May 25, 2026 Devo

Here’s a riddle for you: When is light not light and when is warmth not warmth? Answer? When the light you see is just an illusion, and when the warmth you feel is when you’re actually freezing to death. The crazy thing is that both of these actually happen!
A person who is dying of thirst walking through the desert can sometimes “see” an oasis just ahead. But it’s not an oasis. It’s an image that’s created by a combination of the reflection of the sun off the sand and the brain reacting to the body’s dehydration. In the same way, as crazy as it seems, people who are freezing to death can suddenly feel a burst of heat. It’s caused by the warm blood from the core of the body suddenly rushing back to the surface skin. Some people who experience this actually start pulling off clothes because it feels like they're having a hot flash, and their brain is delusional from the lack of oxygen. You can’t always trust how you think and feel.
That’s the point God makes in our passage today. The Enemy is a deceiver. In fact, Jesus tells us that when the Enemy lies, he speaks his native language. So the Enemy tells us to “trust our instincts” or to “follow our hearts.” But our “instincts” aren’t always healthy or good. How many of us have followed our own paths to find that they are dead-end roads? Or how many people do you know that have tried “get rich quick” schemes and ended up a lot poorer than when they started? “Instincts” sometimes just STINK.
And “following our hearts” is often not really following our hearts. It’s following our feelings. Following our emotions. Following our infatuations. I’m willing to guess there are a bunch of us who tried to “build our own fire” with someone trying to find the warmth of love, only to end up with a broken heart. Some of us have “followed our hearts” right into absolute disasters.
Isaiah reminds us to “trust in the Lord” and to “rely on God.” Make sure the path you're on is a God-led path. Run your “instincts” by the Holy Spirit and some good godly counsel before running toward your “oasis.” And make sure your heart is in tune with the Lord and that you’re seeking after Him BEFORE you follow it. Warmth that isn’t godly warmth could end up leaving you lost and lonely and out in the cold. So beware of the smoke and mirrors of the Enemy. Let God be your light and the fire of your heart, and you’ll be sure to stay safe and warm and on the right path. That’s God’s Word for you today.