Christians Satan Loves - Pt I

I awoke this Sabbath morning to the rumble of thunder and the drum beat of rain on our bedroom window. As I lay there enjoying the sounds of nature it struck me that something was missing from this scenario. Years ago, when our children were little, storms, especially violent ones, would have sent one or both of our children scurrying down the hall to crawl into bed seeking refuge. At that age a loud clap of thunder and lightening, a bad dream, a mysterious noise or a strange shadow on the wall were enough to propel them out of bed and straight to our door.

I remember one night, when Courtney was around eight, that she came running to our room more frightened than usual. Apparently some kids had told a particularly scary ghost story on the bus on the way home from school.  She was convinced that ghost had taken up residence in her bedroom. As any father would, I spent the next fifteen minutes peering into every dark corner, investigating every possible hiding place to reassure her that there was nothing to fear, that ghosts aren't real, and that it was simply her imagination running out of control.

Over the next few days her mother and I also used the opportunity to talk to both of our kids about the concept of evil and the spirit world. Now it’s touchy to follow up a conversation about imaginary ghosts with a conversation about the spirit world which, of course, is very real. We certainly didn’t want to make the problem worse, but we did feel it important for them to know the difference. We wanted them to understand the things they should be wary of versus those things that are merely superstition, based on irrational fear.

As adults, you and I have grown beyond irrational fears.  Although we know there is a spirit world, we also know there are not ghosts in the closet or evil monsters under the bed. There might be some pretty nasty smelling socks, but not evil monsters.

However, there are some Christians who do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time consumed with irrational fears about the the spirit world and the influence of the Devil. These are the Christians who blame Satan for every mistake and every bad thing that happens in their lives. They are constantly searching for signs of his influence around every corner and under every rock.

It probably won’t come as a surprise that Satan is not at all displeased to get the attention. He loves Christians that allow him center stage. He is in the business of attempting to usurp God’s power in our lives. He couldn’t take over God's throne by force long ago but he is still trying to do it in other ways. He does all he can to deceive us into believing that he has more influence, more power than he really has over the life of a Christian. To the degree he is able to shift our attention away from confidence in God's love, God's protection and toward an inordinate fear of him and his power, he is successful.

Why?  Well, if we are constantly focused on the enemy, worried about the evil that might befall us, we will never have the courage to take risks. The times in our lives when we should be stepping out in faith we will instead be holding back in fear. Our inordinate focus on the enemy will immobilize us and make us ineffective tools in God's hands. And that's just where the enemy wants us.

James 4:7 - 8 tells us “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

In I John 4:18 we read, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love."

If you are one of those Christians that tends to look back over your shoulder a little too much; worried about Satan getting the upper hand; consumed by what influence the enemy has over you; inordinately fearful of falling into the traps he sets, you are really only running from shadows on the wall and bumps in the night. You are giving Satan way more attention than he deserves.

Should we be wary of Satan’s deception? Should we strive to resist him? Yes, of course. But the most effective resistance is not letting ourselves be sucked into Satan's vortex of fear and doubt but, rather, as James tells us, to "draw near to God." If we learn to focus confidently ahead on our God and His promises of protection, His promises of strength in time of need, and His promise to finish the work that He has begun in us, Satan cannot touch us.  By surrounding ourselves with the reality of God's love, all inordinate fear is cast out.

It’s been quite a while since either of our children have come scurrying down the hall to our room. Now that they are older, and braver, these visits are a thing of the past. It takes more than just a little shadow on the wall to spook them, which is a good thing, since at fifteen and eighteen they would now take up a quite a bit more real estate on our bed than they once did. As a parent, it's nice to see our children outgrowing their fear and growing in confidence. I'm sure it pleases our God when we do the same.