In your newspapers, your tv programs, your movies, your music. For the most part it is not miraculous whisperings from Satan in the middle of the night that stop the forward progress of believers. We learn from each other and from the media.

The world has become a network of lies, a matrix, a chaos, a culture, a system. Satan is the prince of the power of the air. There are some cultures that are more advanced than others, some we would call "better" than others, but no "good" cultures.

Media is the plural of medium. That's a Bible word. That's a witch.

In English it means "in the middle of." The means of a message sent from one person to another.

Satan is the god of this world. He inspires most of what you see and hear on TV and in the movies. He works under restrictions from God, but is latitude is huge.

I'd like to say that today's flood of lies is unprecedented. But I learned much from the lies of a place called Hollywood myself, as a young man.

Every weekend my mother would send me to the Linden Theater in Columbus, clutching my $1.25. There I would escape my mundane poverty-filled life and live other lives through the characters portrayed.

West Side Story was one of my favorites. It's a re-telling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was the first film I had seen where the ending was not happy.

In the end of the movie, the American Tony, who loves the Puerto Rican Maria, kills Maria's brother. Anita, the girlfriend of the deceased, tries to split them up. It was all set to music. For this young teen, it was all so impressive, so beautiful, so passionate. But the lies were there too.

In the song that Maria and Anita sing to each other there are several misleading statements... See if you can find them...

I have a love, and it's all that I have.
Right or wrong, what else can I do?
I love him; I'm his,
And everything he is
I am, too.
I have a love, and it's all that I need,
Right or wrong, and he needs me, too.
I love him, we're one;
There's nothing to be done,
Not a thing I can do
But hold him, hold him forever,
Be with him now, tomorrow
And all of my life!
But the worst lie of all is told in the part of the song that sees both young ladies in agreement, singing in beautiful harmony:

When love comes so strong,
There is no right or wrong,
Your love is your life.

The love of a man and a woman cancels out all morality? That's the message, and it is a tale told in millions of broken lives all over our nation.

There is a greater love than romantic love. The love of God causes us to reject human love at times, and cling to Him. He will make it right. He will fill the void.

Beautifully told lies. Let me burst the bubble and hopefully not sound insensitive. I was in love with the wrong people as a young man. I know the pain of being rejected, and the pain of rejecting others when you know that Christ is saying move on.

I believe we have truth in God's Word. When I hold a statement made by people or my own heart, next to what God has said, the lie loses its power. We must see them at the same time. Lies are often given us in isolation, but when the Truth shows up they dissolve.

Lies: Romantic love is all there is? Not at all!

You lose love, you lose all? Not at all!

Your romantic love is your life? Not at all!