The Big Swindle

I enjoy good writing. Good writing should linger with the reader. Today, James Altucher wrote something that has lingered. I admire his transparency. He is a regular read for me.  

He explains he is tired of trying to please others. He explains how he's finished donning his daily disguise to beg for his piece of the pie. He sees people, as well as himself, struggling to find significance and success to hopefully gain some sort of fulfillment from this world. He's done with lies and feeling ashamed 'the real [him]' might not be enough and someone might sneer.

I wonder if this is Satan? Is this the consequence of history's biggest swindle?  Remember way back when, when Satan stood toe to toe with God and convinced one third of the angels in Heaven to choose him. I'm curious what he said to get those angels to believe he [Lucifer] was the future? What strategy did he use? How many lies did he have to tell? In spite of my ignorance what actually occurred, I'm confident that those present witnessed a great show, possibly Satan's best performance ever, in Heaven that day. Should we expect anything less when Lucifer spins his web down here? 

With only their idols of fame, folly, pride, ambition, authority, riches, pleasure seeking, and whatnot… can mere men resist Lucifer? Can they be expected to turn and flee him when so many angels failed to do the same? His time tested Greatest Show in Heaven has been refined and upgraded. He has had time to refine his message and polish the presentation. It is now The Greatest Show on Earth and he stands, center ring, promoting his miracle elixirs. He knows men are fertile soil. He spreads his seeds and waits.  

Most men wouldn't recognize Satan if they shook hands with him. Men know not of his plans, his purpose, his power, or the depth of his deception. They know not the depth of his devotion. Satan smiles when mere men adopt his thoughts as their own. When his beliefs become their beliefs and his fight becomes their fight. That smile widens when they choose his way and believe it's their way. They ignorantly carry Satan's torch because those men get the glory and the honor, or so they believe.  

The Bible warns us to be sober and vigilant because the devil prowls for prey to devour. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and presents a path that seems right but will lead to death. He will steal your joy if you let him. He will ruin your life if you let him. He will separate you from Jesus Christ. Convince you to reject God. And if that doesn't work, he will lie and get you to believe you are unworthy of God's love. Just look at the bad stuff in your life and in this world. The pain. Sickness. Death. How does a loving God let that happen to his children? Satan will tell you He doesn't. Good things happen to those people God loves. God is good to his children. So, you must be unworthy. You must not be His child. 

Lies are his expertise; his medium. He's dedicated to his craft. He prowls all day, every day. No lunch or holidays. No sick days. Works overtime. You won't find him camped in his hammock one lazy cloudless afternoon reading a novel sipping his favorite black berry iced tea. Make no mistake, Satan is a seven-day-guy. He can't wait for Monday to roll around. He's too excited at the harvest. He is always working and his hands are always dirty.

Below highlights only one strategy how Satan easily enlists people to do his bidding.  Can evil look like this?  

I don’t want to wear disguises anymore. If I don’t have anything to say, I won’t say it. I’m not going to sell anything anymore but the truth. I’m not going to spend money on things that were disguised as things they aren’t (is coca cola “the real thing” for instance?) I’m not going to be friends with people wearing disguises. I’m not going to live in a place that’s just a disguise to hide some insecurity. I’m not going to be angry at people struggling with their own disguises. And what are my disguises today:

1. Angry thoughts from events that took place years ago?
2. Thoughts of “I could’ve done X, Y, or Z ?” in the distant past.
3. Worries of the future?
4. Reactions to what people say about me?
5. Feelings like “I have to respond to just this one comment!”

I think back to all the disguises I’ve worn. I’ve been a master of disguise. Hiding big lies, small lies, white lies, black lies. All of our misery comes from wanting at all costs to remain Tom, Dick, and Jane. Normal.  The real ME must never be seen or I will be laughed at, sneered at, abandoned, and Poverty will wipe itself with the last microbes that are left of me. I get scared.

Most of Peter Parker’s stress was that he had to hide his Spiderman identity. This body of ours, this disguise, is in constant revolt against the abominable scam of having to endure. We don’t need to do that anymore. When you take the disguises off, the superficial feelings of failure, of anger, of sadness that society has programmed into us… when you just peel the past off and refuse to worry about the future, you become the superhero you were meant to be. The first person you save is yourself.

Have a good and godly day.