Being Vigilante

"Can We Talk?"

I'm sure that you're familiar with this verse: Love not the world (1 John 2:15-16) Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. (16) for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the father, but is from the world. How many times have you heard someone say? "I just love my life" most people who use this phrase are just thinking of material gain, from the sweat of their brow ... We must always put God first, and seek the kingdom of God...

Now the serpent was MORE CRAFTY than any beast of the field which our Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'you shall not eat from any tree of the garden ?" (Gen.3:1). Cloaked as a crafty serpent, Satan CAME to tempt Eve. Let's not forget that Satan at one time was an angel who rebelled against God and he was thrown out of heaven. As Satan we are all created beings, Satan has definite limitations. Satan is trying to tempt EVERYONE away from God, he will not be the victor. God has the final say. In Gen. 3:14-15, God promises that Satan will be crushed by one of the woman's offspring, the MESSIAH.

The other day I was watching the local news and they started talking about parents getting ready for the opening of school. All of a sudden I noticed the advertisements that are shown in repetition, TV certainly knows how to capture our attention and the same is true when we walk into a store any store. Have you noticed how attractive successful - looking the models/mannequin's are? The message that they are attempting to communicate to the public is... if you purchase their product you will also become attractive and successful.

Genesis 3:6 says: When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes... They failed their first test. The Lord God commanded the man saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat from it you will SURELY DIE". Eve had never tasted the forbidden fruit. She had tasted other from which was very delicious and enjoyable. When she considered violating God's limitations, she allowed her eye to associate the forbidden fruit with previous pleasurable experiences. The fruit itself was appealing to the eye.

Do you have the same eye that Eve had, can you see yourself with eyes like hers? Friends not only do advertisers use sensually suggestive models to sell their product, but they also encourage woman to overemphasize their eyes. God warns men, "Do not desire her beauty in your heart, "Nor let her capture you with her eyelids". Men as husbands, fathers and grandfathers we must make our families aware of alluring advertising. When one thinks about it, alluring advertising takes the weakest point of a product and tries to turn it into a positive quality. A cigarette company advertises satisfaction, while the liquor industry focuses on life; in reality its product produces death. As an ex-smoker I never found satisfaction so I inhaled up to 1 1/2 packs per day. When we lean on our own understanding, we are not trusting God. We must trust him completely in every choice we make. Depending on our own reasoning means that Satan has a fifty fifty chance of us blowing it again. God wants us to discern between good and evil through his spirit. 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. The very temptation of Satan portrayed the consequence of relying on human understanding rather than trusting in divine discernment.

Next time you and your family go into the mall be on the look out for misleading phrases, items that appeal to the lust of the eye. Be aware that some who work behind the register/counter might be working on commission only. Men it's my opinion that he/she might use any tactic to fill their sales quota. They may use a phrase like it's only $xx,xx, or I want you to have this product so I'll do this or that for you. We truly must develop SALES RESISTANCE. "The naive believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps. (Proverbs 14:15) Sales people are trained to move product, so they will point out the positive features of the product in question. They will make broad statements and they will put pressure on you to buy immediately. It's very important to get all the facts. My wife and I, before we make a purchase, especially a high dollar item we check with Consumers Reports. You can subscribe or go on line www.consumerreports.com . be a wise consumer as school opens in weeks.

Have a great day in the Lord.