"Seeing is believing." That's what we learned in my childhood. Somehow, that statement brought me into adulthood. That's when everything changed. I saw my first magician and life has not been the same since. It's difficult to believe that which was so true for so long. I know that magic is about deception in this world we live in. How about when the jet plane was made to disappear? I still don't know how they did that one.
The world of magically thinking is nothing new. It actually began in the garden of Eden. The words of Satan, the serpent, are repeated many times a week. "Surely you shall not die." The spiritual death wasn't even considered by Adam and Eve. We believe, for a season, the magic of Christmas and Easter. Both are designed to take our attention away from that which is real. Deception leads us away from the truth. In the end, mankind will rewrite the truth and still call it truth. The only difference is that the masses will believe the deception to their own demise.
So, what do you believe? Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God? Do you believe the story of Noah and the Ark? How about the story of Jesus and his life, death and resurrection? Do we, 2000 years later, believe that Jesus is coming back to take us home? You see, "believing" should depend on facts and not magical thinking.
Have you ever gone to a store specifically to buy an item that is on "sale" only to find that the item doesn't exist or has been replaced with a much more expensive similar item? It wasn't magic. I noticed that the sales tax is higher for "take out" than "eat in" in a fast food place (it also wasn't fast!). What is going on?! Why isn't our world black and white? I will be the one to tell you the truth. THIS IS NOT OUR WORLD. There, I said it. But do you believe it?
So, who's world is it anyway? That depends on whether you have this belief or that belief. With so many religions out there it's difficult to answer this question in such a way that everyone can share the same answer. So, I'll address the question from the Christian perspective. There is a very real Heaven and a very real Hell. They both command different set of ethics and beliefs. God, in Heaven, provides many convincing arguments that support the Christian life. God also believes in Satan who he says is the god of this world. Why so confusing?
Because of the sin of Eve and Adam, we are born spiritually dead. We do not have eternal life. Our belief or disbelief decides whether we go to Heaven or Hell when we physically die. If we know Jesus as our Savior, we have eternal life in Heaven. AND, we have spiritual life NOW. When we become born again, we have no death waiting for us spiritually. Physically our bodies will die. Spiritually, we will live on.
Here is where "seeing is believing" gets caught up in the magic of this worlds thinking. There used to be a time when a man's word or handshake was as good or better than a contract. What happened? Once upon a time in a far away forest there lived little Red Riding Hood. Magic is what happened. When "magic" happens, trust is eroded to the point that we no longer seek that which we cannot see...God. As such, this world is being deceived in their thinking. Often this is found in the basic beliefs of the various religions of the world.
I can talk about that which I am unable to physically see until I have no energy left and you can choose to not believe me. My argument "for" Jesus is valid for me. Their belief is valid for them. Given the choice, mankind will choose magic over reality every time. Magic doesn't put the ownership of our lives in God's hands. Just as magic is able to make things disappear, magic causes people to believe in what replaces God. In my world, there is nothing that can replace God. He is. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and I can physically see none of God and all of God at the same time.
What do you believe? Is there some magical thinking you need to face, address, and let go of? Would you rather live in a world of make believe or in a world of reality? So, here's the point. We have the choice. From the beginning until the end, there are choices I can make. Will I make them the choices God wants of me? Will I use these choices to dispel the magic of Satan? I, like you, cannot serve two masters. We have a choice to make whether we will profess Christ or Satan.
Poof!
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