It is a lie that says continual entertainment will bring us contentment and joy. I do not believe it has ever been true before in the history of man that people have been exposed to the amount of entertainment furnished today by television. Yet watching television does not bring true rest and joy; it only postpones the facing of our problems.

If entertainment would actually bring contentment and joy, several major cities of the United States would not be in a state of near anarchy as gangs and drug dealers take over streets and neighborhoods. Inside the homes the people stay glued to the television screen or Internet monitor, being protected from the monsters that roam the streets by the steel bars on their windows—monsters who want to steal their little boys and girls and make them sex slaves or offer them as sacrifices to Satan. This is America as we approach the next millennium.

It is a lie that says if we possess enough material goods, houses, furnishings, lands, automobiles, yachts, we will find peace and joy. If we look about us we see that the rich are no more peaceful or joyous than the poor. The poor person who lives by trusting Jesus is infinitely more peaceful, infinitely more joyous, than the wealthy individual who is occupied continually with increasing the size of his horde of gold and terrified he will lose some or all of it.

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15—NIV)

All of our experience in life, knowing people and reading about people, reveals clearly that the wealthy are no happier than the poor. Yet this delusion persists—if we only had millions of dollars we would have joy. This is not true and objective observation proves it is not true. The only lasting joy there is is that which is found in knowing God through the Lord Jesus.

We of America really need to be especially careful that while we are in the world we are not deceived by the lie that the world is. There simply is nothing in the world we need or want, whether we are young or old. It is God who supplies our needs and our wants, although He may use people or things of the world to do this.

Are you living a life separated to God? If not you already are receiving the mark of Antichrist even though you profess to be saved by grace.

When God puts you in a fiery prison, don't try to save your life. God is burning the lie out of you.

A disclaimer is needed here. We always are to pray that God will give us the desire of our heart, even release from our fiery trial. We never are to just accept trouble believing it is the Lord's prison. Be careful of this. We are not masochists. We do not enjoy pain. We always are to seek God that we not suffer unnecessarily.

To be continued.