by: Cris Corzine-McCloskey
Last week was Halloween. As I watched the kids trying their best to be scary, I thought about what really frightens me. I once saw a show about space travelers carrying a vaccine to their dying world. In need of repairs, they landed on a spider-infested planet. The hero courageously fought the spiders, repaired the ship, and made it home to save his people. But as he was receiving an award for his heroism, the scene changed to expose something horrifying.
In reality, the man and his crew never made it off the spider-infested planet. Each was covered in arachnoids and cocooned in a web. The spider venom had the effect of causing them to believe their wildest dreams were coming true. The wanna-be-hero and everyone he loved and wanted to save was doomed to perish while he happily dreamed about accepting an award for his bravery. As disturbing as that show was, that’s not what I find scary. What I find horrifying is how much truth was in that silly show. Oh, the lies we believe while we follow destructive paths!
As adults, we can spot the lies kids believe. The myth that popularity equals happiness. The belief that sending nude photos will bring love and acceptance, and the idea that using drugs will have a good outcome. We, adults, know these things will end badly for those kids. But what about for us?
There is a scripture I frequently cite, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). A “way that seems right to a man” means someone can be on the path to destruction and be convinced they are doing the right thing. Horrifying. But I see it every day.
People who are convinced the affair they are having is the will of God, because “God brought him/her into my life.” Then they tell me they are praying about the situation and don’t know what God wants them to do, because “God wants me to be happy.”
Please hear this loud and clear, God will never send you someone to have an affair with, either emotionally or physically. That goes against Scripture. And while God does want us to be happy, Jesus said the only true path to happiness is to deny ourselves and follow Him. So if you are one of those people praying about your affair, take this as a word from the Lord, STOP IT! You are under the influence of a lie that has the power to destroy you and those you hold dearest.
Just like the hero in our spider story was trying to get his vaccine to his planet to save his people, we carry the vaccine of the gospel, and our world needs it. But there are things we have to fight, as well. The stuff we battle doesn’t look like spiders; they look like porn, alcohol, prescription drugs misused, you name it. These all beckon us to embark on the way that seems right to a man. Do yourself a favor, check yourself often. There is no such thing as happily ever after apart from Jesus. If what you are believing doesn’t line up with God’s word, you might just be wrapped up like a spider snack!
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