TAKE A STEP BACK TO SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE
 
                                                                                                                                                                                  By W. G. Guy

          As the saying goes, “you can’t see the forest for the trees”, indicates that we are often too close to the situation to get the whole picture that would enable us to understand what is going on.  This also applies to the Holy Scriptures and what Jesus said as recorded in the New Testament.  Therefore the following gives us a broader perspective of the actions of the devil (Satan) and Jesus (our redeemer).

John 10:10 – The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

          The devil is identified as the epitome of the criminal – the thief, along with his criminal elements of stealing, killing and destroying.  Jesus however brings to us just the opposite – abundant life, (translated from zoe, or life as God has it which is eternal).  Thus the devil is hereby known by his attacks on mankind which was made in the image and likeness of God.  This likeness of God is what Satan hates in mankind and therefore he employs his tactics to pervert and destroy mankind to keep him from being restored to the image and likeness of God; which is only done through a person’s relationship with Jesus Christ.

          How does the devil employ his tactics in our current day?  The following is only a brief summary of what the devil does.  He steals!  He robs our little children and young adults through godless, leftist, liberal education in public schools and colleges.  He has used his negative influence to generate teachers and professors to deny the existence of God in every possible area that can be touched by education.  Removing all vestiges of Christian influence and supplanting them with humanistic, mystic, and godless propaganda; including other forms of religion; such as Islam, occultism, new age religion, and humanism.

          He kills!  His favorite tactic is killing the unborn – abortion.  This is in effect the worship of the pagan goddesses of sex where the children were sacrificed to the pagan goddesses as listed in the Old Testament: Ashtaroth (also known as Ishtar, Astarte, and various other names by other societies, also the god Molech – See 1 Samuel 7:3-4).
Then he also employs his old tactic of wars to kill millions.  And then he tempts with the evil action of committing murder through crimes of lust, passion, hatred and greed.

         He destroys!  Satan uses lies and deceit to corrupt mankind; particularly in governments and all places where leadership can be infiltrated and negatively influenced; even in places like some churches.  Satan loves to manipulate mankind into behaving as he does and adopting his vile nature.

John 8:44 – Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

          Now we look at the last part of John 10:10 as listed at the beginning where Jesus said that He came so that we (who believe on and accept Him) can have life (zoe) and have it more abundantly.  In accepting Him as God’s provision for saving us from the penalty of sin (and from the nature of the devil that all mankind has before accepting Christ), we then receive the character and nature of Christ deep within our spirit.  Understand that Christ’s character and nature does not always show in us as we have to choose to be obedient to His leading in our lives and not live according to the dictates of the old nature.

          The key difference between Satan and Jesus Christ is TRUTH.  Satan is the liar and the father of liars – Jesus is the TRUTH and His truth brings LIFE (zoe – life as God has it).  This brings each person who believes on Christ into the family of God as God’s dear children.

John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  

          Knowing the truth about Jesus Christ is the only way to be free of the lies and deception of the devil.

John 8:31-32 – Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

          Thus we can see the whole picture of what is at stake between the lies and efforts of Satan and the freedom and liberty that is provided by the truth of Jesus Christ.  The choice of who you will follow is yours to make, and you alone must choose.