Lies of the evil one

John 8:44 (NIV)

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. 

Our Father ....

Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV)

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10 your kingdom come,

your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.

There was a famous TV evangelist that assured his listeners that if they gave a gift to his ministry God would bless them.

He promised that every giver would receive a "life-changing creative idea, supernatural favor, and a debt-canceling miracle." Even more, his audience was assured God had given them the power to get wealth. It was that assurance which had the evangelist issue the challenge: "I dare you ... I double-dog dare you to lay hold on your belly right now, and with a heart full of faith shout as loud as you can, 'I have been given the power to get wealth.'"

When I heard those words, I thought, Wow! I don't remember my professors at Moody teaching me that. I must have been sick when they covered that material. Amazingly, none of my old classmates could remember such a class either.

The sad, sorry reality of life is this: humans, including that evangelist, believe they, not God, know what is best.

Think about it. It didn't take too much urging for Adam and Eve to be convinced that they, not God, should hold the reins. The rest of the Old and New Testaments, indeed, all of human history provides ample evidence that our original ancestors were the rule and not the exception.

Yes, I know, we officially and publicly pray as Jesus taught us. In our worship, both public and private, we ask that the Lord's will be as honored and as successful here on earth, as it is in heaven above.

God has called into being all that is. He has protected us, cared for us, and helped us through situations we never knew existed. He can plainly see the future and what is best for us. Indeed, He even sent His Son into this world to give His life, so we might have everything needful to be saved.

In spite of all that, ungrateful sinners that we are, we keep on telling the Lord what He should do. We who have seen the scope of His love should know better. He most certainly deserves better.

Dear Lord, forgive us for our sins. Especially for our pride. Grant us a faith that prays and means it when we says, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Does your pride keep you from reflecting?

Galatians 6:3 (NIV)

If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.

I received this in an email and thought it was great. It made me really think, I hope it does the same for you.

For thousands of years, the relationship had been perfect. As far back as anyone could remember, the moon had faithfully reflected the sun's rays into the dark night. It was the greatest duo in the universe. Other stars and planets marveled at the reliability of the team. Generation after generation of earthlings were captivated by the reflection. The moon became the symbol of romance, high hopes, and even nursery rhymes.

"Shine on, harvest moon," the people would sing. And he did. Well, in a way he did. You see, the moon didn't actually shine. He reflected. He took the light given to him by the sun and redirected it toward the earth. A simple task of receiving illumination and sharing it.

You would think such a combo would last forever. It almost did. But one day, a nearby star planted a thought in the moon's core.

"It must be tough being a moon," the star suggested.

"What do you mean? I love it! I've got an important job to do. When it gets dark, people look to me for help. And I look to the sun. He gives me what I need and I give the people what they need. People depend on me to light up their world. And I depend on the sun."

"So, you and the sun must be pretty tight."

"Tight? Why, we are like Huntley and Brinkley, Hope and Crosby, Benny and Day. . ."

"Or maybe Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy?" "

You know, the man and the dummy." "Well, I don't know about the dummy part." "That's exactly what I mean. You are the dummy. You don't have any light of your own. You depend on the sun. You're the sidekick. You don't have any name for yourself."

"Name for myself?"

"Yeah, you've been playing second fiddle for too long. You need to step out on your own."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean stop reflecting and start generating. Do your own thing. Be your own boss. Get people to see you for who you really are.'

"Who am I?"

"Well, you are, uh, well, uh, well, that's what you need to find out. You need to find out who you are." The moon paused and thought for a moment. What the star said made sense. Though he had never considered it, the moon was suddenly aware of all the inequities of the relationship.

Why should he have to work the night shift all the time? And why should he be the one the astronauts stepped on first? And why should he always be accused of making waves? And why don't the dogs and wolves howl at the sun for a change? And why should it be such an outrage to "moon" while "sunning" is an accepted practice?

"You are right!" Asserted the moon. "It's high time we had a solar-lunar equity up here.'

"Now you're talking," prodded the star. "Go discover the real moon!"

Such was the beginning of the breakup. Rather than turning his attention toward the sun, the moon began turning his attention toward himself.

He set out on the course of self-enhancement. After all, his complexion was a disgrace, so full of craters and all. His wardrobe was sadly limited to three sizes; full length, half-cast, and quarter-clad. And his coloring was an anemic yellow.

So, girded with determination, he set out to reach for the moon.

He ordered glacier packs for his complexion. He changed his appearance to include new shapes such as triangular and square. And for coloring he opted for a punk-rock orange. "No one is going to call me cheese­face anymore."

The new moon was slimmed down and shaped up. His surface was as smooth as a baby's bottom. Everything was fine for a while.

Initially, his new look left him basking in his own moonlight. Passing meteors would pause and visit. Dis­tant stars would call and compliment. Fellow moons would invite him over to their orbits to watch "As the World Turns."

He had friends. He had fame. He didn't need the sun-until the trends changed. Suddenly "punk" was out and "prep" was in. The compliments stopped and the giggles began as the moon was slow to realize that he was out of style. Just as he finally caught on and had his orange changed to pinstripe, the style went to "country."

It was the painful poking of the rhinestones into his surface that caused him to finally ask himself, "What's this all for anyway? You're on the cover of the magazine one day and forgotten the next. Living off the praise of others is an erratic diet."

For the first time since he'd begun his campaign to find himself, the moon thought of the sun. He remembered the good ol' millenniums when praise was not a concern. What people thought of him was immaterial since he wasn't in the business of getting people to look at himself. Any praise that came his way was quickly passed on to the boss. The sun's plan was beginning to dawn on the moon. "He may have been doing me a favor."

He looked down upon the earth. The earthlings had been getting quite a show. They never knew what to expect: first punk, then preppie, now country. Odds­makers in Las Vegas were making bets as to whether the next style would be chic or macho. Rather than be the light of their world he was the butt of their jokes.

Even the cow refused to jump over him.

But it was the cold that bothered him the most. Absence from the sunlight left him with a persistent chill. No warmth. No glow. His full length overcoat didn't help. It couldn't help; the shiver was from the inside, an icy shiver from deep within his core that left him feeling cold and alone.

Which is exactly what he was.

One night as he looked down upon the people walking in the dark, he was struck by the futility of it all. He thought of the sun. He gave me everything I needed. I served a purpose. I was warm. I was content. I was ... I was what I was made to be.

Suddenly, he felt the old familiar warmth. He turned and there was the sun. The sun had never moved. "I'm glad you're back," the sun said. "Let's get back to work."

"You bet!" Agreed the moon.

The coat came off. The roundness returned, and a light was seen in the dark sky. A light even fuller. A light even brighter.

And to this day whenever the sun shines and the moon reflects and the darkness is illuminated, the moon doesn't complain or get jealous. He does what he was intended to do all along. The moon beams.

When God Whispers Your Name will you let Him shine through YOU?

Dear Lord, we want to shine Your love today. Help us be content with what You made is do. Help our prideful ways not get in the way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Pride the great destroyer

Luke 22:24  (NIV)

A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.

Most of the time most pastors get along well.

Even if they come from different denominations, they still extend to each other a modicum of professional respect.

That was not the case years ago when pride came between two preachers. These pastors, whose congregations thought they were in competition, met on the street. One of them coldly said, "I heard you speak the other night and recognized that sermon. You preached it about 14 years ago."

Somewhat put out by such a direct attack, the other shot back, "Thank you very much. I heard you speak just three weeks ago, and I can't remember a single word you said!"

The conversation probably wasn't much different as the disciples disputed about which of them was the greatest.

We expect little children to argue and brag. Children take great stock in telling why they're the smartest, cutest, fastest and bestest. But Jesus' disciples should have matured beyond such silliness.

How it must have hurt Jesus to hear them squabble.

His heartache stemmed from the fact that not only were His disciples fighting, but these were the men with whom He had worked the hardest. These were His trusted friends whom He had kept closest to Him, who had seen His miracles, and listened to His sermons on love. These were the ones who would be entrusted with the sharing of the Gospel.

Similarly, Jesus must be appalled by His present-day disciples who squander the church's volunteers and resources on insignificant and inconsequential internal disputes. How sad our Redeemer must be when normally sensible and almost always rock-solid Christians jockey for recognition and demand acceptance of their own points of view.

Jesus knew back then, and He wishes His people to know now that the church and its leaders have bigger enemies to fight than each other.

Jesus died and rose so His people could witness to others on His behalf. Jesus died and rose so His people would come to Him humbly and acknowledge, "Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed His blood for me."

Dear Lord, forgive us when our pride gets in the way of doing all we can for You and Your work. When we are proud, let it be proud of the fact You are our Savior. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Pride will sink you.

Obadiah 1:4 (NIV)

Though you soar like the eagle

    and make your nest among the stars,

    from there I will bring you down,”

declares the Lord.

On the evening of August 31, 1986, the Soviet cruise liner Admiral Nakhimov set sail from Novorossiysk on the Black Sea. The 575-foot passenger liner was the flagship of the Black Sea cruise fleet in the 1950's and was carrying 884 passengers and 346 crewmembers on its voyage to Odessa. Shortly after 11 p.m., the 50,000-ton freighter Pyotr Vasyev spotted on a collision course with the cruiser liner. Marine safety workers in warned the freighter it was on a collision course with the Admiral Nakhimov, but the freighter's captain failed to take evasive measures. At 11:20 p.m., when many passengers had already gone to bed, the freighter struck the cruise liner, sinking it within 8 minutes. Four hundred forty-eight people died in the accident. The investigation revealed the cause of the accident wasn't a technology problem such as radar malfunction-or even thick fog. The cause was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship's presence nearby. Both could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late.

Pride can be deadly. We need to acknowledge our wrongs and turn from them. Are you letting your pride take you on a deadly course?

Dear Lord, we give thanks to the You, please help us forsake are pride.  Help us walk humbly with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Great big dog and pride.

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)

Pride goes before destruction,

    a haughty spirit before a fall.

Simon was a rascal. A great big, handsome brute of a dog who loved to get the best of you. Gentle with children, wily with adults. His owner’s pride often took a fall while walking him as he never knew when he would decide to take advantage of a moment's inattentiveness. He would be strolling along enjoying their daily walk, proud of being able to handle his big fellow on the end of the leash, when suddenly when in mid-stride, he would bolt.

Many a neighbor was left howling with laughter as they witnessed him being jerked into the air behind Simon, while hanging onto his leash for dear life as his feet hit the pavement on the fly and directed him to the nearest telephone pole where he could fling his arms around it in order to bring them both to a screeching halt. But this was only the beginning of their enjoyment and his continued lesson in learning the art of humility. For the next step involved picking the splinters out of the side of his face that hit the pole, while trying to look nonchalant about the whole affair in order to save the small scrap of what was left of his pride and dignity.

Humility is a hard lesson to learn. It is a necessary one however, for as the Scriptures tell us, pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. And how our enemy the devil loves to see the destruction and fall of our plans, our spirits and our relationships.

Much like Simon, the evil one is always prowling around waiting and watching for those moments of inattentiveness in our lives as Christians. Moments when we take our eyes off Jesus, His will and way, to covet our own. At such times, if we are not quick to recognize and reverse our folly, our spiritual feet can be yanked out from beneath us in the blink of an eye, leaving us feeling humiliated in front of friends, family, and most especially our Lord.

Simon was simply a rascal who loved a bit of fun. Satan however is our arch enemy whose purpose is to destroy the works and will of God in his people. So look out! Be attentive! Stay focused on Jesus and you won't be left trying to nonchalantly remove the splinters of spiritual humiliation from your spirit and memory at the end of the day.

Dear Lord, we love your humility which led you to lay aside your kingly crown for a time that you might come to earth and dwell among us. Teach us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

The King the Widow and Pride

Proverbs 16:19 (NIV)

Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed

    than to share plunder with the proud.

There was once a king who wanted to build a church that would honor him. He would personally supervise the work and only he would provide the money for its erection. The glory was to be his, and it was intended that by this means his name would be revered and remembered by successive generations. In fact, he forgot God in the matter altogether.

In due course the church was finished. On its completion he commanded that a tablet be placed on the side of the building on which his name would be carved, together with the information that he was the sole builder and benefactor.

The church was opened with great pomp and ceremony, and the king retired that night well pleased with himself. But that night he dreamed that an angel came down from heaven and erased his name from the tablet and put in its place that of a poor woman.

When the king awoke next morning, he dismissed the dream from his mind. The next night he had the same dream. Again the angel erased his name from the tablet and replaced it with that of the poor woman. He awoke next morning, irritated, but soon put it from his mind. The third night again the angel came, and again his name was removed and replaced with that of the poor woman.

He arose next morning very angry and demanded that a search be carried out for a woman of that name. It was discovered that there was a poor woman of that name who lived on the side of the hill on which the church was built. He sent for her, and she came frightened into his presence. He demanded to know what she had done to spoil the glory of his work.

She answered: "Sir, I love the Lord, and was pleased to see the church being built to His glory. I wanted to give something, but I knew your wish, so all I did was to give the horses some hay and water as they toiled up the hill with the building blocks. I did nothing more, Sir."

Suddenly the king saw that an action so simple and full of love to God had done more to endow the building than all his money. She had done more for the glory of God with her handfuls of hay and water than he had done with his magnificent gifts. So that it might be a lesson to both himself and his people, he commanded that his name be erased from the tablet and the poor widow's name carved there instead.

Dear Lord, help us have a humble spirit. Help us set aside our pride and do all things onto the Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Lesson about Pride From Napoleon

Esther 5:11 (New International Version)

Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials.

Proverbs 27:1 (New International Version)

Do not boast about tomorrow,  for you do not know what a day may bring.

On the morning of June 18, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte massed his French troops on the fields near the Belgian village of Waterloo, just about 9 miles south of Brussels. Under his command, Napoleon had some 72,000 battle tested men. His enemy was an Allied army of 113,000 British, Dutch, Belgian, and Prussian troops. Napoleon had planned to have a surprise attack the day before, but heavy delayed his attack. But even without the element of surprise, the French dictator was confident in his victory.

As morning dawned on the 18th, Napoleon boasted he would bring a sound defeat to the Allies. Writing in his journal that morning, Napoleon called the Duke of Wellington 'a mere sepoy general' (i.e. one fit for nothing better than fighting in India), and boasted that he'd win the battle by lunchtime.

As the morning dragged on, the soggy field delayed the positioning of the French cannons. Finally near noon, the French cannons erupted. The British were well fortified by this time and prepared for the worst. Throughout the battle, the tide ebbed and flowed. Then the Prussians, who had remained in reserve, rushed to the battle. By 9 p.m., the French had suffered their worst defeat in history.

Has pride and boasting entered into your life?

Dear Lord we pray today that we would get rid of any sin of boasting and let our strength and confidence be in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.