The Devil Wears Prada

- if you ever really caught on to where his product line would lead - you’d never buy it!!!

ILLUS: Just as an example of how effectively Satan packages his product, I was talking with another minister this past week and he told of talking with a young girl that had been part of their church’s youth group a couple years back.
Now, she’s a pregnant unmarried teenager.
The dad was not in the picture… probably never would be.
And there she was.
Pregnant, faced with raising her child alone without a father.
And she’s not happy.

But she wasn’t unhappy because she was pregnant.
She wasn’t unhappy because the baby’s dad was not going to be in the picture
She wasn’t unhappy because her child probably won’t have the advantages that two parents would have given it..
No, she wasn’t unhappy because of those difficulties.
She was unhappy because the only clothes she can find that will fit were sold at Target or Wal-Mart. She couldn’t find her American Eagle and Tommy Hilfinger kind of clothing… because those companies didn’t make their product for pregnant teenagers.

Satan had sold her the image so effectively that she was not disturbed that she was unmarried and pregnant… only that she was out of style.

You see… Satan did his job right with her. She never knew guessed how much heartache was ahead for her because Satan had gotten her eyes fixed on “the image” that became so important to her.

Now, what Paul is telling us here in II Corinthians is: Satan is selling image.
And he’s trying to sells us the same image he sold to Eve in the garden.
“… I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3

So, how was Eve deceived?
What was the image Satan tried to sell to Eve that day in the garden?
He told her "God knows that when you eat of (this fruit) your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:5

You see, Satan wasn’t selling her an apple.
He was selling her “an image”
You will be like God!” he said.

(pause)
Have you ever wondered what it be like if you could be God?
Why, if I could be God… I would all powerful.
I could do what I wanted, when I wanted, how I wanted… and nobody could ever stop me.
And I’d not only be strong, I’d be wise.
I’d see the problems in this world and I could fix them and I wouldn’t have to ask anybody’s permission to do so. I could fix what’s wrong in government. I could fix what’s wrong in families. I could fix what’s wrong in individuals. Because I’d be God.

ILLUS: My daddy used to say the most efficient form of Government was a benevolent dictatorship… and he was willing to volunteer to be the dictator.
That’s what it would be like – if I could be God.

But I’d also be really popular. I mean why wouldn’t I be? If you wanted a car (snap) I’d could give you a car. If you wanted a house (snap) you’d have the house of your dreams. If you wanted a specific job, or wanted to be independently wealthy so you’d never have to work again (snap) I could give it to you. I’d be real popular.

And I could be really handsome. I could change my hair, my face. I could have abs of steel.
If I could only just become God.

Well, the only way I could do that is to ascend to the throne and BE God.
But, of course, I’d have to