Skip to main content

What if...?

             For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. (I John 2:16)

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. (Ephesians 6:12)

For decades, I've been irritated when I’ve heard someone talk about being tempted by the devil (or a devil). These people weren’t Billy Graham or some world leader. And every time something went wrong or they felt tempted, it was the devil’s work, as if they’d be perfect examples of every virtue if left to themselves. It’s only because of some malevolent spiritual entity that their sublime existence was imperiled.

The passages above make it clear that spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms can certainly cause problems for us. We are to struggle against them, but I still believed -and am still tempted to believe that - at most - this is the least frequent of our sources of temptation, sin, and failure. Far more prevalent are the problems of the world and the flesh (which includes our lusts.)

A couple of nights ago, I opened FerVent, a book about prayer by Priscilla Shirer. She pointed out that one of Satan’s strategies is to convince people that he doesn’t exist or is not involved. Before turning out the light, I wrote a simple question in a small notebook: “What if I am wrong?”

What if I’m not as insignificant as I assume I am? What if at least one minor, “just out of boot camp” spiritual force of evil - or even some junior lieutenant - is assigned to me, like Wormwood in the Screwtape Letters?

I’m still thoroughly convinced that none of us need the temptations provided by such a being to thoroughly ruin our lives and the lives of those around us. The world and the flesh, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are more than capable and at least as culpable. But what if..?

I don’t have the answers. That’s part of why I’m reading the book. I know quite a few people disagree with me and see spiritual forces of evil everywhere and the top echelons considering them appropriate targets. And maybe the real point isn’t “Oh, they’re everywhere, the devils are everywhere,” so much so that I need to take the devil, the world, and the flesh far more seriously as purveyors of evil. At the moment, I’m really no farther than “What if I’m wrong?”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more