We were amazed at the size of some of the grocery stores in New Brunswick. Although a much smaller province than Ontario, some of their stores were as big, if not bigger than the ones to be found in Toronto, the largest megalopolis in Canada. Wow! Some even provided gas with coupons redeemable at their chain stores. We were impressed!

While trying to find the water section in one of these mega stores one day, we happened to pass a shoe display advertising nice sports shoes in adult sizes for 50% off. Imagine paying only $12.00 for a pair of shoes! Our oldest son, whose foot is now bigger than his mother’s, immediately spotted a pair he liked, and after finding our water, we proceeded to the checkout counter.

Once there, however, we were in for a little surprise! The shoes scanned in at $24.00!

Now, don’t get me wrong, this still isn’t a bad price to pay for shoes, but since we had been expecting to pay half that much, we mentioned this to the sales clerk. She immediately paged the clerk in charge of clothing and after waiting patiently for his response, we were told that these particular shoes were not on sale.

“But they were on the sales rack,” I argued. “They were intermingled with the ones that were! Besides, it’s the same shoe, just a different color!”

“The other color is the only one on sale.” The clerk answered, rather unsympathetically.

“Then why are they all on the same rack?” I pressed. “Why didn’t the sign specify which shoe was on sale?”

When the sales lady didn’t offer a response, nor did she even seem to care, we decided to leave the shoes behind.

Our next stop was to visit an indoor amusement park. My kids had seen the advertised pictures on travel brochures and had been bugging to go there for months. They were sure that there would be terrific “wild” rides available. When we entered the place however, I couldn’t help but notice the look of disappointment on their faces.

“What’s wrong, guys?” I asked.

“These rides don’t look anything like the pictures we saw on the ad!” They both exclaimed.

My youngest one still wanted to go on the rollercoaster, however, and we were finally able to convince his brother to join him; but they both got off the ride feeling cheated.

And they weren’t the only ones to feel cheated. My wife and I felt cheated by the entire day, and all because of misleading advertisements.

There are other misleading advertisements in the world. How often aren’t we misled by lies from our enemy, the devil? “You won’t regret it,” he hisses. “Your wildest dreams will be fulfilled this way! Everybody does it. Isn’t that proof that you should do it as well?” Or “Are you a chicken? You will miss the opportunity of a lifetime. Don’t let it pass you by!”

Just like Adam and Eve, we are led to believe lies that will lead to addictions and separation from God. Jesus made us aware of these. He warned us: “He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44 NIV)

Anything presented to us by the devil is always mixed with lies that if heeded, will lead eventually to our self-destruction. He is the father of lies and does not hold onto our best interests. In fact: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV)

His advertisements may be catchy and may promise us the world, but he never mentions the hefty price tag attached to these: eternity in hell. Are we willing to give into such false ads? Will we let him make us his next victims?

Only Jesus can promise us a peaceful eternity with Him. Those who have experienced Him in their lives know that He is speaking the truth. Only Jesus could declare: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6 NIV)

Who will YOU believe? One decision will lead into bitter disappointment, the other into eternal bliss.

Want to buy a pair of $12.00 shoes?

Rob Chaffart