Knowing Thy Enemy

Roll your eyes if you want to, but I believe Satan is real and likes nothing better than destroying peoples’ lives. While he’s not omniscient and can’t be in two places at the same time, Genesis tells us the he’s got lots of friends around to help him.

With friends like that, who needs an enemy?

The enemy can’t read our minds but he surely knows our nature, our weaknesses and where we’re most vulnerable. And if it seems temptations and distractions aren’t getting the job done he’s got plenty more tricks in his devil-ditty … proven techniques like suspicion, doubt, crushed expectations … and tools like jealousy and anger … that arrive in emotional packages so carefully disguised we don’t always recognize the old man was the sender.

Take gift boxes like frustration and disappointment, for example.

When we don’t get exactly what we want when we want it, especially when we’ve been praying long and hard for it, we’re inclined to wrench our hands and groan, “God, why are you ignoring me?” In extreme situations, not getting the thing we think we deserve we might even lead us to question whether God even exists.

We end up feeling frustrated, and get angry because the creator’s not stepping up to our plate and slugging away to knock one out of the park for the Me Team.

But I’m thinking God gets much more disappointed, frustrated and angry than we can imagine. Like, infinitely more. What makes me say that?

Seeing your son crucified, willfully dying an agonizing death to destroy sin, and then raising him from death to prove his promise was kept only to watch believers tolerate, skip and dance around sin, pretending it ain’t no thang for 2000 years, instead of embracing the realization that if he can raise Christ from the grave then surely God can stomp the sin … any sin … from our lives without breaking a sweat.

Might explain why God hates sin so much … especially when we hide it deep down inside, thinking no one will know, and refuse to let go.

I think about how things would be different today if Christ had come to earth, taken a look around and decided to become a politician instead of our Savior. If he’d focused on running for office instead of running the universe.

If he had taught his followers to Get Out the Vote, debated the Romans about spear control, argued with the high priests about lowering temple taxes, made signs to protest the neighborhood idol shop, wrote news-scrolls urging believers to boycott pig farmers, or instructed the disciples to build new walls to keep the Gentiles out.

Or blogged about social security … and overlooked our eternal security.

But then Christ never had any doubts that only the gospel can matter most.