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Depending on which generation one might belong to, this quote has alternately been attributed to any number of people, including most recently Kevin Spacey in a line from one of his movies.
However, the French writer, Charles Baudelaire,  also used the phrase in the short story, "The Generous Gambler," which preceded the movie by a considerable length of time.  I suspect, however, that it was not unique even to him.
Of course, the important thing is NOT who first coined the phrase, but whether it is true.  If one accepts the Bible as the divine word of God, then he must also accept the fact that Satan is a real entity.
He was cast from Heaven down to Earth, where he was given dominion with power second only to God himself. Think about that....power second only to God!!!
How easy it would then be for the devil to manipulate man and trick him into believing that he doesn't even exist.Â
There was a woman with whom I used to blog, who has since stopped, who said to me, "I believe everyone ultimately will go to Heaven."
Obviously, this woman no longer believes Satan exists. What would be the poiint of "Satan" if everyone were going to Heaven anyway?
Another said to me, "G has lived a good life." What, exactly, is a "good life,"? Is it simply not breaking the laws of man, being a faithful husband, a good provider and an attentive father to one's children?
Those are certainly qualities to which any man should aspire. And, indeed, there are many, many people who believe just living a "good life" will gain them entry into Paradise. Â
But, if that's all it took to get to Heaven--just leading a "good life"--then why worry about Satan? These people too have been convinced that at least for them Satan does not exist.
Maybe for rapists, murderers, prostitutes, thieves, adulterers--but NOT for them. After all, they have lived a "good life." They have lots of friends; they are good neighbors; they even give a few dollars every year to United Way. Everybody likes them.
And have you ever heard a minister stand up and avow at a funeral, "This man lived a "good life," but he is still going to Hell? No! Even ministers perpetuate the myth by stating that this person's soul is now with God. That in spite of the fact that this man's face never cast a shadow at any church door, never donated a minute of his time nor a dollar of his money to help those less fortunate; never read a page of God's word, nor ever got on his knees to offer a prayer for forgiveness of his sins...but, hey, the world still saw him as a "good" man.
No wonder it's so easy for the devil to trick us.Â
All of that is anthithical, however, to what the Bible clearly speaks to over and over again. Remember this phrase, "How narrow is the gate and how constricted is the road that leads to life, and there aren't many people who find it!"(Matthew 7:14 NIV)Â
Well, heck, if leading a "good life" were enough, the gate and the road wouldn't be that hard to find at all for the average citizen, would it?
Because no human other than God incarnate in the form of Jesus has ever resisted Satan, we all sin every single day. We sin when we don't even realize we are sinning. And I submit to you that it is Satan working in our lives that leads us into sin.
When Satan tempted Jesus, he offered him supernatural gifts, Â power and wealth if he would only fall down and worship him.Â
How many people have succumbed to these exact same things? Think of false ministers who claim to heal by "laying on of hands," or corrupt politicians.
But the last is the worst:  the love of money and the material possessions it can buy lead to the downfall of more men than anything else. There's a reason it is called "filthy lucre."Â
If one has been blessed with money and uses not a penny of it to help God's children or to further his work on this earth, what do you think God is going to say to him on Judgment Day? How are you going to answer when God asks, "What did you do for me? I blessed you with money. Did you feed my children with it? Did you care for my missionaries with it? Did you further my work with it?
If you instead spent it on worldly pleasures, never once thinking of God, the devil has done a masterful job of convincing you he doesn't exist.
God will want to show you that he does by allowing you to spend eternity with Satan and others like you. Oh, by the way, most of the rapists, murderers, prostitutes, adulterers, and thieves will be there too.
But then we are known by the company we keep, aren't we?
