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May the Lord Protect You

            But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (II Thessalonians 3:3)

I tend to disagree with people when it comes to the subject of spiritual warfare. Some folks like to declare that Satan has attacked them. I suppose that in a general, vague way, they’re correct. He attacked Adam and Eve and that attack has produced the heartache of the word. He sends his minions out to attack people, and so it might be said that he is attacking them indirectly. But it seems to me that after his original attack on Adam and Eve, he could just as easily have sat back and never done another thing except play gin rummy with his minions, and we humans would do all that is necessary for us to destroy ourselves. Even if he and his minions are active  (and I believe they are,) I am simply not sufficiently influential to require much additional attention. The devil doesn’t have to make me do what I do. I do evil that I think up or desire, of my own free will, with no additional prodding.

This is not to say that there aren’t others who don’t face direct diabolical attention. Those who are spiritually influential get a lot of attention. Pastors, leaders, public speakers and even to some extent politicians and celebrities face more of the sort of spiritual warfare we tend to think of when we read today’s passage. I don’t think I’d even rate Wormwood’s apprentice. Why waste even inept manpower when it’s not needed?

This puts a different spin on today’s passage. This is what Pogo talked about when he said “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Sometimes even I laugh at my constant prayer request of “Wisdom, direction, and ATTITUDE” but I’ve lived with myself for long enough that I know that I am the enemy God needs most to protect me from. Nor is this a pity party on my part. It’s not a particularly bad day, and I’m not depressed (or at least no more than usual.) It’s just facing the reality that I am quite capable of doing myself harm, especially in the area of attitude. So are you. So is everyone else.

And so, my prayer to you this Friday morning is that God will protect you from the evil one – and most especially from the evil one that is you.

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