The Original Smear Campaign

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A BLOG TELLING YOU WHO TO VOTE FOR. DON'T RUN AWAY!

I think it's safe to say that for the last month it's been very difficult to avoid the presidential campaign ads.

They're impossible to avoid. TV. Radio. YouTube. 90% of the ads on the internet. I would not bat an eye if I was feeding a squirrel in the park, and the little guy warned me about the horrors of voting for Trump, or if a public toilet had "STOP HILLARY" messages on the toilet paper.

Over and over we've been hearing one candidate tell us that the other candidate is a liar, has multiple skeletons in his/her closet, and is unfit to do the job.

It is very much like my children running into the room and frantically accusing each other of being behind the shattering noise I just heard in the other room.

It is ALSO very much like what the devil does to God EVERY DAY.

In the same way I cannot avoid the constant presidential smear campaigns in the media, I cannot avoid the devil's lies about God, from sun up to sun down.

From the moment my alarm clock assaults my ears in the morning, and my head leaves the pillow, I hear:

God doesn't exist.

God won't be there for you.

The bible isn't true.

Jesus was just a man.

Jesus didn't rise from the grave.

God doesn't love you.

God can't handle your problem.

God can handle your problem, but doesn't CARE about it.

The Holy Spirit didn't convict you.

God is a liar.

God has multiple skeletons in His closet.

God is unfit for the job.

If you think about it, the serpent, the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve... it was the original smear campaign.

The Man and Woman Sin

1The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

2“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

4“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Genesis 3:1-5 (emphasis mine)

Sound familiar?

The thing about a smear campaign is, it doesn’t matter if it isn't true. If you say the lie enough times, to enough people, it tends to eventually become "true". It doesn't matter if it's made up. Enough people have read it on the news, heard it on TV, or seen it on the internet, and believe it, based on the CONSTANT repetition.

It's the same thing with the devil's smear campaign on God. Satan does NOT have our best in mind. He will do anything to harm your relationship with God. He will do whatever he can to convince you that God's love, and promises, are false advertising.

And he will lie to you ALL DAY LONG. And it can be hard to not give in to the constant barrage of lies.

But don't you dare do it. Don't you believe him. God loves you SO, SO much. He has awesome plans for your life. No matter how much Satan tries to convince you otherwise:

BELIEVE IN GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU.

BELIEVE THAT GOD IS ALL POWERFUL.

BELIEVE THAT GOD HAS PERFECT WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE.

BELIEVE JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS AND YOU’RE FORGIVEN, AND YOU’RE PART OF GOD'S FAMILY.

BELIEVE THAT GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU.

And don't forget James 4:7.

7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

And give yourself a break and turn off the TV for a few minutes. Presidential ads have been known to cause tooth decay.

I read that somewhere.