Were you around in 1977? That is the year we were introduced to Luke, Leia, Han, Obi Wan, and Darth Vader. That was the year “Star Wars” was released and a series of movies was born. I was living in the Philippines at the time, courtesy of the Navy, and hoped I would get to see it before it was gone from the theaters. When I returned to the U.S. in July 1978, it was in the dollar movie theaters. Like all good dramas, it had to have an awesome villain and Darth Vader was definitely it. While we watched Obi Wan teach Luke about the force, we also saw Vader using it, but as the Dark Side. It was the classic case of the taking a powerful good and turning it into something evil. Of course, in the third movie, we saw the Force conquer the Dark Side. Hooray for the good guys!
At the beginning of timeless time, God created his angels, in different ranks and duties. Sadly, one of his archangels took God’s gift and turned it into the Dark Side. As we all know, God created Hell and cast Satan and all of his followers into that everlasting fire, the fire that never quenches, never dies.
The power that Satan has is much more powerful than that which seduced Anakin Skywalker into becoming Darth Vader, even given that one really exists and the other is the work of a writer’s imagination. Satan’s power is not all-powerful, of course, but it is so widely varied that we often do not see it, his temptations, until we have fallen under his spell, into his trap. His wiles are many, his descriptions clever and sophisticated, frequently disguised as something good. We have all fallen for his tricks at one time or another, and many times after that. Could God step in at that point and tell us that what we are doing is wrong and to reverse our course? Of course, he could. He actually did that once, by sending his son, Jesus Christ, to walk among us and teach us. The one thing God did not do, and will not do, is take away our free will, our right to choose which path on which our feet trod. Just as Satan cannot force you to sin, it is your choice, so also can God not force you to reject it. It is always your right to choose. God gave that gift to you. It is part of your spiritual DNA. Yes, God may use other people or circumstances to try to guide us in the correct direction; he just cannot force us to do so.
We have all been told that we sin seven times per day. What we are not told is how many times we have rejected those sins. Now, I’m not saying you should keep a notepad handy and keep score. Every fall is a failure and every rejection is a victory. One of God’s other gifts to us is the number of times he forgives, for that number is limitless. How great is that in that he forgives our sins and cheers our victories without limit. That is a real win-win situation.
How about you? Hove you fallen into the Dark Side of Satan’s wiles? Are you still there or are you struggling to get out? Then look for the light and crawl, run, fight your way there. Focus on the bible passage, John 8:12, when Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (NIV). Are you instead being victorious and patting yourself on the back? That is wonderful, but don’t forget that pride is one of the big sins on the list.
If you are walking in darkness, then you now know how to get to the light. Why not start now?
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