There is the quote that goes something like this: “The greatest trick of the devil is to convince you (the world) that he is not real.” This thought goes hand-in-hand with humanism. There is no absolute good or absolute evil, just relativism as perceived or performed by people. The world extolls that we are all basically good people. Further, when we do evil it is because we are a victim of circumstances forcing us to do such things. Or if there is this idea of God and the devil, its images are of a benign grandfatherly figure sitting on a cloud and a little character running around in a red suit causing mischief. Regardless, nothing could be more wrong…with eternal consequences.
Satan first shows himself as the tempting snake in the Garden of Eden. He used nothing more than to appeal to man’s pride…in this case Eve’s. And how did he do it? “Did God really say…?” The world still uses this argument. “Has God really said there is but one way?” “Does the Bible really say there is a literal hell?” “If God is so loving, then why would he send a good person like me to Hell?” Folks, that is the enemy, ready to deceive us to the point of complacency! And then when we least expect it, he pounces. For the non-believer it can mean eternal separation from God. For the Believer, although we cannot lose our salvation, it can mean becoming ineffective as ministers of the gospel, or at worst a detractor to it. In Romans 1, Paul warns that God will give us over to ourselves. Hearts can become hardened. The devil is real, and his tactics are ruthless; void of compassion, sympathy, or anything good. Hell is real. It is not a party with your “buds.” It is a place of wailing, gnashing teeth, and pain. Above all, it is a place void of God, with no hope of redemption or release. It is final. Peter is warning his audience to always be vigilant and be prepared with clear thinking.
Christian, are you relying on your strengths and abilities, or upon THE one who created you and put those strengths and abilities in you? We are created not just for the sake of being, but rather for the sake of being a part of God’s plan, and through his son Jesus, to spend eternity with him. The choice may seem obvious, but the world demonstrates otherwise.
Satan first shows himself as the tempting snake in the Garden of Eden. He used nothing more than to appeal to man’s pride…in this case Eve’s. And how did he do it? “Did God really say…?” The world still uses this argument. “Has God really said there is but one way?” “Does the Bible really say there is a literal hell?” “If God is so loving, then why would he send a good person like me to Hell?” Folks, that is the enemy, ready to deceive us to the point of complacency! And then when we least expect it, he pounces. For the non-believer it can mean eternal separation from God. For the Believer, although we cannot lose our salvation, it can mean becoming ineffective as ministers of the gospel, or at worst a detractor to it. In Romans 1, Paul warns that God will give us over to ourselves. Hearts can become hardened. The devil is real, and his tactics are ruthless; void of compassion, sympathy, or anything good. Hell is real. It is not a party with your “buds.” It is a place of wailing, gnashing teeth, and pain. Above all, it is a place void of God, with no hope of redemption or release. It is final. Peter is warning his audience to always be vigilant and be prepared with clear thinking.
Christian, are you relying on your strengths and abilities, or upon THE one who created you and put those strengths and abilities in you? We are created not just for the sake of being, but rather for the sake of being a part of God’s plan, and through his son Jesus, to spend eternity with him. The choice may seem obvious, but the world demonstrates otherwise.