You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to
carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not
holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his
native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
In the 10th century Quetzalcoatl reigned over the Toltecs
in an affluent town named Tula in what is now known as the country of Mexico.
His people considered him to be a god, as he had offered them the cacao tree,
from where chocolate is made, as well as the know-how of how to cultivate it.
According to the legend, he was a proud man who desired
the worship of his people. But there was something he desired even more than
their worship: He wanted to be immortal. This was the motivation behind his
visit to the sorcerer Tetcatlipoca: He came to acquire a potion for
immortality.
Now the sorcerer was jealous of the king, and he handed
him a potion that made him turn mad. Quetzalcoatl fled aboard a raft of
intertwined snakes, never to be seen again. Before leaving however, he
prophesied that he would return to bring great calamity in the "year of
the reed".
In 1519, which was a "year of the reed", Cortez
arrived on the Mexican coast. The emperor, Montezuma, blinded by the Spanish conquistador's
glittering armor, mistook him for the reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl, and as a
result, Cortez was welcomed with open arms. His coming, however, was hardly
desirable, for it marked the beginning of the Spanish conquest of Mexico...
When someone tells us a total lie, it's generally quite
easy to detect. Those who mix a small amount of lies with a large amount of
truth, however, are the dangerous ones. Since part of what they are saying is
true, we assume that the rest must be true as well.
The one who specializes in such mixed-up truth-lies is
the evil one himself. Every one of his statements, as recorded in the Bible,
contains a large element of truth mixed with a few white lies. His temptations
are done in the same manner. It's in his nature. He discovered long time ago
the power of mixing truth with lies. Like Cortez, he disguises his true
intentions: "The thief (evil one) comes only to steal and kill and
destroy." (John 10:10a)
Every time you hear that inner accusation that you are
really no good, remember where it comes from: It's just a bunch of lies, with
just enough truth thrown in to make it believable, just enough to make you
believe that you truly are the scum of the earth.
By the same token, whenever you focus on the inner applause
that you are "better" than any other employee in your organization,
you had better remember the evil one's tactics as well! He mixes truth with
lies in just the right ratios to lead to utter heartache!
One thing is for certain: Discouragement, along with any
inclination towards pride, comes from the evil one himself. Both are nothing
more than a pack of lies built on the foundation of one small truth.
Dear Lord, guard our ears for the evil one. Help us not
think of our self better than others and also remember that we are worth
something. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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