Have you ever thought about taking your own life? In the past few decades there has been an alarming rise in teen suicides. Next to accidents and drug related killings, suicide is the major cause of death among young people. Alarming isn’t it! At a time when life is so new and fresh, why this preoccupation with dying? Why would anyone want to kill himself?
It is not natural to want to die, man and even dumb animals instinctively act to survive.
Perhaps before we go any further, we need to define some terms that we will be using. Death means “separation.” When a person dies, his soul/spirit separates from his body. Sin means “missing the mark or falling short of God’s standard.” Death is the penalty for sin. After God made Adam, He placed him in a beautiful garden and told him that he could eat of any tree in the garden but one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “for when you eat of it dying you shall surely die.” Sadly, our first parents did eat of that tree, and the result was as God said. They immediately died spiritually (separation from God), and later they died physically. This condition has now passed onto us, Adam’s descendants. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” Thus, in Adam all have sinned. Consequently, death is inevitable. No one can escape it. If you don’t believe this, look around you – Hebrews 9:27.
Now, it is not natural to desire death. Rather, we do everything we can to preserve our lives. That’s why the medical industry is so large today. When someone dies or the thought of our own death occurs, we feel a sense of fear and sorrow. No one wants to die. So why do we consider killing ourselves? The answer to this question lies in the history of God’s invisible creation.
Before the world was made, God created another order of beings called angels. Within their ranks there was one named Lucifer who stood before the throne of God. He rebelled, and he lost his place before God. This creature tempted our first parents in the garden of Eden, and they listened to him rather than to God. The result has been discussed above. Jesus explained to His disciples the true character of this fallen angel. He said he is a murderer, a liar, and a thief. (See John 8:44 and John 10:10 in the Holy Bible, and you can read for yourself what Jesus said about this evil one.)
After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it… (Ephesians 5:29).
Judas was a man who was greatly influenced by this fallen angel. He lived on the earth when the Lord Jesus Christ walked on the earth. He became a follower of Jesus, but he really served this evil one. Late in the ministry of Jesus, Judas allowed the devil or Satan (names of this evil one) to control him to the point that he betrayed Jesus Christ, the true Lord of all, for a meager thirty pieces of silver. Later, when he felt remorse for what he had done to this innocent man, he went out and hung himself (committed suicide). All of these actions were done under the control of this fallen creature Satan.
Satan is a murderer, a liar, and a thief. He wants to destroy you and he will do what he must… He will even suggest that you take your own life – John 8:44; 10:10a.
Now, we get a true revelation of the source of the suggestion of suicide. “No one ever hated his own body.” But there is one who wants to destroy you, and he will go to any lengths to do so, including suggesting to you that it would be best to take your own life. He comes only to kill and destroy! He lowers your resistance through drugs, he attacks your mind with thoughts of hopelessness, loneliness, or despair, and he lies to you regarding what reality is. Then, in the context of his lies, he convinces you that his alternative of death is best. BUT IT IS NOT!
In contrast, Jesus came that you may have life and that you may have it abundantly-John 10:10b.
In contrast to Satan, Jesus came to give us life and to give us life abundantly. To do this, He had to leave heaven and offer Himself to God as the sacrifice for our sins. Thus, having paid sin’s penalty (death), He removed this great barrier that stood between us and our holy God. Having died, He rose from among the dead in visible conquest of the enemy of our souls. The good news is that forgiveness and life are offered to us today in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s unique Son. Hebrews 2:14- 15 says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
The goodness is that forgiveness and life are offered to us today in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s unique Son – John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7.
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Suicide – the Devil’s Strategy
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