What's Your Price?

Matthew Chapter Four begins with the telling of how Satan, the tempter, attempted to woo Jesus into turning His back on God. Satan spun many tales of how he would make sure that Jesus’ basic needs were met, that people would recognize Him as the Son of God, and that He would be granted the world and its riches if only Jesus would bow down and worship him (Matthew 4:9). Fortunately for us, Jesus could not be fooled into trading His relationship with the true, authentic God for a counterfeit. Jesus’ affection could not be bought with worldly things. Besides, Satan failed to offer Jesus anything that he didn’t already have.

Salvation may be free but it is not cheap. The Devil takes advantage of this fact and attempts to market his counterfeit items to those who are weak and vulnerable. Let’s browse Satan’s store of lies and see what he claims to offer, but be sure to read the "fine print":

• Acceptance by all (Voided when speaking out in favor of Biblical truths.)
• Popularity (Must be willing to compromise values and morals that might offend.)
• Wealth (Only of the material kind that is unfulfilling and fleeting.)       
• Safety (Safety features only available with purchase of gang membership.)
• Family (If you don’t like them you can always divorce or abandon them.)
• Success (Only available to the wealthy, attractive, and/or manipulative.)
• Freedom (Subject to limitations.)

In some ways the battle for the soul is similar to competition for customers in a free market economy. Unlike God, however, Satan is not above false advertising or poor service and he has a no-return policy.  When you buy into what Satan has to offer you are going to find yourself feeling disappointed at the end product. Much like “As Seen On TV” items clutter the home, Satan clutters your mind and life with ideas and objects that seem to be pretty nifty at first but further inspection reveals them to be of poor quality and unable to live up to expectations.

Like I stated before, salvation is free but it is not cheap. Jesus did what only He could do when He willingly paid the price for our sins as He died on the cross. In return for this act of pure love and selflessness God asks that we follow His commandments and love no other God before Him (Exodus 20:3). If we have bought into anything that Satan has offered us then we have made the decision to turn our backs on our Father in Heaven and settle for the Devil’s cheap knock offs.

Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (NIV) This verse should serve as a wake up call to believers. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior you have been renewed and you are to live a life in accordance with God’s will and his commandments. If you still think, act, and live the same way that you did before you declared Jesus Christ as your savior then you must question if you have truly surrendered your life to Him.

Revelation 3:15-17 says, “15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (NIV)

Being faithful and uncompromising when it comes to abiding by God’s Word is detrimental to maintaining a strong relationship with God. The climate of our culture today is making it more and more difficult to straddle the fence. No longer can Christians dwell in our bubbles and cling to neutrality. Every day we hear of new laws being proposed and passed that creep and infringe on our ability to be law abiding citizens while still holding fast to our convictions.

The era of civil disobedience is very likely at our doorstep. My question is are you going to let Satan buy you out? Are you going to let him sell you his temporary and limited version of freedom that only allows you to stay out of jail as long as you turn your back to the God who grants you true and eternal freedom? Are you going to let him convince you that vain and shallow popularity is more important than speaking the truth in love? Are you going to continue pursuing material wealth at the expense of your Christian values?

I despise persecution but I cannot help but notice that Christians in other countries that experience great consequences and difficulties because of their beliefs are stronger and more bold in their faith. Christians in America balk at the thought of hurting someone’s feelings when speaking out against sin while our brothers and sisters in other countries are facing imprisonment, starvation, and even death as a result of their belief in Christ Jesus.

It is time to stop compromising. It is time to stand out. It is time to take inventory of what God has promised to His believers in the scriptures and it is time to remember what He has already fulfilled through His Son. Pray up, read the Bible, allow the Holy Spirit to empower you, and when Satan asks you your price remind him that Jesus has already paid it.