The story of Hansel and Gretel is one many of us heard growing up. It is a story about siblings who are growing up in troubling times. If you have never read it, you can get the Wikipedia description here
I haven’t thought about this story in years and for whatever reason, I did this morning. I thought about how these two kids are lost in the woods and have been for awhile now. They are hungry and tired. I imagine they are believing for a miracle and it seems to show up in the form of a candy house. I mean seriously ✨😃 could it get any better?? I can hear the siblings joyful cries as the run to their salvation eager to eat and rest in such a perfect place. They could not have imagined that an evil witch lived inside such a lovely place. They did not know that the candy was simply there to pull them deeper into the space.
It was when I was reading Galatians 1:6 “You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News (7) but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth….” that I thought about the candy house. We live in a world full of candy houses. People with the right words to pull us in, jobs with the right income for us to say yes, religions with the right check list to fit into whatever lifestyle a person wants.
For Halloween we put on scary mask and walk around but evil is the opposite, it very rarely walks around showing it’s true face. The enemy will disguise itself it in WHATEVER form he needs to so that you are pulled in. Maybe you have been praying for the husband and you are tired of waiting and “The Lord” brings to you this perfect man. Maybe you have been waiting for this job and all the bullet points check off but you don’t have full peace about it. Maybe you are seeking to know God in a deeper way and you find a religion that fits but you don’t have peace.
Here is some Good News. You do not ever have to be good enough, make the best grades, be healthy enough, be kind enough, or even saved enough for God to love you. Before you were born God’s love for you was 💯. If you were to die in the womb or at the day of birth God’s love for you is 💯. If you were to lie, cheat, and steal, all the days of your life and never believe in Jesus being the Son of God, God’s love for you is still 💯.
There are so many “Candy House” religions out there and the number one goal is to pull you in and devour you. Back to the Hansel and Gretel story, the step mom came up with the plan to get the kids lost in the woods. She wanted them to think they were going on a family hike all the while wanting to forever remove them for her home. The enemy is real and he will make you think you are on the right path all the while wanting to forever remove you from God’s presence.
The Good News is this. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He loves you and died in your place because a curse was placed on mankind that could not be broken by any tainted blood and we are all born with tainted blood. The enemy thought he found a water tight plan with no loop holes. The enemy never imagined that God would send his only Son, with perfect untainted blood, to die in our place so that the curse is broken. Jesus came to earth as a sinless man. He died in our place and rose again 3 days later. Believing in Him is the only way to get to heaven. There is no other way and believing that there is will be like walking into the candy house expecting peace and only finding a witch.
Do not allow the “witch” -the enemy – to pull you into a “candy house”
God loves you and you do not have to work to get his love. If you are working to earn it you need to rethink what kind of space you are in. His salvation is free. It is the only religion without a “but” Other religions say God loves you …but ….you have to do this but that is false. His love is free always and forever no matter where you are or what you have done. ❤️