02:52.041 --> 00:02:56.145
  • "don't fool yourself.
  • 00:02:56.145 --> 00:02:57.513
  • Don't think that you can be wise merely by being relevant.
  • 00:02:57.513 --> 00:03:03.786
  • Be god's fool," yeah, boy.
  • 00:03:03.786 --> 00:03:08.224
  • "that's the path to true wisdom.
  • 00:03:08.224 --> 00:03:10.893
  • What the world calls smart, god calls stupid."
  • 00:03:10.893 --> 00:03:17.700
  • He said, "it's written in scripture, he exposes the hype
  • 00:03:17.700 --> 00:03:22.472
  • Of the hipsters.
  • 00:03:22.472 --> 00:03:24.307
  • The master sees through the smoke screen of
  • 00:03:24.307 --> 00:03:28.745
  • The know-it-alls."
  • 00:03:28.745 --> 00:03:31.648
  • There's a lot of smoke screens that are up in this day
  • 00:03:31.648 --> 00:03:34.317
  • And time.
  • 00:03:34.317 --> 00:03:35.652
  • A lot of smoke screens that are up on social media platforms.
  • 00:03:35.652 --> 00:03:39.422
  • A lot of smokers screens that are up and he says, "god sees
  • 00:03:39.422 --> 00:03:45.395
  • Through the smoke screens."
  • 00:03:45.395 --> 00:03:48.564
  • And he wants to work with us so we can see through the
  • 00:03:48.564 --> 00:03:51.334
  • Smoke screens.
  • 00:03:51.334 --> 00:03:53.670
  • He wants to work with us so we'll stop fooling ourselves.
  • 00:03:53.670 --> 00:04:00.243
  • Now, let's look at 1 corinthians 15:33 in the king james.
  • 00:04:00.243 --> 00:04:04.681
  • 1 corinthians 15 and 33 in the king james.
  • 00:04:04.681 --> 00:04:09.786
  • And i'm gonna spend the rest of the time--we're gonna--we gotta
  • 00:04:09.786 --> 00:04:12.188
  • Talk about what this is, how this works.
  • 00:04:12.188 --> 00:04:16.326
  • I need you to understand that.
  • 00:04:16.326 --> 00:04:18.227
  • This is not gonna be a hallelujah, let's do a cartwheel
  • 00:04:18.227 --> 00:04:20.697
  • And dance in the holy ghost for a minute because i'm trying to
  • 00:04:20.697 --> 00:04:24.100
  • Get you to see you.
  • 00:04:24.100 --> 00:04:27.570
  • He says again, "be not deceived."
  • 00:04:27.570 --> 00:04:31.974
  • Well, what's the deception here?
  • 00:04:31.974 --> 00:04:33.910
  • "evil communication corrupts good manners."
  • 00:04:33.910 --> 00:04:37.547
  • So, what happens is, we think it's okay for us to hang
  • 00:04:37.547 --> 00:04:40.483
  • Around anything.
  • 00:04:40.483 --> 00:04:42.452
  • And he says, "you're being deceived because it corrupts
  • 00:04:42.452 --> 00:04:45.355
  • The manners."
  • 00:04:45.355 --> 00:04:46.989
  • You hang around evil communication.
  • 00:04:46.989 --> 00:04:48.691
  • Now that's just not like evil talking, that's a part of it,
  • 00:04:48.691 --> 00:04:52.028
  • But it's also talking about lifestyle, and the way you carry
  • 00:04:52.028 --> 00:04:56.432
  • Yourself, and care--evil communication, evil
  • 00:04:56.432 --> 00:05:00.536
  • Communication corrupts.
  • 00:05:00.536 --> 00:05:03.206
  • It corrupts but we don't think it does.
  • 00:05:03.206 --> 00:05:06.109
  • So, we hang around anything and we don't think it's gonna
  • 00:05:06.109 --> 00:05:10.179
  • Corrupt us until one day shows up and you sound just like them.
  • 00:05:10.179 --> 00:05:15.885
  • Until one day shows up and you acting like them.
  • 00:05:15.885 --> 00:05:18.287
  • Until one day shows up and now the norms and values of the
  • 00:05:18.287 --> 00:05:22.058
  • World have become your normal and it's become what you value
  • 00:05:22.058 --> 00:05:25.895
  • Because you've been hanging around people who say, "well, i
  • 00:05:25.895 --> 00:05:27.964
  • Don't agree with what y'all say in church, but i agree
  • 00:05:27.964 --> 00:05:30.700
  • With this."
  • 00:05:30.700 --> 00:05:32.769
  • And then we go from the place where it's no longer god's
  • 00:05:32.769 --> 00:05:36.305
  • Absolute truth.
  • 00:05:36.305 --> 00:05:38.875
  • So, we don't agree with god's absolute truth, we agree with,
  • 00:05:38.875 --> 00:05:41.778
  • "well, i've got my truth, and you have your truth," and your
  • 00:05:41.778 --> 00:05:44.814
  • Truth is just a lie.
  • 00:05:44.814 --> 00:05:48.451
  • It--really what it is is what you have come to realize about
  • 00:05:48.451 --> 00:05:51.754
  • Yourself and you call it your truth.
  • 00:05:51.754 --> 00:05:55.024
  • But there's a truth that can deliver you from your truth,
  • 00:05:55.024 --> 00:06:01.397
  • I'm in.
  • 00:06:01.397 --> 00:06:03.232
  • So, this is gonna be interesting how you hear something and know
  • 00:06:03.232 --> 00:06:10.106
  • It's you.
  • 00:06:10.106 --> 00:06:12.108
  • How you hear something and know, "wow, that's me."
  • 00:06:12.108 --> 00:06:17.680
  • I want you to know it was not a comfortable thing for me to
  • 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:22.485
  • Prepare these teachings because i kept seeing me.
  • 00:06:22.485 --> 00:06:28.591
  • The good news is, i was able to see me versus when you're
  • 00:06:28.591 --> 00:06:32.795
  • Deceived you can't see you.
  • 00:06:32.795 --> 00:06:36.499
  • Are you following me now?
  • 00:06:36.499 --> 00:06:39.335
  • So, let's give a definition for self-deception as we work
  • 00:06:39.335 --> 00:06:44.774
  • Towards this.
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  • Self-deception, it's when someone convinces themselves of
  • 00:06:46.809 --> 00:06:53.115
  • Something that isn't true.
  • 00:06:53.115 --> 00:06:56.185
  • When someone convinces themselves of something that
  • 00:06:56.185 --> 00:06:58.454
  • Isn't true or they avoid acknowledging a truth they find
  • 00:06:58.454 --> 00:07:05.094
  • Uncomfortable, self-deception.
  • 00:07:05.094 --> 00:07:08.664
  • You convince yourself that something--of something that
  • 00:07:08.664 --> 00:07:13.102
  • Isn't true and you avoid acknowledging a truth that you
  • 00:07:13.102 --> 00:07:19.675
  • Find uncomfortable.
  • 00:07:19.675 --> 00:07:22.044
  • You avoid acknowledging the truth that you exaggerate.
  • 00:07:22.044 --> 00:07:29.151
  • "no, i don't."
  • 00:07:29.151 --> 00:07:30.486
  • You won't even look at it before you deny it real
  • 00:07:30.486 --> 00:07:31.954
  • Quick, self-deception.
  • 00:07:31.954 --> 00:07:35.925
  • Here's the next definition.
  • 00:07:35.925 --> 00:07:38.861
  • Self-deception is hiding the truth from ourselves about our
  • 00:07:38.861 --> 00:07:42.999
  • True feelings, our motives, and our circumstances.
  • 00:07:42.999 --> 00:07:45.902
  • So, when you're deceived, you wanna hide the truth about you.
  • 00:07:45.902 --> 00:07:51.107
  • The truth about your feelings, your true feelings, your
  • 00:07:51.107 --> 00:07:53.943
  • True feelings.
  • 00:07:53.943 --> 00:07:55.444
  • You wanna hide the truth about your true motives, your true
  • 00:07:55.444 --> 00:07:59.515
  • Motives, the reason why you're doing what you're doing.
  • 00:07:59.515 --> 00:08:02.852
  • "well, that's big."
  • 00:08:02.852 --> 00:08:04.186
  • And you wanna hide the truth about your circumstances.
  • 00:08:04.186 --> 00:08:09.358
  • And sometimes we hide the truth about these things.
  • 00:08:09.358 --> 00:08:14.497
  • We hide it behind scripture.
  • 00:08:14.497 --> 00:08:16.599
  • Does everybody know what i'm talking about?
  • 00:08:16.599 --> 00:08:18.701
  • Certain things go on and you pull a scripture up right quick
  • 00:08:18.701 --> 00:08:21.037
  • And you don't really believe it, you just--it's good to hide
  • 00:08:21.037 --> 00:08:23.839
  • Behind, okay.
  • 00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:26.042
  • So, you don't share--you don't face the truth about
  • 00:08:26.042 --> 00:08:30.446
  • Your feelings.
  • 00:08:30.446 --> 00:08:32.315
  • And we've been taught that for a long time.
  • 00:08:32.315 --> 00:08:33.950
  • We were taught in the church that, you know, as a christian
  • 00:08:33.950 --> 00:08:36.986
  • You should be emotionless.
  • 00:08:36.986 --> 00:08:38.588
  • I can't tell you how far from the truth that is.
  • 00:08:38.588 --> 00:08:42.224
  • The day you start acknowledging and recognizing your true
  • 00:08:42.224 --> 00:08:46.696
  • Feelings and your true emotions, the better you're gonna be.
  • 00:08:46.696 --> 00:08:50.433
  • But as long as you're going around and somebody says, "how
  • 00:08:50.433 --> 00:08:52.435
  • You feel?"
  • 00:08:52.435 --> 00:08:53.803
  • "oh, i'm blessed of the lord and highly favored."
  • 00:08:53.803 --> 00:08:55.137
  • Now i understand you're trying to speak faith, but let me show
  • 00:08:55.137 --> 00:08:58.140
  • You how to do that, okay.
  • 00:08:58.140 --> 00:09:00.209
  • Let me show--you won't hide behind the scripture.
  • 00:09:00.209 --> 00:09:02.411
  • "well, how you doing today?"
  • 00:09:02.411 --> 00:09:03.879
  • "well, i'm feeling a little down and i've been dealing with
  • 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:09.585
  • Some depression.
  • 00:09:09.585 --> 00:09:11.420
  • But i believe that god has already made a way for me to get
  • 00:09:11.420 --> 00:09:15.491
  • Out of that."
  • 00:09:15.491 --> 00:09:17.760
  • You follow what i'm saying?
  • 00:09:17.760 --> 00:09:19.095
  • So you're not hiding behind the scripture.
  • 00:09:19.095 --> 00:09:22.598
  • You're standing on the scripture.
  • 00:09:22.598 --> 00:09:26.002
  • At the same time you're acknowledging your
  • 00:09:26.002 --> 00:09:28.804
  • True feelings.
  • 00:09:28.804 --> 00:09:30.339
  • Or maybe you're looking at your your motives.
  • 00:09:30.339 --> 00:09:32.642
  • Why did you do what you're doing?
  • 00:09:32.642 --> 00:09:34.543
  • We do the same thing with scripture.
  • 00:09:34.543 --> 00:09:36.145
  • Why did you do what you're doing?
  • 00:09:36.145 --> 00:09:37.480
  • "well, i'm doing it to glorify god."
  • 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:38.948
  • No, you're not.
  • 00:09:38.948 --> 00:09:40.282
  • You're doing it because you hope you get the business and get the
  • 00:09:40.282 --> 00:09:42.852
  • Money from it.
  • 00:09:42.852 --> 00:09:48.624
  • 'cause something happens if you keep this up.
  • 00:09:48.624 --> 00:09:52.628
  • One level of deception will graduate you to another level of
  • 00:09:52.628 --> 00:09:56.132
  • Deception, and before you know it, you've become hardened in
  • 00:09:56.132 --> 00:09:59.035
  • Your heart and you don't even know that is--you don't even
  • 00:09:59.035 --> 00:10:01.704
  • Know you're deceived no more.
  • 00:10:01.704 --> 00:10:03.039
  • You are now officially believing the lie.
  • 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:08.444
  • You'd be amazed how we lie to ourselves.
  • 00:10:08.444 --> 00:10:13.916
  • I recently made my mind up because--yes, yes, i don't--it
  • 00:10:13.916 --> 00:10:17.987
  • Doesn't mean to be rugged, it doesn't mean to be mean, you can
  • 00:10:17.987 --> 00:10:23.025
  • Speak the truth in love and you gotta learn how to do that.
  • 00:10:23.025 --> 00:10:27.029
  • You gotta speak the truth in love because i was so concerned
  • 00:10:27.029 --> 00:10:30.499
  • About, "i don't wanna hurt your feelings.
  • 00:10:30.499 --> 00:10:33.469
  • I don't wanna disrupt anything."
  • 00:10:33.469 --> 00:10:35.671
  • So, i'm gonna tell you something that's not really the
  • 00:10:35.671 --> 00:10:38.774
  • Whole truth.
  • 00:10:38.774 --> 00:10:40.142
  • And then i was in prayer one time, god said, "that's called
  • 00:10:40.142 --> 00:10:42.078
  • A lie."
  • 00:10:42.078 --> 00:10:45.414
  • I said, "but lord, if i say this they're gonna freak."
  • 00:10:45.414 --> 00:10:48.050
  • He says, "no, i'll take care of that.
  • 00:10:48.050 --> 00:10:49.985
  • You just do it in love."
  • 00:10:49.985 --> 00:10:52.688
  • "well, how do i do it?"
  • 00:10:52.688 --> 00:10:54.056
  • Listen, i love you and i appreciate you so much.
  • 00:10:54.056 --> 00:10:56.826
  • But the truth of the matter is your breath stinks.
  • 00:10:56.826 --> 00:11:05.768
  • How do you do that?
  • 00:11:05.768 --> 00:11:07.103
  • How do you tell somebody that you have to see every single day
  • 00:11:07.103 --> 00:11:09.739
  • In your face and they have chronic halitosis.
  • 00:11:09.739 --> 00:11:13.809
  • You're not helping them.
  • 00:11:13.809 --> 00:11:17.646
  • They might even recognize it.
  • 00:11:17.646 --> 00:11:18.981
  • They gargle, they did everything they could do.
  • 00:11:18.981 --> 00:11:20.883
  • They don't know that.
  • 00:11:20.883 --> 00:11:23.886
  • Man, i'm looking for an honest church.
  • 00:11:23.886 --> 00:11:27.223
  • I'm looking for people who know how to be, you know, cordial in
  • 00:11:27.223 --> 00:11:32.495
  • What you do.
  • 00:11:32.495 --> 00:11:33.863
  • Not mean, not disruptive, not just bodacious.
  • 00:11:33.863 --> 00:11:38.400
  • But lord help me, show me how to articulate this truth because
  • 00:11:38.400 --> 00:11:44.740
  • Confrontation brings about growth both for the person who
  • 00:11:44.740 --> 00:11:48.644
  • Confronts and the person who's being confronted but we're
  • 00:11:48.644 --> 00:11:51.313
  • Scared of that kind of stuff.
  • 00:11:51.313 --> 00:11:52.848
  • And we most of the time just turn to scripture to use it to
  • 00:11:52.848 --> 00:11:55.618
  • Hide behind.
  • 00:11:55.618 --> 00:11:57.253
  • Now i know this ain't gonna be one of them hallelujah do a
  • 00:11:57.253 --> 00:11:59.789
  • Cartwheel service.
  • 00:11:59.789 --> 00:12:02.525
  • But at least your eyes are gonna be open to who you really
  • 00:12:02.525 --> 00:12:04.894
  • Are, amen.
  • 00:12:04.894 --> 00:12:09.632
  • Here's the next one.
  • 00:12:09.632 --> 00:12:11.200
  • When we're deceiving ourselves we're denying evidence.
  • 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:15.938
  • When we're deceiving ourselves, we're denying evidence, we're
  • 00:12:15.938 --> 00:12:19.041
  • Denying logic.
  • 00:12:19.041 --> 00:12:21.277
  • When we're deceiving ourselves, we're denying reality.
  • 00:12:21.277 --> 00:12:25.080
  • And then what happens?
  • 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:26.415
  • And rationalizing choices or behaviors to serve us a
  • 00:12:26.415 --> 00:12:29.685
  • False narrative.
  • 00:12:29.685 --> 00:12:31.120
  • We're not seeing or viewing things accurately.
  • 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:35.057
  • Now when you're rationalizing something--and this is how you
  • 00:12:35.057 --> 00:12:39.395
  • Deceive yourself when you start rationalizing.
  • 00:12:39.395 --> 00:12:42.498
  • To rationalize is an attempt to explain or to justify your own
  • 00:12:42.498 --> 00:12:48.571
  • Or another's behavior or an attitude with logic or plausible
  • 00:12:48.571 --> 00:12:52.975
  • Reasons even if these are not true or even if they're
  • 00:12:52.975 --> 00:12:55.878
  • Not appropriate.
  • 00:12:55.878 --> 00:12:57.246
  • It's basically an excuse.
  • 00:12:57.246 --> 00:13:00.850
  • You're basically saying, "i'm gonna give you an explanation,"
  • 00:13:00.850 --> 00:13:04.353
  • Or "i'm gonna justify this behavior that i have.
  • 00:13:04.353 --> 00:13:07.790
  • I'm gonna justify this attitude that i have.
  • 00:13:07.790 --> 00:13:11.093
  • And here's the reason why i have this attitude.
  • 00:13:11.093 --> 00:13:14.029
  • And even if it's not appropriate, even if it's not
  • 00:13:14.029 --> 00:13:16.532
  • True, you're deceiving yourself because you're denying
  • 00:13:16.532 --> 00:13:21.003
  • The evidence.
  • 00:13:21.003 --> 00:13:22.338
  • I mean, you're actually doing this thing, but you're denying
  • 00:13:22.338 --> 00:13:24.506
  • The evidence.
  • 00:13:24.506 --> 00:13:25.841
  • And you're trying to use excuses and rationalize your choices and
  • 00:13:25.841 --> 00:13:29.812
  • Your behaviors to serve that false narrative that you have.
  • 00:13:29.812 --> 00:13:34.416
  • And so, you gotta get up something to serve this false
  • 00:13:34.416 --> 00:13:36.986
  • Narrative that you carry.
  • 00:13:36.986 --> 00:13:38.320
  • You start--you believe in the story you tell yourself.
  • 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:41.257
  • We're not seeing or viewing things accurately.
  • 00:13:41.257 --> 00:13:45.895
  • There's one thing i noticed about this generation.
  • 00:13:45.895 --> 00:13:47.663
  • They're not viewing things accurately.
  • 00:13:47.663 --> 00:13:51.200
  • They're not viewing--they're not seeing things accurately.
  • 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:54.370
  • You know, it's like, you know, you're fired.
  • 00:13:54.370 --> 00:13:57.206
  • Why are you fired?
  • 00:13:57.206 --> 00:13:58.574
  • 'cause you came to church--you came to your job late ten times.
  • 00:13:58.574 --> 00:14:03.212
  • "i was only late for two minutes."
  • 00:14:03.212 --> 00:14:04.947
  • "dude, who said two minutes was okay?"
  • 00:14:04.947 --> 00:14:10.185
  • You're not viewing things accurately.
  • 00:14:10.185 --> 00:14:13.122
  • I mean, you're walking around like you are a model in a
  • 00:14:13.122 --> 00:14:16.659
  • Magazine and you--you're not seeing things accurately.
  • 00:14:16.659 --> 00:14:24.333
  • And you're rationalizing these things to try to justify a
  • 00:14:24.333 --> 00:14:30.673
  • False narrative.
  • 00:14:30.673 --> 00:14:34.543
  • Gotta stop doing that. it's not working.
  • 00:14:34.543 --> 00:14:39.214
  • Let me go on a little further so i can show you the things
  • 00:14:39.214 --> 00:14:41.350
  • That happen.
  • 00:14:41.350 --> 00:14:42.718
  • Self-deception is often a defense mechanism.
  • 00:14:42.718 --> 00:14:45.721
  • It's used for self protection.
  • 00:14:45.721 --> 00:14:48.824
  • And it can be used for self enhancement as well, but most of
  • 00:14:48.824 --> 00:14:51.593
  • The time it's to defend something.
  • 00:14:51.593 --> 00:14:55.798
  • Why are you in self-deception?
  • 00:14:55.798 --> 00:14:57.967
  • I know it's a defense mechanism.
  • 00:14:57.967 --> 00:15:01.103
  • And so, when i see people walking in self-deception and
  • 00:15:01.103 --> 00:15:05.941
  • They're deceiving themselves, the first thing i think is,
  • 00:15:05.941 --> 00:15:09.545
  • "what are they defending?
  • 00:15:09.545 --> 00:15:11.313
  • What happened?"
  • 00:15:11.313 --> 00:15:13.148
  • Why do they feel the need to walk in this deception?
  • 00:15:13.148 --> 00:15:17.353
  • Why is this being used as a defense mechanism
  • 00:15:17.353 --> 00:15:21.023
  • For self-protection?
  • 00:15:21.023 --> 00:15:22.391
  • What went on?"
  • 00:15:22.391 --> 00:15:25.127
  • It is often--becomes a form of--when you do that, when you
  • 00:15:25.127 --> 00:15:29.531
  • Use that like--that way, it becomes a form of sabotage and
  • 00:15:29.531 --> 00:15:33.802
  • Betrayal of yourself.
  • 00:15:33.802 --> 00:15:36.872
  • Sabotage and betraying yourself because--why?
  • 00:15:36.872 --> 00:15:40.509
  • It's denying reality.
  • 00:15:40.509 --> 00:15:43.412
  • It's denying what's real and what's true.
  • 00:15:43.412 --> 00:15:46.648
  • And when we deceive ourselves, we become our own enemy posing
  • 00:15:46.648 --> 00:15:51.353
  • As a friend.
  • 00:15:51.353 --> 00:15:58.894
  • I need to say that again.
  • 00:15:58.894 --> 00:16:00.229
  • When we deceive ourselves, we become our own enemy posing as
  • 00:16:00.229 --> 00:16:08.103
  • A friend.
  • 00:16:08.103 --> 00:16:09.438
  • It's not gonna end up right.
  • 00:16:09.438 --> 00:16:12.241
  • Eventually, you're gonna have to see the sabotage and you're
  • 00:16:12.241 --> 00:16:16.311
  • Gonna have to see the destruction of what comes when
  • 00:16:16.311 --> 00:16:21.784
  • You keep doing that.
  • 00:16:21.784 --> 00:16:24.053
  • Self-deception can involve denial of a hard truth,
  • 00:16:24.053 --> 00:16:29.691
  • Minimizing of painful matters.
  • 00:16:29.691 --> 00:16:32.961
  • See that defense mechanism?
  • 00:16:32.961 --> 00:16:35.631
  • Or projection of faults on the others.
  • 00:16:35.631 --> 00:16:39.234
  • A lot of times when people are in self-deception, blame becomes
  • 00:16:39.234 --> 00:16:43.238
  • The name of their game.
  • 00:16:43.238 --> 00:16:45.874
  • I'm in self-deception, so is you, and you, and you.
  • 00:16:45.874 --> 00:16:49.812
  • And it's you, and it's you, and it's y'all.
  • 00:16:49.812 --> 00:16:54.750
  • And it's what y'all did.
  • 00:16:54.750 --> 00:16:57.219
  • And y'all--if y'all had raised me right, then i wouldn't have
  • 00:16:57.219 --> 00:16:59.888
  • No problems.
  • 00:16:59.888 --> 00:17:01.790
  • Can i get a witness in here?
  • 00:17:01.790 --> 00:17:05.928
  • Okay, i never claimed to be a perfect father or parent.
  • 00:17:05.928 --> 00:17:12.434
  • So, whatever i didn't do right--'cause i had parents and
  • 00:17:12.434 --> 00:17:15.804
  • My parents were not perfect and they were not flawless.
  • 00:17:15.804 --> 00:17:20.776
  • And they did things that i wondered about, and you know.
  • 00:17:20.776 --> 00:17:25.147
  • But you know, i wasn't allowed to express myself.
  • 00:17:25.147 --> 00:17:31.887
  • See, the kids today, they're being trained to express
  • 00:17:31.887 --> 00:17:34.790
  • Themselves and their parents are raising them up so they
  • 00:17:34.790 --> 00:17:36.925
  • Could--now i understand that you wanna--you want your kids to be
  • 00:17:36.925 --> 00:17:39.361
  • Able to express themselves, but they need to know--they need to
  • 00:17:39.361 --> 00:17:42.197
  • Have some wisdom.
  • 00:17:42.197 --> 00:17:45.601
  • See, i had--i tried expressing myself one morning when i was on
  • 00:17:45.601 --> 00:17:50.105
  • My way to school.
  • 00:17:50.105 --> 00:17:52.674
  • And that was the days when you had to get your parents to sign
  • 00:17:52.674 --> 00:17:55.744
  • Your report card.
  • 00:17:55.744 --> 00:17:59.248
  • And my dad looked at the report card and signed it.
  • 00:17:59.248 --> 00:18:02.584
  • And i did pretty good but i had a c on something.
  • 00:18:02.584 --> 00:18:05.754
  • It was a hard subject physics or something.
  • 00:18:05.754 --> 00:18:08.190
  • And he said, "you need to bring that up."
  • 00:18:08.190 --> 00:18:09.525
  • I'm like, "you"--i said, "well, you probably couldn't have did
  • 00:18:09.525 --> 00:18:11.727
  • No be no better than what i did."
  • 00:18:11.727 --> 00:18:13.962
  • Oh, yeah i did, i did.
  • 00:18:13.962 --> 00:18:15.964
  • And there was something sudden that happened.
  • 00:18:15.964 --> 00:18:21.603
  • All of a sudden, blackness filled the room.
  • 00:18:21.603 --> 00:18:27.075
  • I felt like i was floating and stars came.
  • 00:18:27.075 --> 00:18:32.047
  • And i realized i had been knocked out.
  • 00:18:32.047 --> 00:18:40.088
  • I was never enthusiastic about expressing myself after
  • 00:18:42.591 --> 00:18:46.094
  • That day.
  • 00:18:46.094 --> 00:18:54.436
  • And so, even though i got knocked out, i didn't call
  • 00:18:54.436 --> 00:18:59.408
  • Nobody and say, "that was abuse."
  • 00:18:59.408 --> 00:19:04.012
  • I thought it was a necessary correction, it worked.
  • 00:19:04.012 --> 00:19:12.454
  • I don't advise anybody to do that.
  • 00:19:12.454 --> 00:19:14.189
  • Don't go around here talking about, "pastor recommending for
  • 00:19:14.189 --> 00:19:16.592
  • His church to knock their children out."
  • 00:19:16.592 --> 00:19:22.030
  • Well, you know, in the old testament when the children
  • 00:19:22.030 --> 00:19:24.032
  • Acted up, they would bring them out of the house in the village
  • 00:19:24.032 --> 00:19:27.936
  • And everybody in the village would stone them to death.
  • 00:19:27.936 --> 00:19:33.842
  • I ain't saying do none of that.
  • 00:19:33.842 --> 00:19:38.480
  • What i am saying is that whatever they did wrong or
  • 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:45.254
  • Didn't do right, it was up to me to grow up, meet jesus, and
  • 00:19:45.254 --> 00:19:52.861
  • Whatever i lacked from their parenting, he would take
  • 00:19:52.861 --> 00:19:56.365
  • Care of.
  • 00:19:56.365 --> 00:20:00.369
  • And so, the same way is true here.
  • 00:20:00.369 --> 00:20:02.938
  • Don't beat your parents up because you heard something
  • 00:20:02.938 --> 00:20:05.674
  • On tiktok.
  • 00:20:05.674 --> 00:20:07.242
  • And you got to see--'cause they told you, "you need to do this
  • 00:20:07.242 --> 00:20:09.945
  • With your parent and you need to do that with your parent."
  • 00:20:09.945 --> 00:20:11.680
  • Don't do none of that.
  • 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:14.950
  • Respect them 'cause they gave you life.
  • 00:20:13.215 --> 00:20:20.188
  • My mama made me go see my grandmama every week.
  • 00:20:20.188 --> 00:20:23.558
  • "i ain't feel like going see grandma every"--"you need to go
  • 00:20:23.558 --> 00:20:25.594
  • See her--" "why?"
  • 00:20:25.594 --> 00:20:26.928
  • "she ain't gonna be here always. you need to go see her."
  • 00:20:26.928 --> 00:20:28.730
  • That's the kind of stuff we were raised with.
  • 00:20:28.730 --> 00:20:33.468
  • So, we're not perfect parents.
  • 00:20:33.468 --> 00:20:36.238
  • You can take that off the plate.
  • 00:20:36.238 --> 00:20:37.706
  • Nobody in here is a perfect parent.
  • 00:20:37.706 --> 00:20:40.509
  • Everybody in here--and i don't know why our kids think
  • 00:20:40.509 --> 00:20:49.551
  • We're perfect.
  • 00:20:49.551 --> 00:20:51.887
  • It's like, "well, such and so such and so's mom and dad, they
  • 00:20:51.887 --> 00:20:54.956
  • Didn't do that."
  • 00:20:54.956 --> 00:20:56.425
  • "well go live with such and so such and so."
  • 00:20:56.425 --> 00:20:57.826
  • That what my dad would say.
  • 00:20:57.826 --> 00:20:59.194
  • "you don't like it here?
  • 00:20:59.194 --> 00:21:00.529
  • You go live with such and so such and so."
  • 00:21:00.529 --> 00:21:05.867
  • None of us are perfect so, you know, i'd have to tell my kids,
  • 00:21:05.867 --> 00:21:09.805
  • "whatever we did wrong or didn't do to your liking, make jesus
  • 00:21:09.805 --> 00:21:14.142
  • The lord of your life, and he'll fix whatever we didn't do right.
  • 00:21:14.142 --> 00:21:19.881
  • You need to trust in the lord."
  • 00:21:19.881 --> 00:21:23.652
  • But we got strange deception going on and this generation is
  • 00:21:23.652 --> 00:21:27.956
  • Rising up.
  • 00:21:27.956 --> 00:21:29.291
  • They're moving into the job market now.
  • 00:21:29.291 --> 00:21:32.094
  • And they don't wanna go to work.
  • 00:21:32.094 --> 00:21:34.730
  • And they don't wanna be on time.
  • 00:21:34.730 --> 00:21:37.065
  • And they wanna dress like they wanna dress.
  • 00:21:37.065 --> 00:21:39.868
  • And they wanna act like they wanna act.
  • 00:21:39.868 --> 00:21:42.204
  • And they wanna look at videos while they're at work.
  • 00:21:42.204 --> 00:21:45.207
  • And right now, there is a large number of gen zs that have been
  • 00:21:45.207 --> 00:21:50.045
  • Dismissed from the job market because people ain't ready to
  • 00:21:50.045 --> 00:21:53.615
  • Deal with it.
  • 00:21:53.615 --> 00:21:57.085
  • Now, on the other hand, they can start their own business and
  • 00:21:57.085 --> 00:22:00.422
  • They can do all that.
  • 00:22:00.422 --> 00:22:02.524
  • "i don't wanna work for you 'cause i'm a planner."
  • 00:22:02.524 --> 00:22:07.195
  • But the generation of--the gen z generation--two things
  • 00:22:07.195 --> 00:22:10.098
  • Will happen.
  • 00:22:10.098 --> 00:22:11.433
  • At the same time they're leaving church, there's a revival
  • 00:22:11.433 --> 00:22:14.236
  • Going on.
  • 00:22:14.236 --> 00:22:16.671
  • I don't understand it.
  • 00:22:16.671 --> 00:22:18.006
  • Whole bunch of gen zs getting saved and a lot of 'em leaving
  • 00:22:18.006 --> 00:22:21.576
  • Church, but a whole bunch of them getting saved.
  • 00:22:21.576 --> 00:22:24.246
  • I trust god with this next generation that it is gonna be
  • 00:22:24.246 --> 00:22:27.649
  • One of the greatest generations that have ever entered the
  • 00:22:27.649 --> 00:22:30.585
  • Planet, i do.
  • 00:22:30.585 --> 00:22:33.188
  • And you know what i asked god?
  • 00:22:33.188 --> 00:22:34.756
  • "give me patience."
  • 00:22:34.756 --> 00:22:39.461
  • Okay, so self-deception can involve denial of hard truths.
  • 00:22:39.461 --> 00:22:44.733
  • And you do that to minimize the painful matters.
  • 00:22:44.733 --> 00:22:48.837
  • Projections of faults on to other people.
  • 00:22:48.837 --> 00:22:51.907
  • Look at 1 corinthians chapter 3:18 in the nlt.
  • 00:22:51.907 --> 00:22:55.444
  • 1 corinthians 3:18 in the nlt.
  • 00:22:55.444 --> 00:22:59.848
  • I wanna make sure this first series goes--this first teaching
  • 00:22:59.848 --> 00:23:04.085
  • Goes well so that you'll know what we're talking about
  • 00:23:04.085 --> 00:23:06.288
  • Throughout this thing.
  • 00:23:06.288 --> 00:23:08.190
  • 1 corinthians 3:18 in the nlt.
  • 00:23:08.190 --> 00:23:12.427
  • He says, "stop deceiving yourselves.
  • 00:23:12.427 --> 00:23:18.834
  • Stop deceiving yourselves."
  • 00:23:18.834 --> 00:23:22.771
  • We need to figure out, "how do you know when you're
  • 00:23:22.771 --> 00:23:24.706
  • Deceiving yourself?"
  • 00:23:24.706 --> 00:23:26.475
  • He's telling us to stop.
  • 00:23:26.475 --> 00:23:27.843
  • It's pretty clear so far he's saying, "stop fooling yourself,
  • 00:23:27.843 --> 00:23:31.279
  • Stop deceiving yourself."
  • 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:33.381
  • Eventually we're gonna have to talk about, "well, how do we
  • 00:23:33.381 --> 00:23:35.517
  • Know we're deceiving ourselves?"
  • 00:23:35.517 --> 00:23:37.886
  • Announcer: self-deception leads us to believe lies, hardens our
  • 00:23:41.590 --> 00:23:45.026
  • Heart, and keeps us from the truth.
  • 00:23:45.026 --> 00:23:47.429
  • In his insightful five-message series, "defining
  • 00:23:47.429 --> 00:23:50.165
  • Self-deception," creflo dollar shows how to overcome the trap
  • 00:23:50.165 --> 00:23:54.035
  • Of fooling ourselves and see things from god's perspective.
  • 00:23:54.035 --> 00:23:57.472
  • This life-changing teaching is available as digital
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  • Code, or call the number on your screen to get yours.
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  • Announcer: god has given us a grace gift to help overcome the
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  • Limitations of our understanding
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  • Creflo: i think you would be amazed at what creflo dollar
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  • Ministry does every day around the world.
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  • Testimonies come in from all over about the impact we have.
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  • Their lives are changed and impacted for the better because
  • 00:24:54.796 --> 00:24:59.067
  • Of you, our givers.
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  • The seeds you sow into this ministry make a mark that can
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  • Never be erased and i wanna thank you so much for your
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  • Vision of this ministry to reach the world with the gospel of
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  • Creflo: salvation is the beginning of a new life for
  • 00:26:00.128 --> 00:26:02.631
  • A believer.
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  • It is from this point that we can move into the fullness of
  • 00:26:03.999 --> 00:26:07.435
  • Who god has called us to be and see the manifestation of the
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  • Finished works of jesus.
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  • It is one of my greatest pleasures to help people to
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  • Understand who christ is and to lead people to christ.
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  • If you would like salvation today, pray this prayer with me.
  • 00:26:21.249 --> 00:26:24.252
  • Very simple prayer.
  • 00:26:24.252 --> 00:26:25.620
  • "heavenly father, i believe in jesus.
  • 00:26:25.620 --> 00:26:29.324
  • I believe that he died, that he rose again, and that he
  • 00:26:29.324 --> 00:26:33.528
  • Lives today.
  • 00:26:33.528 --> 00:26:35.063
  • Come into my life, save me.
  • 00:26:35.063 --> 00:26:37.799
  • I receive you as my savior, in jesus's name, amen."
  • 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:43.204
  • Listen, if you prayed that prayer with me, that's how
  • 00:26:43.204 --> 00:26:45.707
  • Simple it is.
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  • Welcome to the family of god.
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  • Announcer: because of you, creflo dollar ministries is
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  • Providing a new understanding of grace and empowering change in
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  • The lives of millions of people every day.
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  • Thank you, partners and friends.
  • 00:27:03.158 --> 00:27:05.093
  • Your love and financial support makes it possible to bring this
  • 00:27:05.093 --> 00:27:08.697
  • Message into millions of homes all across the globe.
  • 00:27:08.697 --> 00:27:13.034
  • The preceding program was brought to you in part by the
  • 00:27:13.034 --> 00:27:15.537
  • Partners and friends of creflo dollar ministries.
  • 00:27:15.537 --> 00:27:18.406
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:27:18.406 --> 00:27:30.000