It is said that Satan called a worldwide convention; and in his opening address to all his evil angels, he said, We can’t keep the real Christians from going to church services. We can’t keep them from reading their bibles and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep them from holding godly values. But we can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding fellowship with Jesus. This is most critical for our cause, for if they have intimate, abiding fellowship with Jesus, then we can have no power over them, and no chance of gaining strongholds in their lives. Therefore, my evil comrades, this is what I want you to do – DISTRACT THEM!
But how shall we do this? Questioned one of his demons.
Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life! Satan replied. Invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds. Tempt them to spend, spend, spend and to borrow, borrow, borrow! Convince them to work 6 and 7 days a week with both husbands and wives working 10-12 hours per day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. Let television, video games, iPads, and movies baby- sit their children. By these tactics alone, we will fragment their families. Over stimulate their minds with high energy sounds and entertainment so that they cannot hear the still small voice of our dread enemy, the Holy Spirit. Entice them to listen to music and to watch programs, even many of the religious ones, which will jam their minds with our agenda and our philosophies. Flood their schedules with every kind of sports activity you can imagine. They are especially gullible to these kinds of tactics, since there is ‘nothing wrong with them’!
Fill them with dread by pounding their minds with news and weather reports 24 hours a day. Flood their mail and email boxes with “stuff”; and have them pass trivia to and fro to one another. Fill their minds with incredible amounts of sports trivia. You see, my dark friends, we shall JAM THEIR MINDS AND KEEP THEM FROM COMMUNION WITH CHRIST!
In their recreation, entice them to be excessive. Fill church calendars with sports and recreation. Exhaust them, so that they will be too tired for serious bible study and prayer. Exhaust them so that they will have no time for hospitality. Exhaust them so that they will have no heart for ministry to the lost. Our plan will cause them to forget that the lost are lost! Keep them going to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies; keep them consumed with the cares of this life! And when they do meet, instead of spiritual fellowship, have them involved in gossip and small talk, Facebook, and on-line games.
And don’t forget to crowd their lives with causes and events that are ‘good and acceptable.’ Again, our strategy is to so exhaust them that they have no time to feed their souls, or to cultivate love for our dread enemy, Christ. Thus, they will have no spiritual power over temptations, over habits, over wrong attitudes and so much more. They will have less and less discernment as to what is true and what is false, as to what is good, and what is evil. They will not even suspect us!
Well, as you can tell, it was quite a convention! And the demons went eagerly to their assignments. Can we judge the success of their convention? I believe so. Many verses come to mind, but Colossians 3:2 is front and center – Set your minds on things above and not on earthly things.
As I am asking myself, you may want to prayerfully answer the following questions:
Am I busy, busy, busy? Exhausted? Running to and fro? Do I have knowledge about many things, but have precious little time to be WITH Jesus? Are my prayer times more relational, or activity centered? Am I losing my grip on peace and holiness and love and purity and forgiveness, and have less and less time for my heart? Do I wake up thinking about sports, the news, or things other than Jesus?
PATRICK LAI and his family have worked in SE Asia for over 37 years. His experience in doing business with Jesus has brought him to understand the meaning of work and worship in the marketplace. He started 14 businesses in four countries, six of which are still operating. Patrick and his wife, May, mentor and coach businesspeople working where there are few or no Christians. Check out Patrick’s latest book, Workship, now available in paperback and e-book.