August 28 2018 – Click here to listen
I started my career at age 24 literally as a penniless bum. I worked exceedingly long hard hours under difficult circumstances and suddenly made a pile of money. It is difficult to tell anyone who has never been rich what it’s really like. It didn’t take long for me to understand that it was not the source of tremendous happiness it is advertised to be, in actuality it created more problems than it resolved. NBA basketball star DeMar DeRozan who has undergone serious depression recently wrote about the public’s perception of rich and famous athletes: “People say ‘What are you depressed about? You can buy anything you want.’ I wish everyone in the world was rich so they would realize money isn’t everything.”
It is one of Satan’s greatest deceptions and most of the world has fallen for it. Marlene Dietrich wrote: There is a gigantic difference between earning a great deal of money and being rich. Our entire culture is built on the premise that we must have more money and material things to feel happy and secure. We’ve bought into the myth fabricated by Wall Street and Madison Avenue that more stuff equals more happiness. That’s the exact opposite of the truth, and the opposite of what it says in The Bible. In fact we are warned over and over and money and material things are mentioned some 2000 times.
Why are we so easily deceived?
You may not believe you are easily deceived. Let’s take an example everyone can relate to. From the moment President Trump was elected, determined Democrats and other people stripped of their power vowed to take him down no matter the cost. The entire secular world and much of the evangelical has relentlessly pounded him. Trump is no choir boy. He is a self-made billionaire that clawed his way through the brawlers in New York City and it wasn’t pretty. He persevered however; and ended up with a king’s fortune which meant he could have most anything in the world. Unlike many of his counterparts he didn’t turn to and has never taken drugs, tasted alcohol or smoked a cigarette. He has loved his children and raised them well and they love him. Satan of course has many other tools and he used them all. His weaknesses appear to be women and ego and at times he’s let both of them get the best of him.
If Satan offered all who constantly attack him all that he offered Trump, how would they fare? How would you fare? Do you have any weaknesses?
Trump is not the monster he is made out to be. Objectively look at his Supreme Court appointees, the economy, trade, foreign policy, unemployment, defense, tearing down religious persecution, deregulation, and one must agree he is rapidly fixing what is broken in this country. But it is nearly impossible for anyone to give him any credit for the good. His faults are bad enough, but it isn’t bad enough just to point them out, so they just lie and deceive.
Satan is good at deception. Check out these photos:
Manipulators of the truth make things appear to be something else and like sheep going to slaughter we get in line.
I’ve thought about Eve eating the apple and Adam following suite many times. I must admit I’ve been very angry at them at times. Paul said in 2 Corinthians – But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Satan is cunning and GOOD at deception and he is a master at turning our thoughts away from Him. He would have fooled me, and he would have fooled you had we been in the garden of Eden and there is no sense in becoming a hypocrite about it. He has fooled the world into believing so many lies. He uses drugs, alcohol, sex outside of marriage, money, fame, power, ego, pride, greed, corruption, and lie after lie to make us into what he wants us to be if we allow it.
We did not elect a Pastor in Chief to the presidency. Presidents, rulers, and kings have had their own moral failures for eons. The difference is that they did not face the war being waged on Trump in technological instant information age. Trump is imperfect and brings much of the heat upon himself, but most of it is nonsense and undeserved. Had he done what Bill and Hillary Clinton and most of Congress has done, he would be in prison. They hate him and want him gone by any means because they want the power.
I believe it is satanic. John Piper said: “One of the most sobering facts about life is that all humans have a supernatural enemy whose aim is to use pain and pleasure to make us blind, stupid, and miserable – forever. The Bible calls him “the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world . . . the accuser”, “the ruler of this world”, and “the god of this age”.”
We are ALL victims of deception, even the Apostle Peter – Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Poor Peter didn’t have a chance without Christ.
Satan controls nearly every sphere of our culture, media, arts and entertainment, education, government, business and is making inroads into the church and family. The Bible warns us not to be deceived… It is impossible to do without His help. Turn to Him. Soon enough the temptation will stop, until then stay strong in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 20:10
“The devil . . . will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone . . . and will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”