Lucifer's Lies

LUCIFER'S LIES

      This picture is a poster outside a clothing store at one of our local malls.  I found it to be quite disturbing.  One of the disturbing aspects of such a "lighthearted" view of Satan is how easily people accept it as okay, or funny, or cute, or cool.

      Satan is depicted as smilingly welcoming people into hell as if it's a party place.  The "Aloha" greeting, flower lei and Hawaiian shirt give off a Hawaiian vibe as if hell must resemble one of the lovely Hawaiian islands.  Perhaps if he is keying in on the permanent volcanic activity on one end of the Big Island, it might not be as far off.  The constant flow of red-hot lava pouring over a cliff and steaming into the ocean does seem to offer a picture of parts of what hell might look like.

      Reading the "postscript" Satan supposedly wrote on the poster sends a chill up my spine.  "See ya when you get here!" complete with XOXO - indicating kisses and hugs, might seem cute to some people, but the actual truth of it is horrifying!  I imagine most non-Christians passing that poster probably chuckle at the message, never realizing the truth of it, unaware that each moment that passes puts them that much closer to the real Satan and the real hell.

      The one bit of truth on the poster are the words "with Broken Promises."  The road to hell is littered with broken promises.  Lucifer aka Satan is well-known to be a liar.  Jesus was speaking of the devil when He said, "...there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" John 8:44.  Lucifer's lies began in the Garden of Eden when he told Eve she would not die and that she would be like God if she would eat of the fruit God forbade her to eat.  Sadly, she believed him.  Satan is the originator of broken promises and that was his biggest to date.
        The moment Eve and then Adam bit into that forbidden fruit, the gavel fell on the entire earth and every living thing and the verdict was, "Guilty!" 

        "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 6:23.
        With all mankind found guilty of sin and deserving death, God sent His own perfect Son to pay the steep wage for that sin.  Jesus died on the cross for our sins and offers us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life through that amazing sacrifice.  Believe and Receive -- promises of Almighty God that are true and will never be broken.

       So, what will happen to Lucifer/Satan/the devil in the very near future?  He may be flaunting his power and flitting about in a Hawaiian shirt now, but when the end-time comes he will lose every ounce of his power and be relegated to the darkness of hell forever.  Revelation reveals his future fate:  "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone...and he will be tormented day and night forever and ever" 20:10.

       Don't believe the lie and become a victim of broken promises!

Dreams

   I have a nightshirt with the words, “Make your dream into reality.” Some of the dreams I might have while wearing that nightshirt are not the kind I’d ever want to become reality since they’d be categorized as “nightmares!”

               Other times, there are good dreams – of things I’d love to see become a reality in my life.

               What are some of your dreams?  Do you dream of going to college, getting married, having a baby?  Or you may be dreaming of owning a home, a car, or traveling to far-flung places?  Maybe you dream of a career in a certain field – or even of just getting a job?  Then there are those who dream of a life without fear, without pain, or without feeling like you can never measure up.  You fill in the blank of what your dream is:

              

               Is your dream worthy of pursuing?  Does your dream involve something God smiles upon?  If you answered yes to those two questions, then by all means, follow your dream and put your heart and effort into making it happen.  Even more importantly, ask God to empower you by His Spirit to make it into reality. 

               There are many verses in God’s Word that speak of God’s blessings on us.  One instance when it appears a woman pursued her dream and excelled in many avenues of life is found in Proverbs 31:10-31.  She is called a virtuous woman and is praised for a long list of worthy achievements.  Near the end, the key to her success is found in verse 30: “But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”  First and foremost, this woman sought to please the Lord – and after that, she also worked hard to make her dreams come true.

               “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” 2 Corinthians 9:8.

               Then there is the short, sweet passage about a man named Jabez, who lived thousands of years ago, yet had dreams that were not too different from our own.  He called unto God and humbly asked Him to make his dreams come true by blessing him.  Here’s what he prayed: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!  So God granted him what he requested” 1 Chronicles 4:10.

               Wow!  This man knew the Source for blessing in this world and he went straight to that Source to ask, not only for blessing, but to live the right kind of life in the midst of that blessing.

               You have a dream?  Place that dream in the loving, omnipotent Hands of the Father and ask Him to help make your dream come true.  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” Matthew 6:33.