Rationalization
It’s an interesting word, Google it.
Any time you’re coming up with good reasons to do evil things (especially religious-sounding ones), look over your shoulder. Rationalization is Satan’s most productive way of encouraging self–deception. This evil-inspired logic provides safe cover for Satan to hide himself in your thinking. With his encouragement, a little lawyer in your head will come out to strongly defend an attitude or action that is inconsistent with your faith, the Bible and Christ’s example. The voice offers intellectual, rational, logical, and persuasive justification for immoral behavior.
And worse the little lawyer sounds like you. In fact, he is you, but he’s being encouraged by Satan with plenty of logical ammo. We don’t have to wonder why men become so smart and so dumb at the same time. We can all justify our wrong behavior and grow stupid enough to believe our own logic. Satan figures if we are dumb enough to hang ourselves by the noose of self-deception, the least he can do is provide the rope of rationalization.
A good example presented in the Bible is Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). God’s people were doing some pretty radical things at the time like selling goods and homes and giving it to the church. “A&S” take this action to a lower level. They are pimped by Satan to sell some property but keep some of the profit and let on like they were giving it all to the Lord. Seemed logical and reasonable after all it was all their money. How cunning. It wasn’t the money, it was the deception.
Father, you have taught me. To your own self — be true.