Junquejo

What has brought this heavy topic to my mind today.... Star Wars!!!      Last night, hubby & I finally sat down to watch Episode III.  I really wasn't sure that I wanted to see it because I wasn't that impressed with I or II (although I am a huge fan of IV, V and VI).

In fact, it took me quite to get into it at all.  It wasn't until the last third of the movie, when Anakin really began to move to the dark side, that I started paying close attention.  I began to watch the seduction of Anakin and the lies told to him by the Chancellor (Sith Lord).  Wow... you could almost feel the evil drip from the man and yet..... Anakin found something compelling about him.  Anakin wanted so much for things to go his own way that he overlooked all of his training and all of the warnings and only focused on himself and his selfish desires.  And the evil overtook him and he was sucked in and pulled under.... all by his own choosing.

But, that is how evil works.  It is seductive and it tells you whatever you want to hear.  Evil will lie to you, tell you that the only thing that matters is what you want and what you desire.  Evil says take care of yourself.... that you deserve this or that.  If you keep listening and don't run away, before you know it, you have bought into the lies.

Good, on the other hand, is truth.  Good tells you to think of others first.  That even though things may not go the way you wanted or expected them to go, that it is for the best.  Good says that the things worth having in life may not come easy.  Often, choosing good is to deny yourself and your base desires.  Rewards, when they come, may be few.  And sometimes the rewards will not be received until the distant future.

Do we have the kinds of temptations, battles and strife that Anakin faced in Star Wars?  Yes, I believe that we most certainly do!  Evil in our world is in the form of Satan, the great deceiver.  He roams this world like a roaring lion seeking to devour anything or anyone in his path.  He wants nothing more than to destroy you and he will tell you anything you need to hear to achieve his goal.

God, however, is good!  God is Truth!  God loves you and wants only the best for you.  We, as fallen humanity, were born into sin.  Sin is in our nature and separates us from God because God is holy and cannot look upon sin.  The Bible says that the penalty for sin is death.  Because God is holy and just, the penalty for sin must be payed.  In his great love for us God sent his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay our sin debt.  It is a free gift... there is nothing we did to earn or deserve this gift.  All that is required for you to receive the gift of Jesus is to admit that you am a sinner, ask God to forgive you and to believe that Jesus is God's Son and died in your place.  Once you have believed and accepted this, then you need to tell others about the Good News of Jesus.

Satan does not want that to happen.  He will fill your mind with lies about God, about Christians and even about yourself.  He is seductive, sneaky and very good at concealing the truth.  Beware of his tricks and deceipt.  Don't allow yourself to be seduced by the lies of the  "Dark Side" as Anakin Skywalker was in Star Wars.

God has given you the Truth in His Word about Satan and about Himself.  God wants a relationship with you.  He desires to know you and to spend time with you.  Turn to Him before it is too late.