Stupid Prizes
"What is sin?" I asked our then four-year-old daughter. I do that now and then, asking her randomly about things I have taught her, to see if she has been paying attention and retaining the information.
"It's when you do what you want to do!" she said with a big smile.
"And?" I asked, nodding in agreement.
"It's when you do what you want to do and don't do what God wants you to do. It's when you disobey God!"
"Exactly, babe, that's exactly right."
It is tempting to disobey God and do what we want. What harm is there in controlling ourselves and our own future? "Do what thou wilt" was the mantra of occultist Aleister Crowley and the motto of Wiccans. "Do you" is the refrain of the culture we live in, and "Believe in yourself" is the theme of every other children's movie ever. Surely there is nothing wrong with believing in yourself or being your own personal hero. It is tricky. It is like being approached by a sneaky snake that offers you the chance to be like God (Genesis 3:1-5). Instead of recognizing that you have a perfect existence as the best friend of God the Creator, you start to think about what is best for yourself, your own desires and ambitions. You forget what God has done for you; you forget what He said, and you do what you want.
The Children of Israel did as they pleased despite the LORD'S commands. He sent prophets to warn them not to adopt the ways of other nations, but they still sinned by disobeying God (Deut. 18:9-15). The Ephesians found themselves living in sin, much like the ancient Israelites. Ephesus was an idol-worshipping city where they worshipped the goddess Diana. The economy boomed because of it; in fact, Ephesus's primary industry was the occult. Merchants grew rich selling shrines and idols of Diana. Then Paul founded the church in Ephesus. Ephesus would become one of the greatest Christian churches in history because their first love was Jesus Christ (Ephesians 6:24). But after a while, Ephesus lost their first love (Revelation 2:4). They began to practice their old ways, listen to false teachers, fall captive to deceptions, and align themselves with the powers of darkness. John warned them to repent, return to their first love, study God's Word, and do all that Paul taught them, or their light would be removed and the Church in Ephesus would be no more (5). Unfortunately, they did not listen to Paul or John; they did as they pleased. Today, there is no Christian church in the region where Paul founded the church of Ephesus. The entire region is almost entirely Muslim.
“There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Every occult and dark-art practice warned against in Scripture is commonplace in American culture. The most horrific things the Bible describes as an abomination are being committed in this civilized, modern society. Astrologers, charmers, consultants with familiar spirits, diviners, enchanters, monthly prognosticators, necromancers, observers of times, soothsayers, sorcerers, witches, and wizards are all present in our society. Like the Children of Israel and the Ephesian Christians, we have been warned.
The Israelites turned from their first love to do what they wanted. The Ephesian Christians did the same. When you do not have the One True and Living God, you will replace Him with something else, and it will always be something stupid. They say, “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” Satan’s prizes are stupid and dark, disguised as fun and light, like a Disney movie that convinces children they are their own hero, a book series that promotes wizardry and witchcraft, or a rainbow flag symbolizing that love is love. No, God is love, and if you do not know the God of the Bible, you will accept the stupid prizes from the god of this world. Do not be deceived. Do not forget that you are not your own. You have been bought with a price. You have a soul in need of a Savior.
God sent prophets to warn the people, but they disliked what the prophets had to say, so they found their own prophets. They turned to enchanters, magicians, psychics, astrologers, and secular musicians. They listened to false teachers and superstitions. They read their horoscopes, auras, and palms. They played with Ouija boards and watched cartoon movies featuring friendly witches and wizards. They burned sage and participated in recreational pagan rituals focused on vibes and energies. They subjected themselves to the devil's influence because they rejected the Truth of the Word of God. They allowed the world to convince them that occultic activity was just fun and games: stupid games, stupid prizes.
