Ron Graham was called home on March 14, 2013. He began writing this commentary before his death and had asked me, Nathele Graham, to continue his service to our Lord by finishing what he began.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
Throughout history people have wanted to design their own god rather than serve the Creator of the universe. Joshua knew the LORD and only served Him. He also warned others about designing their own god. The false gods he spoke of were satanic, as are all false gods, and designed to make evil seem right.
Today there are many people who want to design a god that fits their lifestyle and makes no demands upon them to turn from sin. Those designer gods may be easy to follow but they demand a huge price. In the end they can do nothing for you except cause you grief and lead you to Hell. Only the one true God is worthy of worship, honor, and praise. Like Joshua, serve the LORD
Throughout history we see that Israel sometimes worships the LORD, but other times they rebel and design their own gods to worship. Over and over we see that when trouble came those designer gods are useless.
“But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah” (Jeremiah 2:28).
A god for every city. What a shame to a nation that the LORD had done so much for. What god do you think Sodom worshiped? Or Babylon? What designed god today is embraced by San Francisco or Mecca? Certainly not the one true God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Clearly many people create their own god–one of their own design which will conveniently suit their personal sins.
People often make the proclamation “My god would never send anyone to hell, he’s a loving god.” Know this, God doesn’t send anyone to hell; our own choice sends us there. In speaking of Jesus, Peter told the truth when he said:
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
If you choose to design your own god instead of placing your faith in Jesus you have made your choice to spend eternity in hell. The father of all lies has an agenda to convince humans that he is god and that he would never send anyone to Hell. Live like you want, or as the mantra from the ‘60s went “If it feels good, do it.” If you design your own god then you can embrace whatever sin you want and still think you will get into heaven. You can commit adultery and it’s OK. Homosexuality is okay. Murder is Okay. The list goes on.
Satan certainly isn’t God, but he is very efficient and persuasive when it comes to promoting his lies. His lies began in the Garden of Eden when Eve made the big mistake of talking to him.
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1).
Eve should have walked away; better yet she shouldn’t have even said one word to that old liar. Because Eve listened to Satan he was able to get her to twist God’s Word and confuse her. God was made to seem like the deceitful one, Eve ate the fruit, Adam joined in her sin, and Paradise was lost. From that point on Satan has deceived many people by convincing them to design their own gods.
People who design their own god don’t want anything to do with the God of the Bible. His “rules” cramp their lifestyle, but when they are dying of AIDS they blame Him for not protecting them. It’s the same lie Satan used with Eve…design your own god, be your own god. Because God provided for them, Adam and Eve had plenty to eat but they were given one rule…don’t eat the forbidden fruit. Satan stepped in and made that fruit sound wonderful. He manipulated Eve with lies:
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:5-6).
Satan still uses that lie today. Design your own god, be your own god. The trouble is, that god leads to death.
When God confronted Adam about eating the fruit, Adam blamed God not Satan.
“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12).
According to Adam, God gave him the woman so God must be to blame. Don’t ever blame God Almighty for your own choices. Eve was deceived, Adam chose to sin, and Satan thought he won because they were evicted from the Garden of Eden. God had a plan of redemption. Just as honey is sweet and water is wet, God is love. Because He loves us so much He stepped into His creation and took our sin upon Himself. He shed His own blood so anyone who accepts His sacrifice will be saved from eternal damnation. No designer god can do that.
Things haven’t changed since the Garden of Eden. We like to design our own god so that we can try to condone our sin. A big issue today that permeating society is homosexuality. God uses strong words to condemn this choice.
“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them” (Leviticus 20:13).
That’s crystal clear, yet Satan twists God’s words and corrupts the simple minded to believe homosexuality is not an abomination. If you say you are a Christian yet embrace or condone the homosexual lifestyle, you have listened to satanic lies. You have designed your own god and have rejected the one true God. This is true of any sin:
“Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).
Crystal clear, isn’t it? Yet how many babies are murdered in the womb each day?
“Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
In order to make sexual sin acceptable we have to design a god who doesn’t condemn the sin of adultery. Take a hard look at your life. What sin is in you that you have designed your own god to accept it? When He died on the cross at Calvary, Christ took your sins and mine upon Himself in order to give us the only way of salvation. Why would you want to serve any other god? Why design one that can do nothing for you except bring you misery and death?
Jesus Christ, God Almighty, gave His life for your salvation and faith in Him is the only path to eternal life with Him in heaven.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Arguably this is the most quoted verse in the entire Bible, and one that should be thoroughly understood. God loves you so much that He paid the price for your salvation. You cannot design a god that can bring salvation to you. Maybe you don’t want to give up your sin so you’ve designed your own personal god who will let you live a sinful life without any consequences. You might want to rethink placing your faith in some nonexistent god. Don’t design a god that leads you to hell, but embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. There is salvation in none other.
You are the only one that can choose where your eternal destination will be. You cannot design your own god and expect to spend eternity in heaven. Like Eve, you have a choice. You can believe Satan’s lies and send yourself to hell (which is eternal pain and suffering in the lake of fire) or you can accept Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, and live eternally with Him. There is no other way to enter heaven than through Jesus:
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
Don’t be deceived by Satan’s lies and design a god who cannot lead you to the Father. If you have fooled yourself into thinking that you can say you accept Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as atonement for your sin and yet you stay in that sin you are wrong. You are still worshipping your designer god. You want it both ways…forgiveness of sin but no condemnation for staying in that sin.
When the woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus for Him to condemn her, He showed His love and forgiveness. He convicted her accusers of their own sins and then asked her who condemned her.
“She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11).
Yes, she was forgiven but Jesus did not tell her to go ahead and keep living in her sin. If you still worship your designer god who allows you to remain in rebellion to God, then maybe you haven’t truly accepted Jesus as your Savior. Study your Bible to see what God’s word says, then conform your life to Him…not to a god you have designed.
The last thing Satan wants is for you to believe in the God of the Bible; he wants you to design your own god and continue in your sin. He’s working hard to deceive you into believing his lies. Eve listened to him and convinced Adam that God was wrong. Thanks to Satan we live in a fallen world where disease, hatred, and death surround us. Satan wants you to design and worship your own god and join him for eternity in the lake of fire. On the other hand “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).
God bless you all,
Ron & Nathele Graham