The Devil Has Plans for You

I heard on the news about the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) wanting to remove the Name of Jesus Christ - and other references to God and Christianity - from their official literature, going so far as to tell people not to pray in Jesus' Name. The video linked here shows an excellent report on how and why this is being pursued.

This is the devil's talk. This is how the devil talks every time he talks. And he does not talk only within organizations like the DAR, he talks in church. A lot.

In a church building, in recent years, I've heard the following from lay leadership:

"It doesn't have to be about Jesus all the time."

"If you would just calm down about Jesus."

"I see no reason to study this passage (of Scripture)."

"You need to set aside the Word of God and have a passion for God."

"The Bible is like an idol to you. It's like you worship It!"  (Said to me, personally)

When I first starting hearing this kind of talk, I didn't know it was the devil talking.  A good friend from Togo, Africa, taught me that this is how the devil talks. Every time. Without exception. And his demons repeat this talk over and over and over until some ill-prepared or professing "Christian" falls for it and begins to repeat it themselves.

This should not take us by surprise, although being outraged is a good and appropriate response.  I Peter 5:8 tells us, in no uncertain terms, what is going on with this:  "Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour."

Breaking it down, we see the following from the Greek:

Be sober................be self-controlled/sober-minded
Be vigilant..............be watchful/stay awake/be alert
Your adversary......accuser/enemy/slanderer/wicked person
Walks about..........imitates
Seeking.................trying to find information
Devour.................swallow

Well, will you look at that? We are to be aware of his methods; God has clearly laid them out for us to see, know and understand.  There is no guess work involved. Yet, many in churches tolerate the type of talk I quoted above. This is completely unconscionable to me. He, our adversary, is actively looking to find information about us so he can see who is vulnerable and unprepared for his attacks. He imitates us so as not to raise suspicion about himself. His words become quite plausible when paired with the human ego, which is not watching out for anything but its own good.

I hope the members of the DAR will rise up and protest this removal of Jesus to a very large degree and stop it.

But, more than that. Oh, so much more than that, I hope Christians will finally stand up and stop this talk of removing Jesus from the church!  I wish people would become outraged when a brother or sister in Christ is told to "calm down about Jesus" and accused of idol worship because they are wholly committed to God's Word. We have to be watchful. We have to be vigilant. We will be swallowed up if we are not.

Anything less is Ichabod.  Once you have seen and experienced Ichabod, you will not ever look at this issue the same way. You will be so watchful and vigilant that people will tell you that you are mentally ill (as I was told). I suppose I'd rather be mentally ill than swallowed up by the devil!

The devil has plans for you. What are you going to do about that?  I Peter 5:9 has the answer: "Resist steadfast in the faith." Staying steadfast in the faith is an act of resisting the devil.

~Tricia