Awakened Life

In the Book of John, the writer has Jesus stating:

John 10:9-10 (NIV)

10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

I have heard this passage preached on many occasions, in fact I have preached on this many times myself over the years. Repeating the same message, in that the “Thief that commeth” is no other than the Devil, Satan or in Charismatic circles, the Enemy; but is this really true?

Ok, so the story goes like this:

God has a war in heaven with Satan and his angels whom he convinced to help him overthrow God (After all, he is very cunning and persuasive). Of course God wins this great battle and casts Satan and his angels down to a Hell. A Hell that God created Just for Satan and his angels, next God Creates the Earth or perhaps the Earth was already created. I’m guessing that Hell existed on Earth, or perhaps within a different realm, (Ref: Abraham’s Bossum and the Gulf that separated paradise and Hell) Then God creates man or mankind and places them on the same planet or realm that the rouge spirit he just kicked out of Heaven some time or even eons ago; thereby giving Satan access to his new creation. He then goes on to influence and convinces Man to disobey God and now mankind is a slave to Satan by giving up his birthright of sorts, or my favorite, “the Earth lease.” As a result of this transaction from Man to Satan, the Devil takes control of his new property and is now free to cause all kinds of havoc. Man is now doomed to a hell that God created in the first place. Now God has to figure out a way to save man from his own creation called hell and restore the earth back to his other creation, man…. Well you know the rest of the story; Jesus turns out to be God’s solution as a Sacrifice.

What does this all sound like to you? How many cultures have similar stories? My point is, this is a story, a myth, a metaphor hiding a much deeper truth. Millions of people believe this story to be true in its literal sense, thereby spending their time fighting against a force which in reality does not exist outside of us.

The enemy is very much alive and well contained within our fears, beliefs of separateness and so much unconsciousness. With the Devil, we don’t have to take responsibility for our own actions and overall commitment to the world as a whole. If we don’t see our Brothers and Sisters as part of us, then we are free to unleash great acts of pain and evil. We in fact become Satan, giving this spirit life. It’s our Fears and Ego that is roaming like a lion seeking whom it may devour.

It’s far easier for some of us to see the world as a battle ground (How much of a battle could this really be, who can fight God?) between the forces of Darkness and the Kingdom of God. How else can we explain the great acts of violence and pain that occurs all around us? The truth is, it is all our fault. We are responsible for all the evil that we see and experience in our life and times. Evil does not exist outside of us as the creators of it, Wayne Dyer said it best

“Evil is love Going in the wrong direction”

For the next five days, do this one simple thing, when you see your fellow man, or woman, say to yourself “My brother or sister and I are one in the same, individuated, but we are one” Then, you will begin to awaken the world one step at a time. Doing this simple act of love and courage, you will find that you have more peace, more Christ Mindedness and “life to the full”.

What do you think?

Peace and Love