I grew up in a time when things moved a little slower, family was extremely important, and distances traveled were very short. For me, it was a big treat to go to town on weekends. There was the 5 and dime store and the drug store with the soda fountain and of course the candy store where you could overdose for only a nickel. By the way, you could walk the streets without any fear of being mugged or intimidated by gang groups. Everyone took the time to say hello and for the most part you knew most of the people you saw. Every year there was a Christmas Parade that was the most important thing going on during the holiday festivities other than being at church and participating in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

But there was one thing that I remember, that wasn't so good. People were very superstitious. Don't go under a ladder, it was bad luck. If a black cat crossed over your intended path that was back luck. Break a mirror and be domed to seven years of bad luck. If you spilled salt at the table, you had to shake salt over your left shoulder. If you came in the front door, you had to exit out of the same door. And my favorite, if you were left-handed, you owed the devil a day's work.

However, the devil was not an actual entity. He was this character all red with horns and a pitchfork, and wearing a red cape. He was more mischevious than evil. There was a difference between white lies and black lies, so don't be too hard on those who told such lies, it really wasn't too bad of a thing.

I have to tell you a deep dark fact. The devil is real. His name is Lucifer or Satan. At one time he was an archangel and led the worship in heaven. Somewhere along the way, I don't know where, and independent and self serving spirit entered into him and he tried to usurp God's authority and take God's throne. It cost him his position in heaven and he was casted out of heaven, along with the angels he was able to corrupt and was confined to earth. When God created man he gave him the responsibility of ruling over Satan. In a coup documented in the Book of Genesis, Satan took that authority away from man and set up his kingdom here on earth and changed his prison into a place for his throne. He has made it his purpose to steal every human he could away from God and enslave them under his power, thereby robbing man from the authority that he is supposed to have. In doing so, he has convinced this world that he isn't a threat and that we can co-exist with him. He has even set up his own religion. A religion based in fear and superstitution.

We have been lulled into a trance and have been hypnotized by Satan's devices. He has possessed man with a self servicing attitude that has no limits on what he is willing to do in order to fulfill the lusts that has been implanted by a devious slave lord. Satan's mantra is "if it feels good do it, there are no limitations." Satan requires no accountability or responsibility. Man is the center of his own universe and of course there is no God. Everythhing in the universe is just a big bang of happen stance.

May I tell you that if you are of this ilk, you are sadly mistaken and misinformed. Number One, there is a God and He made everything that is made and He has authority over all of His creation. Number Two, God holds us accountable for everything that we do, both good and bad. Number Three, Satan is a liar and has no authority unless you give it to him. He is a prisoner here and we are supposed to be his jailers. Number Four, Jesus Christ, God's only Son, left heaven and his place of authority and submitted himself to human frality to become a perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity and restore our place in God's order of things here on earth. Jesus gave us back our eternal life in the presence of the Father in heaven. One lie Satan has been successful in spinning is that when we die that's the end of it. However, the truth is that eternal life is a constant. Where you spend eternity is the variable. Satan didn't tell you that little tidbit, did he? We have the choice to choose heaven and eternity with the Father and His Son. We also have the choice to choose eternal damnation with Satan in the Lake of Fire.

My question to you is, Where do you want to live out eternity? Do you want to be blessed beyond measure or do you want to be cursed separated from those blessings. There is no other choice. God doesn't give us a third option. You must make you choice. You must choose one or the other. If you don't take the time to choose, you will be ushered in with Satan and his fate. You see, choice requires responsibility. Responsibility requires accountability. Accountability leads to God's acceptance because we accepted His Son's sacrifice. Obviously, the problem is that people don't want to be accountable and they somehow have gotten the notion that denial of accountability will make all their problems go away. Don't be fooled into that mindset. I ask you to look around you in nature and see if you can still hang on to the notion that you don't have to be accountable. We have a nature law in this world that whatever you do caused a like response. It's called the law of cause and effect. In common words, what you sow is what you will reap. Everyone is responsible for what he does and will reap accordingly. There is only one variable. When you realize that you are not in control and decide to accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins, you receive grace and mercy from a just God. It is the only way to beat the "law of cause and effect."

Do it today if you haven't already. If you have, then be sure to live a life of giving to others as a response to the favor of God in your life. OK?