"Tricked – Part V"
1 Peter 3:17 – "For it is better, if the will of God be
so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."
We continue our "Tricked" series with another chant from the club
scene which goes a little something like this:
It’s Hot In Here, It’s Hot In Here…
There must be a party in the atmosphere.
Now let’s look at the difference between the HERE and the ATMOSPHERE!!!
Webster’s defines the atmosphere as – "The gaseous mass or envelope
surrounding a celestial body, ESPECIALLY that encompassing the earth, retained
by the body’s gravitational field." In other words, the atmosphere is
what’s between here and heaven within the earth’s gravitational pull. We pretty
much know this as THE AIR. Now if we go back to Part I of this series, we
learned that satan has dominion over the air:
Ephesians 2:2 – "Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience" (KJV).
So in this chant, the atmosphere is the "air," and it doesn’t take
a rocket scientist to know where the "here" is. However, let’s look
at what’s going on HERE.
Well in this chant, we are told, "It’s hot in here, It’s hot in
here." So there is suffering going on – HERE, and discomfort is happening
– HERE. Yes, I’ve dee-jayed in many clubs and I don’t remember one being nice
and cool. Also we need to remember that within the club is the presence of
darkness (spiritual & physical), ungodliness and over-crowdedness. Now here’s
the question. Name a place that’s hot, crowded, dark, uncomfortable and full of
suffering? This sounds a lot like Hell to me. Yet "clubbers" flock to
this hell on earth every week as if the owners were passing out one-thousand
dollar bills!!!!
Not only this, but guess what? These duped clubbers celebrate SOMEONE ELSE’S
PARTY while they suffer. Let’s look at the last part of this chant, "There
must be a party in the atmosphere!" So the atmosphere – "The
Air" – is where the partying is happening. And who is partying in the
atmosphere? Surely not those who are suffering from the heat, discomfort and
the overcrowding. So who’s partying? Who else? satan and his boys. And guess
what? They aren’t the ones crammed like sardines in a hot stuffy club. Remember
the party is not HERE; it’s in the ATMOSPHERE!! Tricked, Tricked, Tricked!!
Let’s look at 1 Peter 3:13-17 (NIV),
13: Who is going to harm
you if you are eager to do good?
14: But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.
"Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."
15: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to
give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that
you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
16: keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against
your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
17: It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing
evil."
Don’t get me wrong. It’s all right to suffer—-as long as you’re suffering
for the right cause. The 14th verse of the above scripture tells us
that the suffering that comes from doing what is right is a blessing/reward. So
don’t worry about what your friends think; do the Lord’s will and you shall be blessed.
The 16th verse also confirms that when all is said and done, those
who spoke against you will be ashamed that they even opened their mouths. Even
when they talk about you behind your back or chastise you to your face, know
this – that a reward greater than their praise is on its way to you.
Let’s look at it this way. College students suffer through endless studies
for graduation. Employees suffer through hours of work for a paycheck. But what
reward do clubbers suffer for? The women that go often complain about the
"tired men" that are there. The men that go usually talk about the
"gold-digging women" that are there. Then both always complain about
how hot and overcrowded it is or about how wild things are regarding shootings
or fighting. Still, people choose to go and put up with all this suffering just
to get tricked and left empty-handed. Remember, Jesus suffered so that we might
have everlasting and abundant life with God (1 Peter 3:18). So don’t suffer for
the wrong cause. Stand for God and for His kingdom. Believe me, you’ll
be Blessed, not Tricked!
