Waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of screams is almost never a good thing. Realizing once you are awake that the loud noise is emanating from inside your head only complicates the matter. You are disoriented by the reverberation of several voices shouting incoherently at once inside your ears. What is going on? Where is this shouting coming from? Am I dreaming?
Moments later the screams stop. A single billowing voice now brings everything into focus, “THERE IS NO GOD!” Then silence. Only the shadows of the room and the occasional tree branch blowing outside are left to comfort you. The fear wells up in your heart and you are paralyzed, as you feel the presence of evil right beside you.
This happened to me a couple weeks ago. Is the Devil real? You bet he is! And he knows our fears, he knows how to tempt us, he is the deceiver. But he does not have victory over this world and can not harm even a hair on your head without permission. He is used to draw God’s people closer to the love, the comfort, the sovereignty of our Creator.
It is very comforting to know that God’s plan for us involves every aspect of our lives. I was just recently reading Matthew 10:28-30, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” At that very moment I noticed one of my hairs had fallen onto my book. I blew it off and watched it float down the floor. As I watched, I realized that God loved me so much and was so involved in my life that He took notice of that hair and all the others that have found their way off my head.
I held on tightly to this comfort as the echo of “THERE IS NO GOD!” wrestled with my heart. But something else echoed in my mind, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Paul reveals the blessing that every Christian should hold onto here. That God’s sovereignty and love for His chosen people will always be working for our benefit. We may not see or understand the purpose at that moment, but His greater glory is accomplished through these events.
Several weeks ago I had a conversation with some friends about ghosts and demons and Satan. I told them that we should be bold in our faith so that we could look Satan directly in the eye and fear nothing; trusting in God’s unfailing love. When my heart was put to that test I gladly clung to the Cross and the victory of Jesus Christ.
Posted by price at August 9, 2005 01:35 PM | TrackBackJeff,
Are you trying to say that the Devil tried to convince you that there is no god?
That just doesn't seem to be in the Devil's best interest. I mean if the Devil were able to convince you that YHWH was just a myth, wouldn't that mean that he was a myth himself? Without God, how could the Devil exist? You see without God, there'd be no Devil.
I don't think that's what happened. I think you had a spark of reason. I mean think about it. "Without God, there'd be no Devil." Without the Devil to blame for life's woes, we might start to look for the real reason behind them. Hell, we might even learn to prevent some of them.
Winston Smith
www.cognitiverevolution.net
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free...
...it expects what never was and never will be.
Winston,
Admittedly, “a spark of reason” is not what I envisioned a non-believer’s response would be to this post. Also I was not blaming anyone for life’s woes, but was simply sharing a personal story.
Whether or not we agree on what is and is not in the Devil’s best interest would be a little off topic. But is all of creation ruled by a sovereign, loving God? Or is reason, cognition and human autonomy what allows us to exist? I think that would be more on point with the message you are attempting to convey.
Thanks for taking the time to read and interact with my story.
Posted by: Jeff Price at August 10, 2005 09:49 AMJeff,
I think that that Satan tries to distract us from contemplating Christ. If he can get our attention to focus on him, fear, or simply throw untruth torwards us than it forces us to deal with what he is tempting us with and not the person of Christ. This issue of spiritual warfare I feel is not really talked about in the church and indeed only after I was attacked did I start finally understand the dynamics of the whole process. You are absolutely right in that it forces us to draw near to God and that is a good thing.
Jeff,
I read a book once that talked about Satan's poisonous arrows and how he always attacks our weak spots...Not saying that your faith is weak (obviously not), but I think he tries to think of the arrow that would be the greatest fear he could throw your way and go for the jugular with it. What greater fear than a life without God? That would mean there is no one keeping the universe from a downward spiral of degeneration. It would mean there is no one who can work in the hearts of people to kill selfishness and greed and encourage love to grow in its place. There would not even be a good or bad or true or false. Without God in my life I would be lost. There is nothing good in me apart from Him. So I'm sure that if Satan could for one minute plant a seed that God does not exist or is not involved, he would jump at the opportunity.
When I was little, I used to always be afraid of having unknowingly committed some unpardonable sin. One night when I had some dream to this effect, my mother showed me John 14:1 to help comfort me. It says, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me." I think that this is the way I can face any fear that Satan tries to send my way...by having faith that the world, my life, and everything else is part of something bigger and greater than me. This grace doesn't free us from responsibility, it gives us the ability to reach even higher and achieve even more because of the power of Christ within us. Jesus gives me both the desire and the ability to do more than I could ever do on my own. Thanks for that reminder.