I want to hang my hat on something more than the trappings of this world. Last night I saw a movie called Needful Things. It is not a Christian movie, and it may be rated R but I saw an edited version on TV. But it was about the devil (in the form of a man) coming to a town and opening up a shop. Everyone that entered, he had some item that they had always envied, such as a Mickey Mantle baseball card, or other antiques. One drunk obtained a jacket like he had in high school when he used to be popular, and it made him feel young again. A priest got a chalice that the Lord drank from. There were other things too. But the catch was, every time someone got their desired possession, they were asked to do something bad. It started out to be just pranks, but it grew to where everyone hated & suspected each other.The movie even had 2 ministers at each other's throats, and when the devil destroyed one of the churches, the priest blamed the Baptist preacher. It was conspired to where the people that did the bad deeds did them to others but the victims suspected someone else that they previously had a grudge against. So hate was being directed to the wrong people. What I got out of it was this question: What desired thing does the devil have to offer us in order for us to be satisfied enough not to pursue God's will? Is it fame, money, success, a job, security, the well being of our children, a man or a woman we want to be with, an ambition we must accomplish, getting out of debt, health, that I am well-liked, that I have a feeling of vindication? The list goes on. You fill in the blank on your particular situation. Do we put our dream or "rights" before our dedication to God? Susanna Wesley said Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your consciousness, obscures your sense of God, or takes away the relish of spiritual things; --that thing is sin to you.
