If you could have everything that you ever wanted, what would you do? Imagine having all your hopes and dreams be fulfilled, and having the ability to live the life you always wanted. However, in order for you to receive all this you must give up your soul in return. That’s the storyline in the movie Bedazzled. Everybody wants to be accepted and Elliot Richards (played by Brendan Fraser) is no different. Richards’ quest for happiness led him to make a deal (seven wishes for his soul) with the devil (played by Elizabeth Hurley) for his soul in order to try and win the woman of his dreams Alison Gardener (played by Francis O’Connor).
Elliot Richards has a crush on his colleague Allison Gardiner but lacks the courage to ask her out. He says, “I would do anything to have that girl in my life”. The devil hears this and offers Elliot seven wishes in exchange for his soul. Richards used his wishes for things that everybody desires in life: money, power, fame. However, he felt empty after every wish. His wishes only gave him happiness for a season. Richards was lured by the devil that used “material things” as bait to try to control his eternal destiny.
The Bible describes the devil as “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” [i]He knows our weakness and uses them as bait to tempt us to bite so that he can set the hook and catch us. The devil tries to use things such as money, power, fame, sex, drugs, and alcohol, to fill voids in our lives. These things may bring us happiness for a while, but they do not fill our eternal void. According to Blaise Pascal, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known by Jesus Christ.”[ii] No material thing can fill a spiritual void that only God can fill.
Even Jesus was tempted by the devil. Unlike Elliot Richards Jesus did not give into temptation. He was “… tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” [iii] However, there are a lot of similarities in the methods the devil used to tempt Elliot Richards and Jesus.
First, the devil tempts us by attacking us in areas where we are vulnerable. He looks for our weaknesses and tries to expose them. For Elliot Richards his weakness was his crush on Allison Gardener, for Jesus it was His hunger. Jesus had just finished fasting for forty days as a result He was hungry. The devil used Jesus’ hunger as a point of attack. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” [iv] The devil wanted Jesus to prove who He was by making Him do something (turn to stones into bread) to meet His hunger need.
Secondly, the devil tempts us by causing us to doubt. He tries to create unbelief so that he can fill our hearts with lies. The devil convinced Elliot Richards to believe that he was nobody and nobody liked him. As a result, the devil gets Richards to fall for lie that he could be a somebody and very popular. The devil tries to get Jesus to doubt scripture. He said, “If you are the Son of God…throw yourself down. For it is written: ” ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”[v] The devil used scripture (Psalm 91:11-12) in attempt to get Jesus to doubt who He was.
Thirdly, the devil tempts us by offering us something. Elliot Richards was offered anything he wanted in the form of seven wishes. The devil offered Elliot the world by saying “I can make the whole world love you”. Jesus was offered all the kingdoms of the world by the devil. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”[vi] The devil tries to entice Jesus by offering something; something that He already owns.
How does one respond when they are tempted? First realize that God is not the one tempting you.”When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”[vii] The devil uses a temptation as a device to entice a person and lead them into sin.
Secondly, realize that we live in a world full of spiritual warfare. The Apostle Paul encourages us to put on the armor of God so that we are ready for battle. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”[viii] We need to be constantly aware of the spiritual forces around us and make sure that we are equipped with the armor that God provides us.
Thirdly, realize that God will never put us in a situation where we cannot handle temptation and He always provides a way out. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” [ix]God not only gives us temptation in which we can handle but provides an escape route so we can overcome it.
What can we learn from the movie Bedazzled? Things that we wish for are not necessarily the things that make us happy and fill our “God shaped vacuum” that only God can fill. There is always a constant temptation to think “If only I had…. I would be happy.”We also learned the extreme value of the soul and the importance of choosing the right eternal destination.
What is the soul? What is the soul? The soul is, “the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.” [x]The Bible teaches that even when a person dies the soul lives on. The soul is immortal.
Jesus placed high value on the soul, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” [xi]The soul is priceless it is the most valuable thing that you posses. As a result there is a constant battle for your soul.
The Bible teaches that our soul will spend eternity in one of two places: heaven or hell. Where your soul will spend eternity is entirely up to you. No one can choose your destiny but you. Our soul’s destiny will be determined by what we do with Jesus Christ (either accept or reject Him). Heaven is designed for people who accept Jesus Christ; hell is designed for those who reject Jesus Christ. The devil will try everything possible to win your soul and prevent you from spending eternity with God. However, God offers a “free gift” His son (Jesus Christ) to everyone one accepts it. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”[xii] It’s only through Jesus Christ, that one can get to heaven. Jesus. Is there anything in this world that is worth giving up your soul for? Think again!
Questions to Ponder:
1. If you had seven wishes, what would you wish for?
2. What brings you happiness? Make a top ten list of the most important things in your life and then rank them in order.
3. If you were to die today, in which place (heaven or hell) would your soul spend eternity?
ite:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%203;&version=31
[i] 1 Peter 5:8. Biblegateway.com. Retrieved c, from Bible Gateway.com website:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20PETER%205&version=31
[ii] God-Shaped Vacuum. Acts International. January 31, 2009, from Acts International website: http://www.actsweb.org/articles/article.php?i=1140&d=2&c=1
[iii] Hebrews 4:15 Biblegateway.com. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Bible Gateway.com website: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%204&version=31
[iv] Matthew 4:3 Biblegateway.com. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Bible Gateway.com website: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%204&version=31
[v] Matthew 4:6 Biblegateway.com. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Bible Gateway.com website: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%204&version=31
[vi] Matthew 4:8 Biblegateway.com. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Bible Gateway.com website: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%204&version=31
[vii] James 1:13-15. Biblegateway.com Retrieved January 31, 2009, from the Bible Gateway.com website: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%201;&version=31
[viii] Ephesians 6:10-18. Biblegateway.com. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Bible Gateway.com website: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%206;&version=31
[ix] 1 Corinthians 10:13. Biblegateway.com. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from the Bible Gateway.com website: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%2010;&version=31
[x] soul. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/soul
[xi] Mark 8:36-37. Biblegateway.com. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Bible Gateway.com website: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MARK%208&version=31
[xii] John 3:16. Biblegateway.com. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Bible Gateway.com website:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%203;&version=31
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