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Small Things Become Big Things
Genesis 3:1, 4 'Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" ... "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.' (NIV)
 Hollywood, California is a small place - only about 210,000 people live there. Yet it influences attitudes around the world, through the power of celebrity. Celebrity distorts reality, making small things seem big. Satan has used this ploy to deceive people from the beginning of the human story. Long ago in the garden, he fooled humankind by making the tree seem bigger and a divine command seem smaller. He challenged Eve's perception of reality with the question 'Has God said...?' In other words, 'Come on, Eve, you don't think God really means that you can't eat from history. Surely you know that he's just speaking figuratively -- he really means that you shouldn't get greedy, that's all...' Then, the Bible tells us, Eve saw the tree that it was good for food. Suddenly, Eve saw that tree in a different light. The tree hadn't changed and she had seen it perhaps many times before. What had changed was her image of the tree and sin began in her imagination. She allowed her perception to become distorted, so that big things became small and trivial things became important. Satan denigrates things we should elevate and he celebrates things we should eliminate. Deception takes root whenever we lose our sense of proportion. We need constant exposure to the word of God, to keep us from this kind of imbalance and wrong imaginations.
Prayer: 'Lord, please keep me from the kind of wrong imagination that makes big things seem small and trivial things seem big. Please give me a new hunger for your word, so that my perceptions are shaped by what you have said.'
© 2003-2004 Mal Fletcher
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Thank you for such wonderful and heartfelt words about John Paul II. He stood and still stands for all that is good, and his "Voice for Life and Hope" will resound forever.
Gloria, United States
I attended MasterClass in London and got so much good out of it - thank you so much.
Reija, Finland
Mal you are a dear friend to the church in Australia. So blessed by your compassionate voice.
Jamie, Australia
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