With all the recent chatter surrounding the election debates, I often wonder if we remember what debating really is. Well, if I remember correctly, debating is arguing...persuasive arguing. Make no mistake about it, persuasive arguing is an art; it's been going on since the beginning of time.
So, while I hear a lot of arguing between the candidates, neither side has persuaded me on much of anything.
And that got me to thinking...
Perhaps the greatest debate ever waged was between the enemy of our souls and the redeemer of them...Satan V Jesus.
The first battleground was a garden, a little piece of heaven-on-earth, Eden. In Genesis, Chapter three, the scene for this great debate is set...
The enemy, disguised as a serpent (go figure), begins a conversation with Eve.
S: "Didn't God say you could have everything in the garden?"
E: "Well, yes, He did...EXCEPT...the fruit of the tree that grows in the midst of the garden."
S: "Really? That tree? And I'll bet He even said you'd die if you ate it."
E: "Well, yes, He did."
S: "He's lying! You won't die! You'll be like Him. That's why He doesn't want you to have it."
Checkmate! He persuaded her, and acting on that persuasion, one single act caused the separation of man from his Holy Creator. What a dark day that became.
And the darkness continued. Through the ages, God continued to strive with man, trying to win him back again. But, He was only partially successful...we had been persuaded that we could do it on our own. We came back to Him from time to time, but the enemy's argument was laced with promises of self-fulfillment, fortune, and fame, and sadly...time and time again...we were persuaded. He left no life untouched with his carefully crafted argument.
Even Jesus was subject to it...He was led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God precisely to be tempted of the devil (to prove to us that we could withstand the enemy's lies). See Matthew 4.
S: "You must be hungry. How long has it been since you had anything to eat...forty days? Well, IF you ARE really who you say you are, then why not command these rocks to become fresh-baked bread for you?"
J: "Oh, no need. This physical body is just a temporal thing. We're better off to be concerned with the spirit of man, which lives forever."
The enemy sees that he has not been persuasive enough...he tries something else. Suddenly Jesus finds Himself on the top of the temple in Jerusalem.
S: "Let's see here. I believe that the only way down is to fly! Go ahead, jump off! God won't let you fall. The angels will come and catch you."
J: "Why would I do something so foolish? It's not right to try and force God into a situation to prove Who He is."
Again, Jesus is whisked away, this time to the top of a very high mountain.
S: "Look around you. You can see the whole world from here. Bow down and worship me, and it's all yours."
J: "Man was made to worship and love God...there's only one God...and you-are-not-Him!"
Verse 11 sums it up: "The devil left Him." He could not persuade Him. Satan's argument was full of flaws.
This all took place, but the decisive battle was yet to be waged. On an old rugged cross, God won the argument once and for all (that is, for all mankind) when death and the grave were dealt the final blow.
Every day, we are faced with decisions, and while they may not determine the eternal destiny of our souls, they will impact our lives and the lives of those around us. As long as the sun rises, the enemy will show up to try and persuade us to let go of God and go our own way. But, as then, his argument is full of flaws. Do not be persuaded. Listen to the voice of Jesus whisper, "You are not alone. I am here, right now, with you. Trust me. There is a better plan for your life. True peace will come to you the moment you come to Me. Don't be moved by what you see. Everything is under control. Keep on believing."
The final conclusion is simple: The voice that I LISTEN to is the one that will persuade me. I will hear both sides, I'm sure, but I'm only going to listen to one!
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