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The first human pair disobeyed
their Creator and rebelled. So God
drove them from bis presence on
earth. He cut them and all humanity
to be born of them off from contact
with God, except as God chose to
intervene and deal with humans
from time to time. For what great
purpose?
God chose to allow mankind the
experience of 6,000 years of man's
way-Satan's way-of disobedi–
ence, rebellion, of doing their own
ways-that is, to experience their
own ways of thinking and reasoning
under Satan's sway.
Mankind was left to human
devices and power,
apart from
God.
Mankind lost the spiritual
understanding of how he should
live, of how to constructively deal
with bis problems, fears and
needs. When man lost contact
with God, he lost the way to peace
and happiness-for the Creator
was the ultimate resource of true
wisdom, hope, power and bless–
ing.
Mankind has been, instead,
under Satan's influence without
realizing it. The Bible reveals Satan
as "the prince of the power of the
air" (Eph. 2:2). He works to
inftuence wrong values, wrong atti–
tudes and ignorance in human cul–
tures and among people. The result
is bate, strife, lust, fear and hope–
lessness. Satan broadcasts wrong
attitudes and moods into unwary
minds (see again Ephesians 2:2 and
6;12). No wonder so many do not
understand sorne of their negative
feelings and moods!
From the beginning of human
life to now, almost all humanity has
attempted to gain security, prosper–
ity and needs through the "get"
way of life- through competing
governments, warring armies, ide–
ologies and religions. Most individ–
uals trusted in human strength and
competition at the expense or hurt
of others.
Most humans have not chosen
the way of true love-the
way
of
peace and cooperation, the
way
of
giving and consideration, encour–
agement and service to build up
those around them.
God's way of living and helping
is guided by God's laws.
lt
is the
way of upbuilding and construc–
tion.
lt
is the way of trust in God
May
1985
and !ove of fellowman equal to con–
cern for oneself.
On the other hand, look at the
results of wrong ways of living.
Most humans, in their practica!
daily living, rely on their own
human strength and wisdom. They
are limited to their own values and
ideas, to their own resources, or
that of their culture, to solve their
problems or to secure their needs,
wants and desires.
Here is why true peace of mind,
happiness and security have eluded
most of mankind! Millions base their
lives on values or ways of thinking
and living that eventually produce
problems they don't have resources
to solve. They wake up and find their
thinking and resources inadequate;
that they have based their security
Mankind has lost
the spiritual understanding
of how he should live,
of how to constructively
deal with bis
problems, fears and needs.
and sense of personal worth on val–
ues, things or persons (themselves
or others) that are transitory or
limited in power to help them.
They then suffer feelings of fear,
loss and hopelessness. For millions,
the results are unresolved anxieties,
fear and depression.
It is time you analyzed your life,
now,
to see if your values and
thinking have set you up to experi–
ence depression, fear and hopeless–
ness.
Trustlng Wrong Ways and
Resources?
lt
matters greatly where one's ulti–
mate trust and hope is.
It
matters
greatly what one's .values and
resources are!
Many totally look to, or totally
place their hopes and security in
various man-devised governments,
parties or ideologies. But every one
of them eventually fails, becomes
corrupt or collapses.
lndividually, humans commonly
put their deepest trust, identity or
feelings of self-worth in them–
selves-or other humans. But many
who trust in themselves, deep
down, know they have secret weak–
nesses, areas where they lack confi–
dence in themselves.
And other humans in whom they
put their trust do not always under–
stand or uplift them; they may even
lie, deceive or hurt them.
Many put their total security and
hope in continuing prosperity.
They live as if it will last forever.
But man-devised prosperity doesn't
last.
lt
is based on the "get" way of
life, enriching a few at the impover–
ishment of many. This kind of pros–
perity booms, then shakes, totters
and collapses- destroying many
misdirected minds, hopes and lives
with it.
Lacking any deep spiritual pur–
pose or hope in life, many have
placed all their hopes and sense of
personal worth in material goods or
gadgets or possessions that wear
out, rust or corrode. Or that can be
swept away in sorne sudden acci–
dent or mishap.
lt's no wonder so many feel totally
worthless, hopeless, powerless. Life,
for them, is not worth living when
any of their transitory hopes or
resources are lost or threatened with
loss. Of course!- "For the creation
[cut off from God] was subjected to
futility ... ," said the apostle Paul
(Rom. 8:20).
Many fears in life are caused by
worshiping false status symbols–
material things one really can't
afford and which are making one
poor financially and spiritually.
That's not true success!
False Values and False Love, Too
A person may fail ata job ora mar–
riage. Such big mistakes in life often
cause severe fears or depressions.
What's wrong with admitting you
made a big mistake, facing the fact
that you're not perfect·? ls false
human pride holding you back? No
mortal is perfect. Satan and mis–
guided human social values, under
Satan's sway, have pumped pride
into human minds, rather than
humility and the willingness to
admit mistakes. One can learn from
mistakes and still go on and grow in
the future.
Never have so many wrong ideas
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