Good Dad, Bad Dad

Do the right thing
It is a wonderful blessing to have a chance to choose between good and evil and the family you want to belong to. Although Jesus said that the devil’s children obey him and promotes his deeds in the earth, each of us has the opportunity to change families. Even though the hearts of Satan’s children are stony and rebellious against the things of God, many still have the ability to break through the darkness and come to the light of Jesus. God is always willing to change a stony heart into a heart of flesh, but one must be willing to hear and obey the word of God. One must definitely believe that Jesus died for his/her sins and loves them unconditionally. In spite of the fact that Satan is a liar and murderer, we are still able to break away from him and come to Jesus if we really desire to.
Now think about this for a moment – if Jesus called the devil the “father of lies” and said that there is NO truth in him, why do we believe anything the devil says? Not only is his own children believing everything he tells them, but God’s children often open their ears to his lying words and begin to doubt their Father who is the truth. Many of us have joked about the proverbial “shoulder devil” and “shoulder angel” who sits on opposite sides of someone’s shoulder whispering good thoughts or evil thoughts. The devil is usually whispering in the left ear and the angel speaks into the right ear as they eagerly try to convince the listener to follow their advice. Although this example may be a bit comedic, it’s not too far from the truth for there’s a real devil and a real God that wants us in their family and we can hear the words that pull us strongly towards one or the other. The devil tries to tempt us to do wrong while God tries to get us to do right. Does it sound too simplistic? Yes, it does, because it’s just that plain and straightforward. Whatever Satan whispers or screams in your ear, you can be sure it’s a lie.
The devil can do nothing but lie, pervert and distort the truth and he makes sure that his children major in lying, too. But God is so against lying that in Revelation 21:8 (NAS) liars are listed among some really awful sins committed by the devil’s children: It says, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Notice that the word “all” is in front of liars. To me, the word “all” is there because categorizing lies is not acceptable to God – you know, the “little white lies”, the “ok” lies, the “no harm” lies and the like. I believe that in God’s eyes, there’s no valid excuse to lie. However, thank God for repentance and forgiveness.
Jesus is truth and Father God is truth so of course they would not be okay with any type of lies. The Bible is truth and the Good Dad’s children are taught and trained to walk in the truth and to practice what is right. The devil is the “father of lies,” and he teaches his children to lie just as he does. Although the Bible tells us that hell was created for the devil and his evil angels, (Matthew 24:41), he is trying to take as many souls as he can with him. There is no place for Satan to go except to the “Lake of Fire” when his time is up. He has no power or ability to prepare a place of peace and beauty for himself and his followers when his reign is over. He can’t run and there will be no place for him to hide in the end. He cannot make peace with God to get all of the murderous evil things that he and his followers have committed erased. However, you and I can avoid going to hell with the devil. We can escape the lake of fire and damnation. Jesus is our answer. Jesus is the way to heaven. When the truth is presented and our eyes are opened then we need to believe it, do the right things and become a true child of God. We don’t have to go to hell.
After the resurrection, Jesus went to prepare a place for His followers (St. John 14:1-3). He said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you”. He further told us that he will return and take us to heaven with him – saying, “If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself.” The children of God are going to heaven where, indescribable beautiful custom made mansions will be waiting for us after we leave this life. It’s the dwelling place of our Father and there will be no more crying, pain, or suffering or any kind of evil or sin. Although the Bible gives some descriptions of what heaven is like, I don’t believe it’s possible to truly grasp the level of its beauty. Now tell me, who in their right mind would want to go to hell and not to heaven?