Thursday; July 5

Have you ever heard the phrase, “the attack on the church” or “an attack on Christians”?  Often, this phrase is used when someone believes that believers are being unfairly treated and feels like we are being attacked.  In my experience, the most often cited offenders of this perceived process are the government, the media or society but are they really the ones attacking God’s people?  Sure, these entities can make scathing remarks about Christians and they can put pressure on us to give up or give in, but have we ever given much thought to who is really behind it?  The answer is satan!  Since we can’t see satan I believe that it is easy to blame these other entities, but we have to remember the real culprit.  He is the general in the war on religion.  He may hide behind the cloak of a tyrant or a media mogul, but he is responsible for evil. 
This observation should not surprise any of us.  The Christian movement has been aware of this from the beginning when we were warned, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8), but I am not sure we take satan’s presence as seriously as we should.  We diminish our fear of him by making him to be a caricature of himself (and even paint him as some loveable oaf).  We fall for his spiritual sleight of hand that takes our attention away from his mastery over the world and places the blame on some temporary leader, agency or company.  He tempts us to lose sight of his absolute evil by demonizing others.
Let’s be aware of the devil’s power and presence.  We can win the battle, but we must be vigilant in focusing on the true evil (one).
Think About It!

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