Heroes ... and Villains

By Lane Palmer, Christian Post Guest Columnist Friday, October 17, 2008

What do you think...can there be heroes without villains? Don't you really need bad guys to show who the good guys are? Sure, you could kinda be a hero by rescuing little fluffy the kitten from a tree or helping a grandma across the street - right? But I think the real hero comes out when you defeat an eeeeeeevil enemy with supernatural ability.

Deep inside the chambers of the human heart lies a desire to be a hero. Think about it - why do we love stories about champions and conquerors that range all the way from a Dark Knight to a Superman Spiderman Incredibles Iron Man Hulk? That's why the NBC series Heroes is now in its third season and has attracted millions of regular viewers. The plot line follows your basic 'I'm a normal guy/girl on the outside, but I have sick superpowers that make me - well - a "hero" - and it is definitely working.

Season three of Heroes is called "Villains" - and it looks as though some incredible battles between good and evil are brewing up. Remember this teaser quote?

Since before you were even born, I was finding these people and locking them away so that they couldn't hurt anybody. Now a dozen of them have escaped, and they will kill...and they will terrorize...and they will conspire...and they will cause...unimaginable destruction to the world...they're villains, Claire.

So have you ever noticed that the key to defeating a villain and becoming a hero is to understand his/her weaknesses? For sure that's also how you defeat a hero, but you must remember that the wicked foes have their disadvantages as well.

If you are familiar with what the Bible says about followers of Jesus Christ, you'll remember that we all have supernatural abilities and the chance to become heroes through the Holy Spirit. But to be heroic on a regular basis, we must understand our enemy and his weaknesses. You better believe he knows your soft spots...Satan has been studying and battling against humans for thousands of years, so trust me, he is totally aware of how to turn you from a hero to devastated zero.

But the good news is that we have a play-by-play record of the greatest showdown between a Hero and villain that has ever occurred. No, it isn't the one between Batman and the Joker - although that was pretty cool. This epic conflict happened 2000 years ago in a desert. The hero is Jesus Christ, the villain is Satan.

Check this out:

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.

Then the devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread."

But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone.'"

Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. "I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them," the devil said, "because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me."

Jesus replied, "The Scriptures say,

'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'"

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

'He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"

Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'"

When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came (Luke 4:1-13).

Can you imagine seeing this in hi-def plasma? For 40 days these two cosmic giants went blow for blow for the rule and reign of the universe. If Satan the villain could get Jesus the hero to just mess up one time, he would have the victory.

Yet time and time again Jesus summoned the ultimate spiritual power in the universe - the Word of God. Every time Satan painted a tempting picture, questioned Jesus' value and worth, or cast doubts on whether or not God the Father loved Him...the answer always began the same way:

"The Scriptures say..."

In other words, Jesus never even tried to defeat Satan with His own words...and He's God!

So what about us? If we are going to be heroes and defeat the spiritual villains of this world, we must use the 774,746 infinitely powerful words that are probably sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust in our house.

For sure, they didn't collect dust in Jesus' house. He memorized them and used them to defeat the most powerful created being in the entire universe.

What about you? Wanna be a hero? The power is available, the villains are loose...the choice is yours. Head: What you need to know about this truth

Jesus showed us how to defeat Satan - which is through the power of Scriptures. Therefore, we need to memorize Bible verses to defeat the attacks of the enemy. Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

Feel confident that you can defeat the enemy and be a hero in God's Kingdom. Hands: What you need to do about this truth

Start today with a regular Bible memorization plan.