04 June 2008

In the beginning....why it matters!

"How did I get here?" This is a question that has baffled the minds of fuzzy thinkers for generations. Millions of dollars and countless hours of relentless research have gone into the search for the answer to this mind boggling question. Yet, today I will endeavor to make the sacrifice and tell you the answer free of charge! Yes, it's true! As a sane, sensible human being, I know the answer, it's simple. (Drum roll please!) You ready? Here it is: God!

God created the universe in six literal days. On day six, he created man. That's what I believe because that's the truth! No doubts, no questions, no ifs ands or buts, 100% positive. How do I know? You can find out for yourself in Genesis 1:26-27. It says, "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness...so God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He him". That's how!

There are, however, those that believe otherwise. You have a choice to make.

Take a quick break and go grab a glass of milk and some cookies, this might take a while, seriously!

First, let's break it into to little, bite sized nuggets. When you boil it all down, there are only two sides you can take on this issue. 1. The belief that God created the universe and everything in it in six literal days. 2. The belief that He didn't! Simple? I think so!

So, which do you believe?

Let's say I have invited you to my house for an evening of extreme Uno. Over the course of the night, it is apparent that you are a skilled Uno player. You are beating me soundly, so to try to appease you I offer you a plate of my wife's awesome, homemade chocolate chip cookies. As I hand you the plate, I say, "Here, have a cookie." As you grab a few you say, "Wow, these look good. Who made them?" I reply, "Oh, these just appeared on our kitchen counter, so we thought we would eat them tonight"...awkward silence... At first you may think I am joking, but as you search my face, you see that I am completely sincere. So, you ask, "They just.....appeared?" "Yep," I reply, "Out of thin air! Cool, huh?" At that point you might start looking for the nearest exit!

Why would it be so hard for you to believe that those chocolate chip cookies just appeared? Probably for the same reason it be would hard for you to believe that my car just happened to fall together and run properly or that a digital calculator evolved into the computer screen you are looking at right now! It sounds ridiculous, right? For those chocolate chip cookies to appear, there had to have been a baker. For my car to run properly, there had to be a manufacturer. For you to be able to look at your computer screen, there had to be a maker. For you and I to exist, there had to be a creator.

This is a battle ground. No, not the cookies! I mean the origin of man. It has been since the Garden of Eden and it will be until Satan is bound and cast into the lake of fire. It started in the Garden of Eden when Satan deceived Eve into taking fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die". Satan said, "Ye shall not surely die". Did they believe Satan? Yep! Did they eat of it? Yep! Did they die? Yep!

So how does this affect our original issue? God said, "Let us make man...so God created man in His own image". Satan says, "God didn't really do that!" Watch out, the first people that fell for that lost a lot more than a garden in Eden!

So, which do you believe? Are you going to believe God, or are you going to fall for another one of Satan's schemes? You see, this goes deeper than just evolution. Satan would love nothing more than to "sift you as wheat" and "devour" you. One way he can do that is by deceiving you into believing that God did not do what He said He did. When that seed is planted, it's roots weave themselves into every area of your life.

It goes like this: "Well, if God didn't create all of this how did it get here? Did it just, appear? Did it happen by chance? Do I really have a purpose? Is there really such a thing as God? If there's no God, are there really consequences for my actions? Is there even such a thing as sin? Can I do what I want?"

You see what happens? If you take the bait, before you know it, your entire value system has changed! You may think you're free when in fact you have never been more bound! (check out I Peter 2:19b) It affects how you view life. It affects how you interact in society. It affects your belief in God. It affects whether you go to Heaven or Hell when you die! That's why it matters!

OK, so why do we need to know why we believe what we believe?

This attack is in an area in which most of us are not necessarily experts: the area of science (specifically the origins of man). I mean, you don't get up in the morning and don your bright white lab coat, pull on your plaid high-waters and grab your collection of pens as you head out the door to hop into your hybrid sub-compact and commute to the lab to find out if E still equals mc2. We are not all professional scientists. Sure, we understand that gravity makes apples fall from trees and that a Dr. Pepper bottle full of gasoline makes for an exciting campfire, but we don't study the molecular structure of nucleic acids just for fun. As a result, we tend to think that anything dealing with higher science is too far beyond our grasp. We unknowingly decide to let the "brains" worry about it. We just sit in our desk at school and take for granted that what we are being told is true, whether it's creation by God, or the "big bang" theory. Because of this, we have allowed ourselves to become somewhat vulnerable in this area. Satan knows this and is ruthlessly attacking this unfortified area daily.

Imagine that what you believe is a fort and that why you believe it is the wall surrounding and protecting your fort. If you do not know why you believe what you believe, if you can not show someone with absolute certainty that what you believe is the truth, you have lowered your wall! You are leaving your fort wide open for an extreme regime change!

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." Ephesians 4:14-15

So, in order to stand firm in a world of spineless jellyfish, you must have a solid "fort" and a strong "wall". Find the truth and know why! Satan is just outside your wall, waiting for it to drop!

There it is. There's a lot of meat in there so take your time. I would encourage you to do one thing though, don't just take for granted that everything in this Challenge is true. Search it out for yourself. Find proof to back it up. When you find the truth, stand firm on it. Then, know why you believe it and build a strong wall to protect it. Apply these principles to every area of your life. Oh, by the way, did you enjoy your milk and cookies?

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