The devil says, “I am going to be like God.” God simply smiles and replies, “I Am God!” End of story!

In the garden of Eden, the devil’s dialog to Adam and Eve went like this: Genesis 3:1-5 ‘Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”‘

This is the core of human struggle and it has been since the beginning. It wasn’t good enough for Lucifer to be an anointed guardian cherub, but he had to have more. Ezekiel 28: 13-17 “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. 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. 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. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.”

How could one, who had so much splendor and glory, do what he did? It says that he became proud and that his wisdom was corrupted because of his splendor. Pride was the essence of his fall. When we look at the major problems with our world, pride is at the top. This same sin is repeated over and over again throughout the centuries. It started with the devil and was then introduced into humanity through Adam and Eve.

Humility, what a weapon it is. It has no hidden agendas. Those willing to obey the prophet’s orders in humility obtained their miracles. Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 22:4 “Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.”

In reality, there can be only one God. There can be only one creator. The rest are created beings and things. As humans, we create robots to help us and not to rule over us. We would immediately disconnect or destroy a rogue robot. Should we expect God to be any different?

God created each of us for a special purpose and destiny. He showed us how much He loves us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Who died on the cross for all of our sins, both past and future. We each have different talents and abilities. We each have the ability within us for greatness. It starts with humility. It starts by us acknowledging who we are and who He is. Without His grace and power, we are nothing and would cease to exist. God has a plan and a destiny for us. It is greater than we can ever imagine or comprehend. The question remains. Do we want to be like God, knowing good and evil or do we want Him to be God? Do we want to be on His level fighting against Him or can we trust Him to be Who He is?

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The Lord is for us. He knows us each by name. We are not a number to Him. We have an enemy who would like us to join him in his rebellion. Be like God, no thanks! I enjoy letting the Lord be Himself. It’s a good place to be. It’s a safe and glorious place to be. What choice do we make?

Joseph