DECEPTION

Recently I was sitting in a chair overlooking the front entrance of a hospital through the huge widows lining the corridor of one wing of the hospital to another. It was mid-morning, bright and looked rather nice outside. In fact, some of the views I had almost had an air of tranquility about them. It looked almost inviting.

However, I knew I was being deceived in what I saw. Stepping outside would shatter any and all illusions I might be having. Once outside the door, all tranquility would be lost with the chatter of people, the roar of traffic, sirens cutting through the air and semi horns blasting. In addition, these were the coldest days of our winter to date. The temperature was struggling to stay above zero and the wind-chill was well below that. Though minimal, the peace and tranquility I was experiencing was separated only by large panes of glass.

This made me think of Satan and his deception to sin. As the 'angel of light,' he makes the road to sin look very inviting. As recorded for us in Genesis, it all started in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. He had convinced them that the fruit, (whatever it was) was good to eat and they would gain knowledge that God, for some cruel reason, was withholding from them. They fell for his lies, learning quickly that the fruit turned out to be sour grapes, the knowledge created guilt, and they found themselves ashamed that they had disobeyed their Creator.

The world is in a constant crusade to find something that can satisfy. Man continues to be drawn in by the lies of Satan, believing that pursuit of the pleasures of this world will bring about peace and satisfaction. It never does, but the world keeps looking. They don't understand that the void in their lives can only be filled by Jesus Christ.

For the Christian, it's even worse because we know where real satisfaction is found. When we fall for the lies of Satan and follow him into the paths of sin, we immediately realize we have left the peace of God for sour grapes, guilt, and a feeling of shame for having disobeyed our God. Thank God for I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." We can know that though we sin, and we all do (check verses 8 and 10 for that), we can find forgiveness. Peace and real, lasting satisfaction are found only in obeying and honoring God.