By Bill Wattenbarger
In Part 1 we were reminded that the Evil One is objectively real; he is a person. He seeks to break all fellowship between God and man. He does this with misdirection; these are the “lies” he is famous for. He is smart, strategic, powerful and above all, perverse, calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). When we adopt these lies, we sin. In this article we seek a better recognition of when this is happening.
The Enemy’s first lie is that evil only refers to major, horrific events like war, natural disaster, criminal assault, grave illness, marked disability, etc. Of course, tragedies happen and grievous losses do come. When they do, counseling is in order. We are to grieve with those who grieve. A mournful attitude is a beatitude. We need to carry one another when we are broken. When we do, we move outside ourselves, affirm the value of those who are hurting, and glorify the God who rescues. Our little troubles will still be there when we get home.
But trauma and grief are neither sin nor subtle. Focusing only on trauma diverts us from the hidden seduction of the Evil One, temptation, which is inevitably accompanied by that famous bodyguard of lies. Unseen, God’s Enemy becomes our enemy.
Recall the Lord’s prayer, “lead us not into temptation,” not that He would. The impetus here is that we are temptable, and we need the Father’s help to steer clear. On the other side of temptation is the Evil One, and God alone can deliver us. Satan prefers subtlety and secrecy. He likes to work from behind a blind, in darkness. He wants us to think we are thinking for ourselves. In Ephesians (6:11) Paul the Apostle calls him “wily,” (crafty, scheming, tricky, slick).
How might the enemies tempt us? Start with our ignorance, selfishness and defensiveness. We are easily confused, insecure, proud, lazy, impulsive and spoiled. Then there is our fear, hatred and anger. We can be stubborn and vengeful. We don’t always say what we mean to say, or hear what others are trying to say. Sometimes we intend to deceive! We don’t need a devil to lie.
Our greatest vulnerability is fault-finding, which includes, blaming. Given our myriad foibles and frailties, we are quick to recognize error in others first. “Judge not lest …” is masterful simplicity! Human judgments from demonic lies probably account for most broken relationships. The extent to which we might plead innocence is tenuous at best. We are temporal beings with limited preparation for virtue. We are easily outmatched and readily befuddled by any would-be lying tempter. All things considered, perversion is not such a hard sell, and Satan is selling.
Now, I must ask you, dear reader, to forego the many questions about how this is even possible. Suffice it to say that Satan and his minions (the demons) have their ways. The teasers below, by no means exhaustive, are the fuel for the fault-fires. Through these influencers come the distortions which corrupt our judgments.
Consider:
- Jargon. Propaganda. Words represent meanings. Together they can be made to sound reasonable when they aren’t. We might fudge and call this “misunderstanding.” How do we know? Well, sometimes we don’t. Too often, we don’t even ask. We like sounding smart. Surely, we should be reasonable, right? Even the word “reason” gets twisted. The devils love twisted meanings, and they will use them.
- Legalism. Ritualism. All institutions, including marriage, family, and even Church, require definition, structure, rules, values, by-laws and mission statements. We want/need to belong, and we must conform or be left out. Rules and ritual can be good, and they can be very demanding. Even we Christians are supposed to do right things in the right ways. It is a big job to live up to these new expectations deposited upon the saved. It can be exhausting. A friend coined the diagnostic category “Christian Performance Anxiety” meaning that once we are relieved of damnation, we may find ourselves condemned by all the new “Christian” practices. Whoever said legalism was dead? The devils are great organizers.
- Diversity. Individuality. We’re all different and our differences can make us targets. Persons unlike us may find us difficult to understand or accept. We may feel the same way about them. Once we have an idea of how people should be, we may become unaccepting or even seek to re-shape them in our own image. “Identity” groups emerge. Shall we stand proud? Cover up? Pretend? Negotiate? Forbear? Cultural and social customs are inevitable and a great source of confusion. Demons can make extensive use of peer pressure and prejudice to manipulate and intimidate.
- Uncertainty. Worry. Anxiety is fearful anticipation of what might happen next. That could mean almost anything. We can hardly manage our own dread and uncertainty, much less others’ fretting? Should we try to help? Maybe they don’t want us involved. Should we respect their privacy? Do we have any good advice to offer? Perhaps they are too desperate, embarrassed or afraid to ask. We might be oblivious to their need and probably don’t have time for it anyway. The devils want to freeze us in place.
- Acquisition. Achievement. This world makes its demands and has its rewards, like marriage, family and career, but is that all there is? God loves this world enough to give His son. There are so many good causes and crusades for us to choose from.
Who doesn’t want notice for jobs and services well done? Worldly commitments and responsibilities, even good ones, can just take over sometimes. Which are worthy? Grudging? How much is too much? The devils “love” it when we focus on our affluence, accomplishments and awards. It makes deception easy.
- Conformity. Complacency. Life just isn’t steady. With all the emotional and motivational tides in and out, can we commit? Is life just one phase or fad after another? Which ones are true? False? I don’t want to seem odd or judgmental. Even notions about virtue and vice vary these days; values have become variables. As they say, “when in Rome …” Should I resist the tides or just go along to get along? The devils encourage this. It impedes our advances toward the Father.
- Vanity. Identity. I am who I am, what I am. I can do as I please, at least that’s what I hear. Is my worth as fluid as my identity is? Then who am I really? Should I even care? Should I be possessive of it? Dismissive? Self-righteous? Self-effacing? Am I a hypocrite, pretending or even believing I am one thing when I am really another? In hell, hypocrisy ranks with blasphemy. The devils will have a heyday with that.
- Humor. Ridicule. Life’s “funny.” Ha! Do I laugh for joy, or to hide and make fun? Humor can relieve stress, break ice, deflect embarrassment and even embarrass. Who pays? Laughter can accompany praise and thanksgiving, or it can deride and ostracize. Should I compromise and laugh at a cruel joke, call it out or just stand by? Maybe I should be more careful with my jokes? The Father loves hearty laughter. The devils “love” a “good joke.” Beware of the joker.
- Trivialization. Exaggeration. Do I care too much about the wrong things? Do I know what really matters? Am I dismissive, or absent, when it counts? Sometimes we catastrophize, over-estimating consequences. Do I have my priorities straight? Do I know what is important to others? The road to Hell is littered with bad judgment.
- Past. Present. Future. We’ve all heard it, “the past is history, the future is a mystery, and the present is a gift.” One might also say the past is memory, the future is fantasy, and the present is the time for action. We can call upon the past to explain or excuse the choices which led to the mess we’re in, but nothing is changed. We can hope and dream, and then wait. It is faith, active in the present, that works (James 2:18-26) and gives substance to hopes and dreams (Hebrews 11:1). When we don’t know what to do with the present, the devils do.
- Sensuality. Impulsivity. The lusts of the flesh: Promiscuity or chastity? Daily bread or gluttony? Seduction or modesty? Preservation or exploitation? One thing’s for sure, sex and sensuality make big bucks, and corrupt true love. The devils understand that our impulsivity is irrational. There are consequences, but they come later. So many compromises are made before we “realize” it. It’s visceral. The devils “love” that, and they know exactly what to do with it.
- Naiveté. Novelty. Can truth change and still be true? So much of our lives is fad and fashion. Even our opinions. Interestingly, it has been observed that we rail most against what we have already disavowed! The cautious criticize enthusiasm, the self-indulgent criticize sobriety, an abuser criticizes puritanism, the idle criticize respectability, tyrants criticize liberty. The values in pop culture are novel and ill-informed. This obeisance to popular philosophy and art undermines the very notion of immutable truth. The devils love popular culture. It does the lying for them.
- History. Tradition. Philosophy. Open-mindedness is next to godliness, we are told. Do fad and fashion (#12) apply to our pursuit for Truth? Must Jesus be conformed to modern ideas, historical interpretation or social evolution? Does the Bible require scholarship to interpret? Devils are masters of disguise and they know how to transmute absolute Truth into relative truth. And they do.
Perhaps the biggest lie of all is the idea that all this confusion is man made. These are a sampling of the battlegrounds on which the Spiritual War is fought. To remove Evil from the equation makes Christ a liar and leaves us helpless against the chaos and torment of God’s Enemy.
Being tempted is easy when you’re lost. It is this reality that impels the Christian to get counsel. Whatever knowledge of Good and Evil we were supposed to have gained in the Garden isn’t helping. In the last article of this series, we will turn our attention to the ways of Christian counsel, a.k.a. spiritual warfare.