“LUCK” IS SATAN’S WORD
I write this praying for the mind of Christ.
Many years ago I asked my Pastor to give me a letter of recommendation to an Air Force recruiter. I was applying to get into a school of Radio Mechanics. One of the things my pastor said of me was that I had an “analytical mind”. I have never forgotten that statement. I didn’t realize it at the time but he was right! In the last few years I have asked myself a number of questions about the reasons we Christians do and say things and the meaning of the words we use. — What is this thing we call “Luck”? We part ways with a fellow Christian, and we often say, “Good Luck, have a safe trip!” or “Good Luck on that new medical procedure!” etc.
The first thing I do when I go off on my analytical trip is to go to the Bible to see how the word is used there. You can’t find it anywhere in scripture. The red flag goes up for me, something’s wrong here! Next I go to the dictionary. What is this word’s definition for our world today, for our time? Webster tells us it means: “That which happens to one, seemingly by chance, hap, fate, fortune”. If that’s what the word means to people today, I surely can’t use it as a Christian, can I? We believe that God controls all things. Right? “All things work together for good to those who love God.” (Romans 8: 28) “All” doesn’t mean some!
What’s so bad about using the word “Luck”? — Why? Because it is an empty word, and an emptying word. Something happens in our life that we feel is bad. Satan loves it when we say we had Bad Luck, he hides himself as the source of evil with these empty words! Or God may be allowing what we think is bad to force us to change the path we are on, and He leads us to a special blessing. (See Genesis 50: 19& 20). — For the Christian is there ever any “Bad Luck”? The Lord turns even Satan’s work around and gives us blessing through it.
God’s words are, “Bless You!” not ” Good Luck”. Satan tries to empty the joy in our hearts of the real source of blessings…— God expects us to acknowledge Him and give Him thanks and praise!
Satan has the world look at Jesus’ death on the Cross and say, What “Bad Luck” the young Rabbi Jesus’ life was cut off so early. How many more wise sayings and teachings he might have been able to give the world. Satan’s words “Bad Luck” makes Jesus’ death look like a failure! Jesus said, ” This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms … The Christ must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day…”(Luke 14: 44 & 45) Does this sound like Jesus failed?
Luck is Satan’s word because it opens the door for Christians to accept such false teachings as Evolution, the “Big Bang Theory” etc. Scientists tell us all the right things came together over millions or even billions of years to form our world and every thing in it. That had to take an awesome amount of “chance, hap, fate, and fortune” = Luck! God said “Let there be, and there was”. There’s no place for luck here.
One of the greatest scourges upon not only Christians, but on mankind is gambling. It is built on this empty, emptying idea, of Luck. People are not satisfied with the material things God has given them so they try to outdo God. Satan preaches it can be done. His is the “gospel of greed” tied to the empty meaningless word, Luck! If Christians would take the word Luck out of their vocabulary and their thinking, gambling would vanish from their lives. Christians, the millions who now gamble, could do wonders with the money they rescue from the bottomless pit. Here goes my analytical mind again:
An example: if a church body with 2,000,000 communicant members had 10% who bought just $5.00 worth of lottery tickets a week, $5 X 100,000, that would be $500,000 a week, and if they do this every week of the year, that would be $26,000,000. — Too high a number of Christians buying tickets you think, then play with the numbers use, 100,000 or even 10,000.
Without taking any money from the food or clothing or vacation budget, or the kid’s college fund etc, think of what Christians could do. They could send hundreds or thousands of missionaries into the world, use all media to share the Gospel, and feed millions of hungry people.
Many will say that’s too impractical! — They’re right! — BUT IT IS GOD PRACTICAL!
Most church members hate FUND DRIVES and that includes pastors. O K lets ask our fellow Christians for PRAYER RAISERS asking the Lord to help us eliminate Luck, Satan’s Word from our Christian vocabulary, it is an empty meaningless word in God’s sight! Turn Satan’s word into a door to witness your faith. Someone says “GOOD LUCK” as you part, you answer, “I don’t believe in LUCK! If there’s LUCK, there’s no GOD. If there’s GOD there’s no LUCK!” Then give them the tract “ONE LOVE FITS ALL”.
Take the word Luck out of our Christian vocabulary and we will give praise to God where it belongs when we are blessed by Him. Take the word Luck out of our speaking when we think something is bad in our life, and look for what God has in mind for us through what happened.
I challenge you, pay attention every time you hear the word LUCK or use it yourself, evaluate it in view of what is written above. I HATE LUCK-SATAN’S WORD! Please join me!
Pastor Erv Rasmussen is the Exec. Director, servant of
The Lutheran Evangelism Association, Box 10021, Phoenix, AZ. 85064