This November, voters in the United States (and U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote but currently reside elsewhere) will go to the polls and vote for the man or woman they want to become the next President of the United States. Hopefully, those voters will carefully consider the qualifications of the candidates before choosing one and casting their vote.
To the end of assisting voters in determining whom to vote for, many organizations and individuals have published charts comparing two or more candidates and their positions on various issues. Of course, one always has to take these charts with a grain of salt, because they may be slanted according to the author’s bias.
I’d like to offer you a completely unbiased comparison chart between two contenders for something far more important than a U.S. citizen’s vote in November. Well, okay, not completely unbiased; it’s biased toward what the Bible says. In other words, I have prepared this chart as if what the Bible says is 100% trustworthy (because it is).
This chart compares the two leading contenders—actually, the only two contenders—for control of your life. You will choose between them each and every day (and sometimes moment-to-moment). They, are, as you have probably guessed by now, God and Satan.
But they’re not the only two contenders, you might say. I myself am a third contender for control of my life.
Nope. You’re not. The Bible says that anything that does not come from God is sin. And who is the author of sin? Satan. So if you think you are ever in control of your own life, think again. With every action, thought, and desire, you are either yielding to God’s control of your life or ceding control to Satan.
So here, for your consideration, is a chart comparing the two, in order to help you choose which one you want to follow.
|
God |
Satan |
|
| What will he do in your life? | Grant spiritual abundance (John 10:10) | Steal from you, kill you, and attempt to destroy you (John 10:9) |
| How does he feel toward you? | Loves you deeply and forever (Jer. 31:3; Eph. 3:18) | Hates you (John 17:14) |
| Will he tell you the truth? | Always (John 14:6) | Only when it suits him (John 8:44) |
| Is he trustworthy? | Yes (Numbers 23:19) | No; he will lie whenever it suits him (see John 8:44) |
| Will he show you his true colors? | Yes (see: the whole Bible) | No; this would be to his disadvantage (2 Cor. 11:14) |
| Will he comfort and support you in times of need? | Yes (Psalm 37:39) | No; he wants to destroy you (see John 10:9) |
| Does he keep his promises? | Yes (2 Cor. 1:20) | No; he lies when it suits him (see John 8:44) |
| Can he give you everything you need? | Yes (Phil. 4:19) | No, and he wouldn’t want to, because he wants to destroy you (see John 10:9) |
| Can he protect you? | Yes (Psalm 121:7) | No, and he wouldn’t want to, because he wants to destroy you (see John 10:9) |
I could go on and on, about how God knows everything and Satan doesn’t; about how God has all power and Satan doesn’t; about how God is everywhere, always, and Satan isn’t.
But ultimately, you are the one who has to make a choice.
So I leave it to you.
Joshua 24:15—But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. (NIV)