Dangerous

In Isaiah 14, we're given a picture of the fall of a few nations.

Babylon, Assyria, and Philistia.

In verses 12-14, we're also given a picture of the fall of satan. (lower case s on purpose)

"How you are fallen from Heaven, O Day Star, son of dawn! How you are cut to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 
You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to Heaven above the stars of God; 
I will set my throne on high; 
I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the far reaches of the north; 
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; 
I will make myself like the Most High.'"
-Isaiah 14:12-14

This is an account of the things running through satan's mind as he fell. satan decided that he wanted to be lifted up, and that he should be worshiped like God. This resulted in him being cast from his position, and will ultimately result in him being cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). satan's fall gives us a picture of some dangerous thoughts, and some warnings for us today. there is a lot that we can learn from the motives behind his actions.

He decided that he wanted to be lifted up. If you look at these statements, you'll notice the amount of "I's". satan's entire focus was on himself. The easiest way to end up far away from God, is to only look at yourself. When we put all of the focus on us, and what we think we have to offer, we are trying to steal the glory from God, and that only belongs to Him. Ultimately, this is pride. The solution? Humility.

I think that C.S. Lewis said it best, "humility isn't thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less."

"But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
-James 4:8

The key to us avoiding this dangerous way of thinking, is to keep ourselves humble. The more we look at how big God is, and how much greater than us He is, the more we'll realize that He's the one to follow and worship. His agenda always trumps mine.

That last statement that satan made is almost chilling. "I will make myself like the Most High." This isn't a statement of adoration. What he's NOT saying is, "God is so great, and I love Him so much that I just want to model my life after Him." satan is thinking that he will make himself equal with God. Rather than everyone worshiping God, they'll look at him, and elevate him. Rather than following God, they'll follow him. he's saying, "God isn't THAT great... I could do His job. I'm just as important."

Maybe we have never actively, intentionally tried to usurp God's throne. But we can all be guilty of this sin. "How?!" you ask. Well let me give you a thought. Whenever we intentionally go against what the Bible says, we are elevating ourselves to God's position.

God's Word lays out the course that our lives should follow, and the standard by which we should live. It's His standard, it's where He has set the bar. When we determine to follow a different standard, we claim that we have a better way of living. We claim that our standard is more important than God's.

Basically, when we choose to sin, we are telling God that we know better than He does.

He's laid it out for us, and even came and died on the cross so that we could have fellowship with Him, and live by the power of His Spirit. He's the One who made it possible for us to live by His standard. It's dangerous for us to choose a different course of action. It's dangerous when we think we know better than God. It caused satan to fall from his position, and the end of that road is the lake of fire. Just like satan, when we elevate our own opinions over God's Word, we set ourselves on a course for the lake of fire. So the ball is in your court. The choice is yours. But keep in mind with the decisions you make, every time you choose your own path over God's Word, you're lining your choices up with satan. We can see where he ends up, and I'm confident that none of us want to end up there.