Following God vs. Following Satan

“They are judged by this fact: The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do. But those who follow the true way come to the light, and it shows that the things they do were done through God.” - John 3:19-21

The Bible says that if we follow Satan, we cannot follow God too because no one can serve two masters. “The person will hate one master and love the other or will follow one master and refuse to follow the other” (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13). God is also a jealous God; therefore, He is displeased when people serve Satan instead of Him (Exodus 34:14). If we do, we are committing the sin of idolatry and breaking the first Commandment, “You must not have any other gods except Me” (Exodus 20:3).

Being a follower of God has a lot of advantages. God promises never to leave or forsake us and is always willing to forgive (Deuteronomy 31:8, 1 John 1:9). He provides eternal life and a way for us to be with Him in heaven. He gives us the power to keep from sinning so we will not be a slave to sin. God showed His love by sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). This shows how much Jesus loves us because in Romans 5:7 says, “Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die.” There is no greater love a person can show than to die for his friends (John 15:13).

On the other hand, if we follow Satan, we are destined for destruction. Satan wants nothing more than to hurt us. He is evil and full of darkness. He is well known as a deceiver and the father of lies (John 8:44). If we follow him, we will end up eventually in hell with him because we want what he wants and is against the truth of God (John 8:44). There is no good in him and he is described in 1 Peter 5:8 “as a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” What do we do when we encounter a dangerous wild animal like a lion? We run away and the same goes for us when it comes to Satan.

Prayer of the day:

Dear heavenly Father,

You are the provider of everything. You are better than anything on earth. That is why we want to follow You instead of Satan. Satan hates us and wants us to be in hell with him. Because of Jesus, we do not have to be followers of Satan. Help us to love You first and to stay focused on Your promises of heaven. Thank you for Your love, grace, and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!