A few years ago, I saw advertisements on the buses in our city that said, “There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” These ads are designed to encourage you to make poor choices, to pursue empty pleasures and to not worry about the consequences.

In the Scriptures Jesus calls Satan (the devil) the “father of lies.” John 8:44

The devil wants you to believe there is no God; there is no life after death; there are no consequences to the choices we make today. All of this is a BIG LIE and that’s all the devil communicates…lies.

The TRUTH is God lives!

Through Our Lord Jesus we are offered the promise of eternal life, but we must never forget that there are consequences to the choices we make today and that is the truth!

This Scripture speaks of the devil’s arrogance and disgrace: “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15

God has helped me to understand that when Satan turned against God he became God’s antithesis; in other words everything that God IS, Satan is NOT.

God is love; Satan is evil.
God is truth; Satan is lies.
God is selfless and kind; Satan is selfish and cruel.
God is patient and slow to anger; Satan is impatient and violent.

We have a choice: we can belong to God or we can belong to Satan. God gives us free will and He allows a terrible force of evil (Satan and his ugly demons) to tempt us and to deceive us, but God also gives us His grace so we can resist temptation and give Him glory. As we fight the good fight of faith and serve God, we have an opportunity to truly prove how much we love Our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died for His Bride, His People, His Church. Jesus wants His Bride to desire Him and to make choices that will honor Him. God also does not want us to be ignorant about His Holy Will or His Holy Way.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24

Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Over the course of the last ten years I have learned a mystery about denial and following Jesus.   We can spend our whole lives indulging ourselves and feeling empty and incomplete or we can deny ourselves, follow Jesus and find true happiness and peace.

Think of yourself for a moment as a precious chalice belonging to God. At the beginning of our spiritual journey the chalice is typically full of things that please ‘self’ not ‘God’. At the beginning of our spiritual conversion we begin to learn how to please God and we begin to make choices that give God a special place in our lives.

I used to be, like many women, interested in clothes, style and fashion.  I would often spend Saturday mornings shopping. When I realized God was calling me I suspended my shopping expeditions for the frivolous and I chose to go join a group of Christians that were studying the Bible. I denied myself the pleasure of shopping and I discovered the treasure of God’s Holy Word. A little denial opened up the opportunity to be indulged by God’s wisdom and grace.

When Jesus asks us to deny ourselves, it is so we can begin detaching ourselves from ‘empty pleasures’. For me ‘shopping for clothes’ was an empty pleasure I gave up, in order to have time to do something important—reflect on God’s Holy Word.

Is there something in your life you should detach yourself from, in order to allow Jesus to become the center of your life?

We have a choice as to what we will do today and tonight and tomorrow. Love is a choice to honour God. We can be honourable or we can be dishonourable. We can strive for the things that please God or we can pursue the things that please the Devil. We can pursue the devil’s empty thrills (casual sex, too much alcohol, gambling, pornography, drugs, materialism etc) or we can pursue meaningful experiences and build relationships rooted in the truth, wisdom and love of God.

If we live our lives blind to the forces around us that are working to deceive us, we are easy targets for our enemy Satan. Satan wants your soul! Here’s an example of how the devil is deceiving and taking souls from God.

The terrorist group ISIS is reported to be distributing ‘passports to paradise’ in an attempt to convince members to carry out suicide missions. Source http://www.christiantimes.com/article/isis-distributes-passports-to-paradise-in-an-attempt-to-convince-members-to-carry-out-suicide-missions/72420.htm

When Jesus was on earth, He spoke to His apostles about a terrible deception that was coming where people will commit murder thinking they are ‘doing a service to God’.

Jesus said, “…the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.” John 16:3

It is Satan’s greatest deception to convince people to kill in the Name of God!

This is what Jesus would say to people killing in the Name of God: “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.” John 8:44

How do we fight against this deception?

We fight by praying for the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s Truth and God’s Love. We must preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and pray that God intervenes to stop the ideological deception that preaches violence and murder in God’s Name.

God wants to empower you with His Truth.

“God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The LORD knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil.” 2 Timothy 2:19

“For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Psalm 1:6

“You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.'” Mark 10:19

God wants to teach you, comfort you, console you, help you, forgive you, and give you the gift of eternal life. We have a choice every day between good and evil, between moral and immoral, between forgiveness and vengeance, between love and hate, between honor and dishonor and therein exists the battleground for your soul. You can belong to Jesus or you can belong to Satan. Entrust your life to Jesus and then you can stop worrying and live a meaningful life!

Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:1

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” 1 John 4:16

Give your life to Jesus. Ask Him to come into your life and use it for His glory. Don’t be afraid to deny yourself. It leads to God indulging you with His love and peace and joy. You are God’ s precious chalice. Before God can fill your life up with His grace, you must empty yourself of everything that is getting in the way of a life totally surrendered to God’s Holy Will.

Begin by confessing your sins so that God can purify you and prepare you for a life of great dignity. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Don’t let a day go by without meditating on the Passion of Christ. When you reflect on how much Jesus suffered to save you, you will fall in love with your Saviour Jesus Christ who gave his life to set you free from all the devil’s empty promises. Please join A Peaceful Revolution in the Name of Jesus Christ that stops everyday at the time Jesus died for us, 3pm, (in our local time zones) to pray for the mercy of Our Saviour Jesus Christ upon all souls. We are an army of prayer warriors that are fighting the good fight of faith. We are Christians remembering the instructions of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5: 44-45

Keep your eyes fixed on the eternal horizon and don’t let the devil steal your passport to heaven. Heaven is for those who repent and honour God by turning away from all forms of evil, violence and lies.

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.”   Proverbs 11:30

Join A Peaceful Revolution in the Name of Jesus Christ and help to win souls for Jesus Christ, True God, True Man. More info here