WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLAYGROUND? 10/30/10

I GUESS my all time favorite is Disney Land. But give me a playground with adult swings and I am happy. There was a place in Long Beach called the Pike and near the pier in Santa Monica, a place called POP or Pacific Ocean Park. Both of those were great! The pike is gone and In am not sure about POP but Disney Land; the magic kingdom, is still going strong and all over the world.

AS CHILDREN going to the playground, it was a time to look forward too. My days as a young parent, we could say; "as soon as you get your room picked up, we will go to the park!" Happy faces would move full steam ahead and before you knew it, we would be on the playground. I believe Disney Land opened up in Anaheim when I was still in highschool. However, I didn't go there until after highschool. All the same, it was always memorable!

AS ADULTS, we find many different kinds of playgrounds are available. Playgrounds of diversity; full of deceitful enchantments and low grade excitement. I went once, but never made it a practice to go "bar hopping!" Those who do, know what I am talking about. Foul odors; foul language; foul activities. I think "foul hopping" would be a more appropriate name!

TODAY bars come with drugs; alcohol; topless waitresses and dancers; explicit connotations amongst the opposite sex and those looking for pleasure in all the wrong places. No, I have never been in one of these places. I don't expect that I ever will! However, there but for the grace of God, go I and you and you!

SATAN LIKES IT when Christians find themselves explaining;"it is okay to drink wine because they did it in the Bible." Satan likes it when Christians go to these kinds of places saying; "I just go with my friends but I don't participate in all that goes on." It is amazing what kind of games we play, when we try to live on the edge!

DID YOU KNOW that Satan has favorite playgrounds also? One is our righteousness; one is our mind; one is our self esteem and one more is His Disney Land! I am sure there are many more parks that he likes as well as these, but this is enough for me! I know what you are thinking! There she goes again! Off the wall; throwing the mud and taking away our fun and relaxation. I merely try to point out what I know to be true with my life. In doing so, it encourages me to know the facts and know what God has to say about it. I just like to share!

I HEARD a preacher recently say that; "self righteousness is Satan's playground!" Did you know that? How many times have we set ourselves up as holy, above reproach and yet we find ourselves on the front row watching an R rated movie? To be righteous means to be right! We are not always right about most things in God, but are held up as righteous because of Christ.

SATAN LOVES to play with our minds and cause us to think on things that absolutely are not on the minds of the righteous. "Set your minds on the things above and not on the things of this earth! Colossian 3:2 When Satan begins his games of self esteem, we are never sure if our self esteem is good or if we are suffering, in spite of our play acting. I believe many pretend to have a good self esteem when in reality it is low. We fall prey to peer pressure and begin to follow the crowd. God says; "Let what you say be simply YES or NO!" Matthew 5:37a

SATAN'S most ingenious playground is his, Disney Land. Living in a fantasy world takes us away from our reality. We can play this game with drugs or alcohol; playing video games and the best is through the most common virtual reality by watching explicit movies or TV shows with the excuse of the parental ratings, are okay. In Proverbs there is a list of seven things that God hates. Two are; "A heart that devises wicked plans and feet that run to evil!" Proverbs 6:18 Take heart; forgiveness follows repentance! By Jane Ann Crenshaw 10/24/10