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{Heart4Teens.com} *Satan - Father Of Lies * ______________________________________ If you enjoy this free email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration into the lives of teenagers everywhere! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, you can join Heart4Teens.com readers around the world by visiting: http://www.hundred-acre-woods.com/magic-list/Heart4Teens Visit our inspirational web site to read all the past articles in our archives and view the tons of resources we have there for teens! http://www.Heart4Teens.com/Teen_Stories _________________________________________ Satan - Father Of Lies If Satan is realand if he has a purpose in the lives of humanswouldn't he prefer that most people put him in the same box with mythical monsters like vampires, ghosts, and the wolf man? He'd love us to think we can just forget about him like all the fictional villains who come and go from our TV screens and movie theaters. For all our scary ideas about the "prince of darkness," the Bible teaches that Satan's greatest weapon is deception. Jesus called him the "father of lies" (John 8:44). As spiritually powerful as he is, he'd much rather confuse you about the truth than make your skin crawl in the darkness. Exploring what the Bible has to say about the real Satan starts with understanding that he wasn't always evil. Wise and Beautiful The Bible only mentions by name three of the millions of angels that exist. One was Gabriel, the herald (or messenger) angel. Another was the archangel Michael, God's warrior. And the final one was Lucifer, the name originally given to perhaps the greatest angel of allthe angel who became Satan. Our clearest picture of Satan's origin comes from Ezekiel 28:12-19. The chapter begins with Ezekiel's prophesy about the "ruler" of Tyre, a city that was going to be judged by God for rejecting him. That ruler's greatest sin was pride. Yet at verse 12, the writer shifts focus to the "king of Tyre" and, apparently, begins to describe the fate of a being who was influencing the human ruler of Tyre. They both share the sin of pride, but the supernatural being described in verses 12-19 was not an earthly king. Here's what it says: "You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared." (28:12-13) The fact that this being was in the Garden of Eden is one reason many scholars believe the passage refers to Satan. The ruler of Tyre could not have been in Eden, but we know for sure that "the serpent" was there (Genesis 3). The first thing we notice is that the amazing supernatural creature described here, Satan, started out as a perfect, wise, and beautiful angel of God. Special attention was given to his appearance, and he was dressed in 9 of the 12 gemstones that are often listed as being precious to God. He would have been awesome looking. It's also important to see that, like all the other angels described in the last chapter, Lucifer was a creation. He existed before humans were created, but he has not always existed. At some point, God made him. Movie series like Star Wars and Harry Potter and other stories based on the worldview of Eastern religions like to picture the supernatural world as a "force" or energy with two halves. One side is good or positive, and the other side is evil or negative. That's not what the Bible teaches. Satan is not the "dark side" of God's power. He doesn't exist to balance the goodness of God. He was created as a good being by a good God. "You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you." (28:14-15) Satan's job was to be a guardian in the mountain of God. We don't know exactly what that means, but it's clear he had great responsibility. He had access to God. And he did his job flawlesslyuntil his focus shifted from God to himself. "Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. " "So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor." (28:16-17) Satan's downfall was that he started to look at everything he had going for him, and he decided he didn't need God. Because of his wealth, power, and beauty, he started thinking he was better than the One who made him and gave him great wealth, power, and beauty. God couldn't allow such arrogance to remain in his presence. "So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more." (28:18-19) This prophesy about Satan isn't completely fulfilled yet. Obviously, he's still at work in the worldalong with many angels who followed him in his rebellion against God and were cast out of heaven with him (Revelation 12:7-9). For now, it's important that we realize how beautiful and perfect Satan was before his pride took over. He was designed to bring glory to God. Instead, he wanted glory for himself. Satan's History Satan, in the form of a serpent, shows up right at the beginning of human history, using his greatest weapon against the brand new humans for the first time. There, in the Garden of Eden, he told his first lie to humans, which Adam and Eve followed into their first sin, for which we all lost paradise and found death (Genesis 3). From that point on, Satan's mission on earth has been clear. He's here to try to derail God's plan and to "steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). Unlike the popular myth, Satan doesn't yet live in hell, waiting for damned souls to show up for torment. He roams the earth, looking to destroy people's lives (1 Peter 5:8). Satan and his crew of fallen angels are mentioned in nearly every New Testament book, including the Gospels, where he actively works to interfere in God's plan to save humanity through Jesus. Not only does he tempt Jesus to sin after the Christ has been fasting for 40 days, he also later possesses Judas and uses him to betray Jesus. Again, Satan's plan is foiled, and he is defeated once and for all when Jesus succeeds in his mission. The rest of the New Testament makes clear that Satan is still at work in the lives of humans. Remember, though, he's not a god. He doesn't have any more powers than an angel has. That means he can't be more than one place at a time and he doesn't know everything. Against Non-Christians Those who have rejected Christ or haven't yet trusted in him for salvation are wide open to the attacks of this supernatural enemy of humanity. Jesus said that the devil "takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved" (Luke 8:12). And Paul wrote that he "has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Maybe you've experienced this with people who just can't seem to see the truth about Jesus. It's like something else is at work in their hearts, keeping them from getting over the obstacles of unbelief. Against Christians Satan and his demons are limited in their influence against believers. That's true for a couple of reasons. The first is that Christians are protected by the Holy Spirit, which is given to each of us at the moment of our salvation. Also, Jesus prays to the Father to protect us from the enemy (John 17:15). However, that doesn't mean these supernatural spirits can't mess with us. They can't steal us from the Father (John 10:29), but they can draw our attention away from the Father and tempt us to sin. The father of lies loves to tempt Christians to lie, as well (Acts 5:3). He also tempts us to give in to sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 7:5) and uses our anger to get a foothold in our lives (Ephesians 4:27). When we give in, he goes running to God to make accusations and tell lies about us (Revelation 12:10). He also seeks to frustrate our attempts to do good things (1 Thessalonians 2:18), and works in the hearts of others to persecute us for following Jesus (Revelation 2:10). In short, Satan is our enemy. He wants to destroy us. Now. Peter wrote that, "the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).. Satan's Future The devil's fate is sealed forever. Here's what he has to look forward to: He will be completely banned from any access to God sometime during the Tribulation (Revelation 12:9) He will gather the governments of the world in the great battle of Armageddon against Jesus and his forcesand he will lose. (Revelation 16:13-14) He'll be locked away in the abyss at the beginning of the millennium (Revelation 20:2). He'll be released for a short time, during which he'll use powerful deception to raise another army against God. Then he'll be utterly defeated and thrown into the lake of fire for all of eternity (Revelation 20:10). What we need to know now is that we have a real enemy whom we are able to resist despite his immense power. We need to be alert and watchful, constantly depending on God and His truth to defeat the father of lies. Next Week: ESP, Ghosts, Talking To The Dead: Is it Real? How can I know? _________________________________________ Let's Go Surfing Dude! Separation of Church and State? -- Was Separation of Church and State the intention of our Founding Fathers? Visit this link to take a closer look at our Constitution! http://www.heart4teens.com/church_state _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Death is not a period, but a comma in the story of life." --Amos J. Farver Verse for the Day: "Jesus said unto her (Martha), I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though her were dead, yet shall he live: And whosover liveth and believeth in me shall never die." John 11:25, 26a Teen's Thought For The Day: "Teens get lonely because they build walls instead of bridges." Parent's Thought For The Day: "The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." -- Henry Ward Beecher Coach's Thought For The Day: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fearnot absence of fear." --Mark Twain Deep Thought For The Day: "Everyone seems normal until you get to know them." __________________________________________ Author MICHAEL T. POWERS www.Heart4Teens.com Contributing Author to Chicken Soup for the Teen's Soul on Love and Friendship and 24 other inspirational books. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 _________________________________________ ALL-STAR Ministry --The Youth Church of Faith Community Church in Janesville, WI If you are in 6-12th grade and live in the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area and would like to check us out, we meet every Sunday night from 6:30-8:00 PM at Faith Community Church which is located at 2931 Lucerne Dr. in Janesville, WI. (About 3 blocks south-east of The Skating Place.) All-Stars: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Sunday nights! Open to all youth grades 9-12. The Outlet: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Sunday nights in the Multi-Purpose Room! Open to all youth grades 6-8. Currently we have students from Fort Atkinson, Milton, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Marshall, Orfordville, Clinton, Beloit Memorial, Beloit Turner, South Beloit, and Hononegah. E-mail me back if you have any questions about our weekly meetings or would like to come to any of our events that are listed below... We have way too much fun and then, most importantly, talk about issues that are relevant to you as a teenager. This Sunday October 23 -- Christian Comedian Ken Davis! October 30 -- Cofield in Concert in the church sanctuary! 6:00 PM (free of charge) For more info visit: http://www.faithcommunityChurch.net/ps_150_Club November 6 -- The Case for the Brady Bunch November 13 -- TBA November 20 -- Team Ithemba will join us from South Africa! _______________________________________________ Teen Community Groups 6:30 - 8:00 PM Wednesday nights (September though May) These groups are limited to no more than ten teens and are split into Jr. High and High School ages. This night is for those teens who want to dig deeper than what we do in All-Stars, but may not be ready to be a part of the Xtreme Teens. These cell groups will also be doing special activities with each other as the year goes on to build community. Jr. High age meets at Kent and Rachel Martin's house: 1324 E. Racine St. (Call 373-0886 if you have any questions!) High School age meets at Matt and Kristi Kauffman's house: 4339 Fox Hills (Call 758-1243 if you have any questions!) Xtreme Teens Xtreme Teens meet on Wednesday nights from 6:30 - 8:00 PM all year round at the Powers' house. This group is very extensive with weekly homework, memorization, service projects, etc. Students interested in this group will have to fill out an application, provide references as to why others think they should be involved with this, and sign an agreement as to what is expected of them. Admission into Xtreme Teens is on a case by case basis. Contact Pastor Michael for more details! |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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