I heard an interested allegory the other day about the devil. I've always likened the devil and Christianity to be like the story of Little Red Riding Hood. I've imagined that we're on the road to grandma's house (heaven) and the devil is trying to lure us off the path and into the deep, dark woods in an attempt to get us off track. The further we stray from the path, the harder it is to find our way back.
But I heard on the radio something that is more true. The devil is a lot like the story of Hansel and Gretel. We often feel lost in this big world of ours, not sure where to go and sometimes all that's left is a trail of bread crumbs. We're hungry and thirsty and been traveling for a very long time. It even seems like at times the breadcrumbs have been snatched up by the birds.
Out of the blue comes this enormous house made out of all the best stuff you can imagine! We're so hungry and we don't care! We run as fast as we can towards this place and jump in feet first and indulge in the goodness of it.
I mean, it looks good. It feels good. It tastes good. Then it must be good? But really there's an evil motive attached to this seemingly good thing. It was a ploy to trap you.
It is so true that we all have this hole in our being that only God can fill and we do just about anything to fill it with things that we think will make us feel good! And it may be good for a moment, but then the good is over and you're left with even more emptiness and now shame to boot.
What you did instead was move yourself further away from the one Thing that will fill that hole. But that's what the devil does right? He takes sin and packages it up to look good and we take the bait!
There are so many things that we do as Christians that invite bad, evil things into our lives. But we don't think something so "innocent" has any real power over us. But it does without you even realizing it!
Most of my life I was a huge fan of the horror genre. I wrote scary books, watched scary movies, read all the scary stuff I could soak up. It seems really innocent, right? It's just a movie? Fiction?
It wasn't. Now I'm not telling you to go and throw away all your movies that have "bad stuff" in it. But it was something I felt I needed to go. My pastor showed me a verse. Psalms 11:5-7. Essentially the verse says that God's soul hates those who loves violence.
I was shocked. Here I am, wondering where God is in my life, but really I filled my world up with ever appearance of evil imaginable. It was disguised as innocent fun, but it kept me away from the presence of God.
Truth is, people felt that evil presence in me. They knew there was something...off about me. And the night I chose to get rid of that evil, I was anointed with oil and prayed over. I felt something evil leave me. I'm not making any of this up.
Later that night I go to a bible study and someone who had felt this evil spirit in me (but didn't tell me about it) said that they felt something different in my demeanor. There was this presence of peace instead of anger. They felt it and didn't even know that I had given anything up. They weren't a close friend, but an acquaintance.
It was a real defining moment in my life. For the first time in all my life I have no desire to watch a horror movie or even celebrate Halloween. It used to be my favorite holiday, but I realized that it was a ritual to honor Samhein, who in truth is Death. Why would I want to celebrate death? I want to honor God with all that I am.
This isn't a guilt trip to anyone who wishes to celebrate Halloween. But it's just not for me anymore. I want to celebrate God and his light, not give any ground to the dark.
The devil in all his ways and tricks won't slap a sticker of a red devil with horns on things to make them look evil so you stay away from it. No, it's going to look good and pleasing and fun. You're going to want to partake. You may even think you need it to fill some desire in your heart.
But everything the devil does is counterfeit to God. You have true love and you have lust. They feel the same, don't they? They're not. One is designed by God. The other by Satan. The intention of love is wonderful. The intention of lust does no good. But they feel the same! You often don't know the difference.
"We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum." -A.W. Tozer
Don't try to compromise with the world. Don't give into the spirits of darkness that only wish to do you harm and destroy the light that is in you. The further you receded into the darkness, the harder it is to get out and the less of God is reflected from you. Then before you know it, you're not a representative of light. You're just like everyone else and that's not what you're meant to be.
Stand out. Be different.
But I heard on the radio something that is more true. The devil is a lot like the story of Hansel and Gretel. We often feel lost in this big world of ours, not sure where to go and sometimes all that's left is a trail of bread crumbs. We're hungry and thirsty and been traveling for a very long time. It even seems like at times the breadcrumbs have been snatched up by the birds.
Out of the blue comes this enormous house made out of all the best stuff you can imagine! We're so hungry and we don't care! We run as fast as we can towards this place and jump in feet first and indulge in the goodness of it.
I mean, it looks good. It feels good. It tastes good. Then it must be good? But really there's an evil motive attached to this seemingly good thing. It was a ploy to trap you.
It is so true that we all have this hole in our being that only God can fill and we do just about anything to fill it with things that we think will make us feel good! And it may be good for a moment, but then the good is over and you're left with even more emptiness and now shame to boot.
What you did instead was move yourself further away from the one Thing that will fill that hole. But that's what the devil does right? He takes sin and packages it up to look good and we take the bait!
There are so many things that we do as Christians that invite bad, evil things into our lives. But we don't think something so "innocent" has any real power over us. But it does without you even realizing it!
Most of my life I was a huge fan of the horror genre. I wrote scary books, watched scary movies, read all the scary stuff I could soak up. It seems really innocent, right? It's just a movie? Fiction?
It wasn't. Now I'm not telling you to go and throw away all your movies that have "bad stuff" in it. But it was something I felt I needed to go. My pastor showed me a verse. Psalms 11:5-7. Essentially the verse says that God's soul hates those who loves violence.
I was shocked. Here I am, wondering where God is in my life, but really I filled my world up with ever appearance of evil imaginable. It was disguised as innocent fun, but it kept me away from the presence of God.
Truth is, people felt that evil presence in me. They knew there was something...off about me. And the night I chose to get rid of that evil, I was anointed with oil and prayed over. I felt something evil leave me. I'm not making any of this up.
Later that night I go to a bible study and someone who had felt this evil spirit in me (but didn't tell me about it) said that they felt something different in my demeanor. There was this presence of peace instead of anger. They felt it and didn't even know that I had given anything up. They weren't a close friend, but an acquaintance.
It was a real defining moment in my life. For the first time in all my life I have no desire to watch a horror movie or even celebrate Halloween. It used to be my favorite holiday, but I realized that it was a ritual to honor Samhein, who in truth is Death. Why would I want to celebrate death? I want to honor God with all that I am.
This isn't a guilt trip to anyone who wishes to celebrate Halloween. But it's just not for me anymore. I want to celebrate God and his light, not give any ground to the dark.
The devil in all his ways and tricks won't slap a sticker of a red devil with horns on things to make them look evil so you stay away from it. No, it's going to look good and pleasing and fun. You're going to want to partake. You may even think you need it to fill some desire in your heart.
But everything the devil does is counterfeit to God. You have true love and you have lust. They feel the same, don't they? They're not. One is designed by God. The other by Satan. The intention of love is wonderful. The intention of lust does no good. But they feel the same! You often don't know the difference.
"We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum." -A.W. Tozer
Don't try to compromise with the world. Don't give into the spirits of darkness that only wish to do you harm and destroy the light that is in you. The further you receded into the darkness, the harder it is to get out and the less of God is reflected from you. Then before you know it, you're not a representative of light. You're just like everyone else and that's not what you're meant to be.
Stand out. Be different.
