Self Deception Case Study

Blind or Blindsided
Self-deception is “the inability to see that one has a problem.”
Arbinger Institute (2010-01-11). Marquis Shoreline (MS) is a place where I once resided for nearly two-years. During that time-span, I experienced burglary to one of my garage spaces and an infestation of bugs in my apartment every time someone moved out of the places nearby. Regardless, of the issues I experienced (i.e. loud music, neighbors arguing, assistant managers lies, burglary, scratches on my car), I always paid on time and reported things that needed maintenance or managements attention, but did not receive the same courtesy from the workers of this organization.
While putting in a request to relocate from MS, I was told by management, that if I move out before my lease end date, I would incur a large re-letting fee. Since, I only had five more weeks to pay for, I decided to keep the place until my lease ended or management

rented the space. Fortunately, the apartment was rented within days of our conversation, but I now had a week and a half to get out instead of five weeks.
After finishing up by the day I was asked to move out so they can prepare the place for the new tenants, I was sent the last statement.

It was much lower than I expected. I thanked God for his favor and was extremely appreciative for the workers’ at MS for finalizing things so quickly. I paid my last bill and received confirmation of payment. This was one of the happiest moments of my life this year. Subsequently, I received a noticed stating that the system did not charge my account the re-letting fee, so they will have to resend me a new final statement with that fee included. My heart dropped. I felt completely blindsided by this even though I had a conversation with management before ever making the decision to move. Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance, or importance of opposing evidence and logical argument (Wiki). My thoughts were, I paid the final bill in full and received confirmation that the balance is zero. “I could see matters only from my own closed perspective” (Location

352).
What does the Bible have to say about self-deception, and how would this have changed (or not changed) your behaviors in the situation above?
The New International Version of the Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” I understand the error that was made, but I do not agree with having to pay a new final statement. Then I read scriptures like Proverbs 16:18 where it states, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” and I rethink the situation. I do not want to be like the person the feeds on ashes; a deluded heart that has been led astray and cannot deliver myself, like in Isaiah 44:20. Instead, I choose to be like a doer who acts and is blessed in doing so (James 1:25). It is because of my belief in the word of God that I ever considered making payment to a bill that was originally zeroed out.