We claim to be the heroes of our age, and yet we fail to see where at times, we really are the villains. We either parade our faults for all to see in some sense of self-glorification, or we never explore them, hoping to wax over the shadow in our own souls. We choose to see ourselves as the pinnacles of a broken society, somehow unaffected by the destruction surrounding us. But are we really innocent?
We always wish to see ourselves as the 'good guys', but do 'evil' people see themselves as depraved forces of darkness? Or do they see themselves as the heroes who are willing to go farther then any other, and would dare to dirty their hands to bring about change? Even when those actions are indeed justifiably wrong, the mentality that dwells behind the actions are not always that much different then our own. How can we accuse people of past times for committing atrocious crimes that we have outmatched? How can we measure their sins by the blood that was shed when we condone the violent murder of many more millions of innocent lives? We cannot point accusing fingers without seeing that our own hands are soaked in the same crimson innocence.
Despite this, we the people glaze our eyes and shield our sights from the truth that we would rather avoid. When a lie is seemingly painless, and a mask as cheap as paper, the cost is deemed to be far more effective then the well-deserved pain that the truth would bring. Evil is evil, no matter the age, circumstance, or seemingly righteous conviction. However, do evil people truly see themselves as servants of darkness? Or is it possible that those who stand on the wrong side of history saw themselves as the necessary agents of change; striving toward a better future?
In the same light, truth is also truth. Many would believe that truth is in the eye of the beholder, and that there are many or no absolutes, as opposed to moral absolutes established by God. This simply isn't accurate, because with such a mentality, anything can be true. Such a belief is toxic and intrusive because many find it an appealing way to justify beliefs that do not line up with God's Word. This can go even deeper, when many more questions along this line of thought are asked. Who decides what is morality as opposed to what is not? Yes, we know the Word of God is the only absolute, but how can we differentiate truth from lie when the lies can be incredibly compelling?
The answers to these questions aren't simple, nor are they answers that many will want to hear. The first step we must take to understand the many layers to this conundrum is to understand the true danger and and manipulative tactics of deception. The Bible says that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, but have we ever asked ourselves why? Humanity has always had a natural aversion of evil, and yet, we also are sin-natured beings drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It is a volatile conflict that promises pain, and the inevitable struggle in our world is only the beginning of a much deeper feud. The enemy preys on our desires for justice and our anger of feeling wronged and twists truly justifiable hurts into unacceptably wicked results.
Where does this vile switch occur? It starts when we veer from God's control, and try to take the reigns in our own mortal hands. It sparks the beginning of the end when we falsely march forward under the banner of the human mind, absent of God, and replacing Him with the faulty view of man being as high as God. It points back to the Fall of Man, when Satan planted the original seed of doubt, causing man to question God. When we think we can do God's job better then Him, and when we are foolish enough to act out such thoughts; that is the difference between a just cause and a rotten one.
Throughout the ages we wave these false banners of human control, but we must remember that this notion of man raising himself above God is not a new one. Not that long after creation, man displayed an act of disobedience by building the Tower of Babel. Babel was not just a building, it was a statement of human pride and the foolish belief that man could rise to lofty heights without the aid of a sovereign God. In essence they were replacing God with themselves, as if they could be their own gods. How erroneously wrong they were. Their self-centered deeds were stepped, and their tower was brought low.
Friends, the Tower of Babel may have been destroyed, but it was just a type. It was far more then a simple man-made structure; it was a spiritual statement. There are many Babels in our world today, as there have been many through our history. While they aren't necessarily physical structures, the mentality behind them remains the same. Whether it's an idea, a statement, a belief, or an action, if it is enacted out of man's impatience to see results instead of seeking God, it is destined to fail. When our hearts are raised in lofty arrogance, we strive to step ahead of God, and it isn't simply a problem our culture faces. Our church isn't exempt from this falsehood, and unfortunately, there are far too many examples of places or organizations in the church that have turned from God's way and meaninglessly struggled through the mire of man's fallible thinking.
Deception is a sickeningly subtle disease, infecting within before revealing itself without. Many people with well meaning ideas and hearts have been led astray by the deceit of the enemy, who preyed on their desires and encouraged them to strike out on their own, as it were, and not involve God in the process. Because of this deception, many innocents have suffered, and even died, as a result. That is why it is so critically important for us to seek the Word so we can discern the truth from the lie, so that we will not become the next pawns in this vicious cycle. In order to understand these revelations and keep our eyes open to the tricks of the enemy, we cannot allow ourselves to be swayed by the influences of those around us, without taking a good long look at the Word of God first. Instead of focusing on those in history who we deem as 'bad', we need to look at ourselves and make sure that we haven't become the very monster that we had striven to defeat.
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