God threw Lucifer, the devil, out of heaven for being jealous of God and wanting to be God (Isaiah 14:12-15, Revelation 20:1-10). This jealous devil prowls the earth trying to ruin us now and forever. He is jealous of us, God’s people, and the love God shows us. In retaliation he spends his time lying to us and trying to lead us astray so we can be miserable like him.
Money, power, possessions, drugs – sneering, Satan dangles them in front of us as prizes that promise happiness. When people listen to Satan, the father of lies, and take the lies to heart, evil spreads, pushing aside God’s love. Satan is so clever, he does a great job of making people think following God is boring and won’t make them happy.
Understanding the scriptures, learning the lessons life teaches and observing how God cares for nature all help us to realize that following the Lord is the one and only road to perfect happiness. Psalm 104 reminds us how God designed His creation and so lovingly provides for it: “O God, how manifold are your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. […And] they are filled with good things.”
It was out of love that God brought about the world and everything in it. God created Adam and Eve and gave them a beautiful garden. Because He loved them so much, He “blessed them” (Genesis 1:28) and wanted the best for them. The plan was for them to look after the garden, the animals and everything He made.
Like Adam and Eve, people today, just as people all through the centuries, sometimes don’t trust God. The evil one plants a seed of suspicion that God is a rival out to curtail their freedom. Satan tricks people into thinking that, if they really want to be happy, they have to cast God aside, trusting deceit rather than truth. Satan has even been successful in getting some people to follow in his footsteps (Isaiah 14:12-15). Some think they themselves are gods.
Because He loved Adam and Eve, God warned them about eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God warns us too of the dangers around us. The still small voice of our conscience tries to get our attention when we begin to listen to the voice of evil.
The antidote to evil is love which is God. Our love in the face of evil can make a huge difference in our lives and in our world.
Checking a horse’s head makes the horse hold it high so as not to stumble and fall. Let’s lift high the cross and proclaim the love of Christ so that we don’t stumble either. Then, as the hymn “Lift High the Cross” goes, let’s continue “till all the world adores [God’s] sacred name.”
Very neat article post. Really Cool. Lunderville