Mask of the Great Deceiver

I have been a fan of Christian “rock” albums for a very long time. I was recently listening to the solo album from Kansas’ guitarist, keyboardist, and lyricist Kerry Livgren entitled Seeds of Change. I remember buying my first copy of this album on vinyl at the used record store on UTC’s campus as a college freshman. One of my favorite songs is “Mask of the Great Deciever”

The song starts out like this:

“well he’s the prince of the world his work is never complete; and though he promises all you’ll lie a slave at his feet”

The pleasure of sin is a difficult problem for most of us. It can appear quite enticing but the end result is that it always wrecks our lives. No doubt there is pleasure in sin but it only lasts a short time and then we become a slave to it:

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. (John 8:34 NLT)

How do I avoid sin? In this example from the life of Moses the Bible indicates that it is by faith:

“It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:24, 25 NLT)

We must believe that it’s in our best interest to to take God at His word and avoid sin before we become entangled in it, unfortunately this is not a popular view of the world around us.We are seen as being separatist or even prudish by trying to avoid sin. The important thing to remember is that we can’t be made slaves to sin without taking the first steps towards slavery on our own.

I think this advice from the book of James is our best bet:

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” (James 4:7, 8 NLT)

The closer we become to God the harder it is for Satan to tempt us to sin. Little by little, step by step, as you begin to trust God you will find that same old sin doesn’t seem as enticing. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not always an easy path but trusting in God is a worthwhile pursuit.

If you struggle with being the person that you think God wants you to be or you are just having trouble dealing with what life throws at you I encourage to join our Chaos Management small group Wednesdays at 6:30pm.

Scott Pollard
Associate Pastor

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