I've been thinking about John 8:44 lately (Jesus is speaking):
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He 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.
Lewis is right in saying that we are in enemy territory, and we need to be aware of that. He is also right in saying that Jesus does hold the ultimate victory- there is nothing the Enemy can ever do that will undo God's plan. Our goal is to take back as much of this rebel-occupied territory as possible before the full-scale invasion. This is what we pray for when we sing "Build Your kingdom here, let the darkness fear": we want God's will to be done right here and now, and we want to beat back the false kingdom of the Enemy.
So: we need to know our enemy. I always think of the passage I quoted above when I think of Satan- it seems to me that Jesus' description is probably all-encompassing. This is who our Enemy is: he is a liar and the father of lies. He's powerful, because lying works. He has been lying to human beings from the beginning, and we are too weak to resist it on our own. Don't ever get the idea that Satan is weak- he's much more powerful than you and me. The good news is, he's nowhere CLOSE to God. There's no contest. Satan lies. That's all he does. It's his defining characteristic. While his lies are powerful, they're all he has! All he can do, all he has ever done, is lie. This passage gives me great hope- our God can move mountains, change lives, and raise the dead... all Satan can do is lie. When it all comes down to it, in the face of God Almighty, he's powerless.
But apart from God, his lies hold sway over us, and you know what? He pisses me off. Really, when I think about him, it's hard to stand him. He has lied too many times. He has lied to me too many times. He's still lying. He's lying to all the girls growing up around the world who don't think they're beautiful or valuable. People who starve themselves or harm their bodies in all sorts of ways to conform to artificial and impossible standards. He lies to people who mistreat their spouses, kids, or parents, telling them that kindness and justice aren't necessities. He's lying to everyone who doesn't feel loved or important, telling them that they're just a face, just a statistic. He lies to everyone who hasn't known God's love, telling them there's nothing more to life than this. I walk through hallways at school and see people who are being lied to- that they're not pretty enough, not smart enough, not unique enough, not popular enough, and not valuable.
THIS is what we're up against when we live as Christians. We're trying to beat back the Devil's manifold deceptions. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can do just that. He can still deceive us, but he won't own us anymore. THIS is what's at stake- billions of people are not only headed for a very bad eternal residence, but their being lied to on Earth! People are worth more than that.
There's a lot of good news in this department- we serve a God who's in the business of telling the truth. Praise God! He is doing great things across the face of this planet, through his Spirit and through us. More people see the devil's lies for what they are every day. The cross already destroyed Satan's power for ever and ever. Now he's just trying to wreak as much havoc as he can. YOU are an instrument of truth, uniquely equipped by the Holy Spirit to combat the enemy's rebel forces in whatever way God calls you to.
Don't just pass the devil off as no big deal- but don't sweat him too much, because God Almighty is on our side.
The war is over, but the battle is on!
“In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth -- only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.”
- C.S. Lewis (of course!)
We need to know our enemy. In the ever-quotable words of C.S. Lewis, "Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel.” Mere Christianity was broadcast on the radio during World War II, so Lewis uses extensive wartime imagery throughout the book. Jesus, the rightful king of the world, will land, and will land in power, but for the time being the rebellion, headed by the devil, holds sway over the earth. [Jesus is holding off His full-scale invasion to allow as many people as possible to join his side- when he arrives it will be too late!]
Lewis is right in saying that we are in enemy territory, and we need to be aware of that. He is also right in saying that Jesus does hold the ultimate victory- there is nothing the Enemy can ever do that will undo God's plan. Our goal is to take back as much of this rebel-occupied territory as possible before the full-scale invasion. This is what we pray for when we sing "Build Your kingdom here, let the darkness fear": we want God's will to be done right here and now, and we want to beat back the false kingdom of the Enemy.
So: we need to know our enemy. I always think of the passage I quoted above when I think of Satan- it seems to me that Jesus' description is probably all-encompassing. This is who our Enemy is: he is a liar and the father of lies. He's powerful, because lying works. He has been lying to human beings from the beginning, and we are too weak to resist it on our own. Don't ever get the idea that Satan is weak- he's much more powerful than you and me. The good news is, he's nowhere CLOSE to God. There's no contest. Satan lies. That's all he does. It's his defining characteristic. While his lies are powerful, they're all he has! All he can do, all he has ever done, is lie. This passage gives me great hope- our God can move mountains, change lives, and raise the dead... all Satan can do is lie. When it all comes down to it, in the face of God Almighty, he's powerless.
But apart from God, his lies hold sway over us, and you know what? He pisses me off. Really, when I think about him, it's hard to stand him. He has lied too many times. He has lied to me too many times. He's still lying. He's lying to all the girls growing up around the world who don't think they're beautiful or valuable. People who starve themselves or harm their bodies in all sorts of ways to conform to artificial and impossible standards. He lies to people who mistreat their spouses, kids, or parents, telling them that kindness and justice aren't necessities. He's lying to everyone who doesn't feel loved or important, telling them that they're just a face, just a statistic. He lies to everyone who hasn't known God's love, telling them there's nothing more to life than this. I walk through hallways at school and see people who are being lied to- that they're not pretty enough, not smart enough, not unique enough, not popular enough, and not valuable.
THIS is what we're up against when we live as Christians. We're trying to beat back the Devil's manifold deceptions. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can do just that. He can still deceive us, but he won't own us anymore. THIS is what's at stake- billions of people are not only headed for a very bad eternal residence, but their being lied to on Earth! People are worth more than that.
There's a lot of good news in this department- we serve a God who's in the business of telling the truth. Praise God! He is doing great things across the face of this planet, through his Spirit and through us. More people see the devil's lies for what they are every day. The cross already destroyed Satan's power for ever and ever. Now he's just trying to wreak as much havoc as he can. YOU are an instrument of truth, uniquely equipped by the Holy Spirit to combat the enemy's rebel forces in whatever way God calls you to.
Don't just pass the devil off as no big deal- but don't sweat him too much, because God Almighty is on our side.
The war is over, but the battle is on!
“In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth -- only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.”
- C.S. Lewis (of course!)
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