A war is raging for the heart and soul of this nation, but that’s nothing new. It began when Lucifer led a rebellion of angels against God and His heavenly forces, before man ever appeared on the face of the earth, and continuing ever since. The struggles we encounter every day are not against each other, but against spiritual forces in the heavenly places. The weapons of Satan’s warfare are not guns and bullets, but the deception of his lies.
Satan’s first lie occurred in the Garden of Eden. God made man in His own image to be fruitful, to multiply and to take dominion over the earth with only one restriction. They were not to eat of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, because that act would result in their spiritual death. Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the evening, and all was well in Eden, that is, until Satan appeared. He caused Eve to doubt God and His motives, suggesting that God didn’t want them to eat the forbidden fruit because then they would be like God. Of course, they already were! But you know the story, Eve ate, and the results were downright disastrous for us all. No longer were we humans governed by an intimate relationship with a loving God, but by our own consciences, mind, emotions and physical senses. In that state we were easy targets for Satan, and the war on earth between good and evil began.
The devil is a liar, and often comes disguised as an angel of light. Many times, what looks like a good thing to do in our humanity isn’t the best choice. We become little gods, judging ourselves and each other, while the devil spews his evil lies to keep us at war with one another. Political correctness replaces true righteousness, licentiousness replaces true liberty, and religious systems replace true relationship with God.
So what is good? Jesus responded to someone who called Him good, “Why do you call me good? Only the Father is good,” meaning that only the thoughts, attributes, actions and character of God are good; everything else is evil (worthless). Don’t get me wrong. We still know right from wrong. That’s the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But without the guidance of God’s Spirit, we walk with scales over our eyes, often unable to discern the devil’s lies from God’s Truth.
All is not lost; there is good news. God’s perfect justice required a penalty of death to pay for the original sin and those that followed. His perfect love, His Son Jesus Christ, paid that penalty to redeem the whole world once for all. For whoever will receive that gift of life, the debt is cancelled, relationship with God is restored, and God’s Spirit resides in him again.
And so, the war rages on. God says He will not contend with man forever. At some point in history, God will win the war. Will you choose to believe the Truth or the lie?
Heart to Heart 