There is within all of us a lust. The one great lust everyone must confront is the lust to be RIGHTEOUS. In its least common denominator, the lust of the flesh is to become SELF-RIGHTEOUS. No one enjoys being wrong and no one sets out on life’s journey with the goal of being the most wrong person on earth. All the great arguments and battles in life revolve around the issue of who is right and who is wrong.
I have had many “bosses” who proudly displayed a sign in their office saying something to the effect of; “I am always right”. Rare are the times a disgruntled employee can sit in an office with that sign and come out anything but fired. The lust to be right has destroyed more relationships than anything else. More divorces are prompted by the adamant refusal of the two parties to admit they are wrong. When two people both stake their claim on being right, the end result is always bitter fighting and division.
Fueled by pride and ego, the lust to be right drives those with domineering personalities to positions of great power and influence. When a person honestly believes he or she is the only person on earth who is right, the natural course will be to tell the world this great truth. All great messianic figures who have developed great followings do so by projecting an aura of righteousness mixed with a charismatic personality.
Those who honestly believe they are 100% right 100% of the time will either through domination or charm seek to become the alpha dog in the pack and top hen in the pecking order. Self-righteousness is far more than just trying to attain one’s own salvation. That is only the theological aspect of it. The more dangerous side of self-righteousness deals with power, manipulation and domination of others to feed the lust of the flesh which is to be RIGHTeous.
There are few absolutes when it comes to people, but here is one of them. Anyone who claims to always be right is automatically wrong. Anyone who claims to be infallible has proven they are by the mere statement. The only person who was totally right all the time was Jesus Christ. No other person who ever lives will ever be able to claim what Jesus was and did.
The lust of the flesh is to be RIGHTeous and the paradox ends up being that people resort to lies to prove they are right. We had a President in this country look into television cameras back in the early 1970’s and flat out lie to the American people about his Watergate involvement. We had another President do the same thing ten years ago regarding a “woman”. I can assure you that every man who has been President of this country and any other throughout the world has looked in the eyes of the people he or she serves and lied to their face.
Those obsessed with power have sold their very souls to the gods they serve. No person whose only aim in this life is to be the most powerful person on earth can be anything but a professional liar and a person who cannot be trusted to ever tell the truth. Yet, even now, there are millions upon millions of naïve and foolish people who are caught up in the ridiculous fervor produced by men and women who daily claim to have all the answers and who SAY they are only interested in helping the people. What a line of you know what.
Ambition blinds people. Money changes people and power kills anything good in people. Those whose only desire is to build huge personal followings, whether political or religious, need to be avoided in these last times. Jesus warned that in the last days many would come in His name and would lure unsuspecting souls to follow them. When I look at the current political campaign, I see the fulfillment of this happening.
Those charter members of the PLA (Professional Liars Association) need to be marked and avoided at all costs. These are the most dangerous men and women on earth. Those who have sold their heart and soul to the ambition of becoming the most powerful and influential people on earth are the very people who carry out the enemy’s plans for the destruction of all that is right and good.
The only way the father of lies can succeed in getting one who knows the truth to believe a lie is through deceit. The serpent could in no way persuade Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree God said not to except through deceit. By planting doubts (Did God really say), by twisting the commands of God, by adding and subtracting words from the original Word of God etc. Ultimately the serpent issued a direct contradiction to the Word of God. “You shall NOT surely die”. Deceit led to the disaster of disobedience.
We live in dangerous times. Everywhere we are surrounded by illusions. It is extremely imperative that we sharpen our spiritual awareness and vow to not be gullible. Just because something sounds good does not make it good. Professional liars abound in every category of life. No matter where you go and who you talk to, there is an excellent chance the person is lying to your face and is perfectly sincere while doing so. Ephesians 5 tells us to walk circumspectly which means to walk with acute spiritual perception and awareness.
The old story was of the man ringing the doorbell trying to sell a toothbrush with only one bristle. He succeeded because he was so sincere. Sincerity is no guarantee for truth. In fact, those who usually the most sincere are many times the most devious, ruthless and malicious people on earth. Our government, universities, churches and workplaces are full of sincere sounding and harmless looking people who deep down inside are licking their chops in eager anticipation of their next meal.
Jesus told the twelve when He sent them forth to be wise as serpents yet harmless as doves. How wise was the serpent? This is referring to the acute perception and awareness needed to not get tricked by the sincerity of those feigning to be something they are not. In these final hours it is vitally important that we all be extremely careful, prudent and wise when it comes to whom we listen to, believe and entrust our hearts and minds to.
