God's response to those who want to break His bands and throw away His cords of restraint is to laugh in derision. We humans are but dust of the ground. Satan tempts us into a false sense of liberty and power, giving us the feeling we indeed are the master of our fate and are free to go forth and make decisions according to our pleasure.

"Eat, drink and be merry," the worldly man cries, "for we live today and die tomorrow."

God says to such a man, "Foolish one, this moment your soul shall be required of you!"

In His unbounded love God Almighty offers to us the true freedom, which comes only from a loving obedience to His Son, Christ. We all are slaves to sin until our acceptance of the personal lordship of Christ over us makes us free indeed.

There is no power or freedom for us apart from our entrance into union with the Person and will of Christ. The seeming freedom to gratify our desires that Satan offers is a delusion and a snare—a horrible pit filled with piercing torments and eternal agony and remorse.

We strive to satisfy the lusts of our flesh, the lust of our eyes, and the pride of life that are in us.

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:2,3)

Many evil works spring from men who lust after positions of power over other men. Envy was the ruling motive that caused the leaders of Israel to be blind to their Christ and to demand His murder.

The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him. (John 12:19)

The lying, stealing, lusting, and murdering that go on in the high places of government are a direct reflection of the activities of the kingdom of Satan.

If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. (Luke 4:7)

There never has been a greater abomination in the history of the world than that of Satan standing before God's Christ and asking for His worship. Can you imagine such a scene?

Yet that very abomination, though on a lesser scale, happens to you and me each day of our life. God has promised us we will be coheirs with the Living Word. Can we remember that fact when Satan stands before us and invites our worship?

Satan, a cherub, demands worship of every creature. From our point of view such presumption and boldness may seem ridiculous and laughable. Yet we need to be watchful while we are laughing. Satan's methods of obtaining our worship are surprisingly effective.

Evil spirits and people who are moved by them know no limits of boldness and perversity.

Sometimes they obtain their desires because of the boldness of their suggestions and demands.

To be continued.