I’ve struggled for weeks now thinking through what to say—or what not to say.
There is so much division. So much hurt. So much wrong. Choice of words meant to support are criticized. Expressions meant to unite, divide. So. Many. Opinions. All of our filters are flawed, to some extent. My opinions don’t matter, neither do yours, unless they are aligned with God’s truth.
I do know one thing for sure: we have a problem as old as time. We might disagree on how to define it, we will surely argue about how to fix it, but in doing so, we forget the commonality that does exist. We have forgotten that the enemy is not each other. It’s the roaring lion who is walking around seeking whom he may devour. He has a plan, and it’s the destruction of our souls.
Satan is the great puppet master, and his hands have been mighty busy lately. He’s pulling our strings as he reaches his arms up through our empty souls. His hands move our mouths and hate spews out. Sometimes he holds our mouths tightly closed and nothing comes out.
Satan’s puppets look different than he does. That’s why we forget he’s the enemy. You might think the enemy looks like your neighbor who has chosen to stand in the streets. You might think the enemy looks like your co-worker afraid to speak. As long as we view each other as the enemy, Satan wins.
Satan knows how to divide hearts over a united cause. Satan wiggles his way into subtle spaces, caught up in the air. He hijacks words said with a good heart and right intentions, but once spoken, those same words land differently than intended. The great manipulator knows how to jumble those words and whispers them back in a way that is misconstrued. The thought of Satan taking what I meant for good and turning it into evil makes me sick. But it is exactly what he does.
He has long been a master of covert operations. Sometimes his operatives infiltrate sacred situations that should only belong to God. Sadly, it may be where he does his best work.
Satan is recruiting far and wide. He knows the value in numbers. His warehouses are full and he’s using as many as will allow him to. Let’s cut the strings and recognize those places within each of our hearts that need freedom from the power Satan can have in our lives. Even in the most noble of causes, he remains the clever deceiver and without due diligence, we’ll all be fooled.
Satan is behind every single evil that we see going on in this world. Let’s join together in recognizing the one responsible for it all. Let’s fiercely protect relationships. Let’s unite in seeing the good and in being the good. There is a right position to take in the midst of all the turmoil. It is to love what God loves. Hate what God hates. It’s that simple. It’s that hard.
I’m trying to make sure that God’s hands are the only ones that move me. I’m trying everyday not to give Satan a foothold. It’s hard work, but I’m convinced it’s hard work worth doing. I’m convinced that I can do better.
Not today Satan! Not today.
