Gratitude -:Truth

Lucifer was created perfect, completely in harmony with God's nature. His mind was fully engaged with God's wisdom, his conscience affirmed God's goodness, and his freedom to choose was always exercised in love. In other words, he had everything: beauty, intelligence, and freedom. But here's the key. Freedom meant that he could think and choose even not to love God. Now love by its very nature cannot be forced. It must be freely given and freely received. And God respected that even if it means to choose against him.

And at some point, something changed. Ezekiel 28, 17 says, I quote, "Your heart became proud on account of your beauty and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor." Unquote. So what happened? How did God's perfect creation turn against him? Was there a flaw in how God made Lucifer? I wrestled with that question. What caused Lucifer to shift from perfection to rebellion? The answer in short, Lucifer stopped seeing his brilliance as a gift from God and started seeing it as something he intrinsically owned. So instead of gratitude, his focus shifted to himself. He began to believe that his wisdom and beauty were his own, not created and given by God. In short, he started to rely on self rather than on God.

And with that, a dangerous thought crept in. What if I didn't need God? Isaiah 14, 13 to 14 describes his mindset. I will ascend to the heavens. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will make myself like the Most High. Unquote. Now notice, sin didn't begin as open rebellion. It started with a small distortion of truth. The truth was, God is the source of all life and wisdom. Lucifer's twisted reasoning became, why shouldn't I rule myself? Aren't I just worthy enough? I have all the ability. Those are the questions.

Now as Lucifer entertained those thoughts, his reasoning detached from the truth. His conscience became corrupt. He didn't immediately declare war on God. He simply refused to admit that he was wrong. And that's where pride took over. Lucifer wanted to be worshipped rather than worship. He became so convinced in his own deception that he genuinely believed he could rule better than God. Now once he accepted that lie, everything followed, including influencing a third of the angels to rebel with him.

Now his story shows something crucial. Sin doesn't begin with an outward movement. It starts in the mind and it follows a pattern:

Self-focus: Losing gratitude for God's gifts.

Distorted reasoning: Justifying self-exaltation or doubting God.

Self-deception: Believing a lie as if it were true.

A hardened will: Choosing the lie even when confronted with truth.

Now this same process happens in people today. No one suddenly falls into sin. It begins with a shift in focus, a small rationalization, a failure to check our thoughts against God's truth. Now Lucifer's downfall wasn't a flaw in God's creation. It was an abuse of free will. He became evil by distorting truth and choosingself over God. That's why in 2 Corinthians 10 verse 5 it urges us to, I quote, "take captive every"he ten verse five, it urges us to:

I quote, "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" unquote and amen.