The bad guys

I wonder sometimes if we realize that we have a very real enemy. And it’s not a political party, or a church denomination. If we knew when we were letting the devil’s words come out of our sweet mouths, would we stop talking?


I tend to be pretty black and white, but, there are things I simply do not know. So usually, I choose to remain silent. I mean when it comes to ancillary topics, truly the only belief that I hold closely to my heart is Christ crucified and risen again and that He did it to save me. 


I think I’ll use a game to make my point. Your kids probably play this: Among Us. It is a hoot. You play a character on a spaceship and there is one, ore more, ‘Imposter’ who goes around killing people and sabotaging.


I am scarily good at playing the bad guy role. There is a component of voting where you get to say who you think the imposter is. Now when I am a crewmate, or a good guy, I hardly ever vote anyone off. The goal to win is to finish your tasks and the more dead people only help the imposter. But. When I am the bad guy. I vote anyone and everyone.

 

There is a strategy to being a good bad guy. One of the best is to get the good to turn on each other. This revelation has me wondering if the devil doesn’t use this tactic far more than we could possibly know. Another strategy is to lay in wait for unsuspecting victims in certain key areas. 


Here’s the thing. The devil is not smart. He is like that bad boss I have had more than I feel is my fair share of: the guy who thinks he is the smartest one in the room but is actually the dumbest. 


He is also the opposite of creative. He copies. Like a snot-nosed kid that is literally drawing the kid’s picture next to him, badly I might add, for there is not a creative bone (or tendril? Who cares?) in his wicked body. He copies the Creator. He uses the good things that God has made and twists and distorts them. 


He is also not omniscient. Beth Moore once taught that the devil has to be ready each generation with his troops of bad guys, and with an antichrist, to pounce for when it is the end times. Cause he has no idea ‘when.’


Going back to the game analogy, a ‘win’ for the imposter (bad guy) is a ‘loss’ for the good ones. There is also the vice versa to this. The good guys can do ‘tasks.’ I realize I am on shaky ground here, so don’t read this and only get that I’m telling you to do good works but- do good works! 


Just do the good work. Keep praying. Keep serving. Keep visiting widows. Do the work and try to ignore the noise and nonsense. Cause here’s the thing. You might be convinced you are yelling at the devil when you are actually yelling at just a brother or sister. And it may even be that the brother or sister is being used by the devil. So? 


I am serious. So what? You know what you do if you think that is happening? You just pray. That’s it. You don’t rebuke. You pray. 


Cause here’s the thing, what if you are wrong? What if it is you that is speaking for the devil? Wouldn’t it be better to say nothing and simply pray? I’m not saying to stay silent if it is clear that God wants you to speak. 


Sometimes He calls us to say something, but here’s the thing, the majority of time, it is to say words of love.

Bottom line: love deeply, do justly, and walk humbly with your God. If you are in doubt, just pray. Stay quiet, and pray. Pray in love.

Comments

ceciliabrie said…
Have you listened to Thomas Cogdell’s teaching on the limits of unity? I recommend it. I think you would find some helpful/encouraging support for some of your conclusions here 🙂 Thanks for the way you laid this out. I do wonder about how crafty or simple-minded Satan is…Would love to dig in more on that with you (or does it matter? I don’t know. Not saying I want to study him, you just described S in a way I wouldn’t have, so I’m examining my own belief there)…♥️♥️♥️
October 17, 2022 at 7:38 AM
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