You Are a Master of Sabotage

One of the books I am reading right now is Mere Christianity.  One of my senior guys and I am reading it together.  It's written by C. S. Lewis, the guy who is famous now for "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" series.  He's amazing.

In the book, he is laying out an explanation for why Jesus is the best answer, in a logical, rational, scientific discussion.  But, Lewis is funny, sarcastic, and humorous as he does it, so it's a great read for anyone.

On page 51, he says this: "Enemy-occupied territory-that is the what the world is.  Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.  When you go to church you are really listening in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent you from going."

Lewis goes on to talk about how Satan spends a ton of time and effort trying to convince us that 1) he doesn't exist 2) we are just fine like we are 3) we don't need each other.  I LOVE this picture of an invasion taking place.  As you follow Jesus, you are taking part in a war of sabotage against His enemy.

Be brave today.  Be fearless.  Fight hard.  The battle is won, but we still have work to do.


If you want more C.S. Lewis, there are mulitiple ways to read his writing.  There is a blog that simply posts some of his stuff everyday.  You can find it at http://merecslewis.blogspot.com/

Chess Pieces, Water Pistols, and the Keys to Hell

This morning I've been spending some time with a friend talking about spiritual attacks, and how it affects our ministries and families.  There are definitely some things I've learned over the years about how Satan comes after us, and I was reminded of them this morning.

1. It's not really about us. - Satan only wants to hurt God.  They are having the battle; we are in the middle.  We're just chess pieces in his battle with God.  We are not Satan's ultimate goal.  He can't defeat God in battle (already tried and lost.)  He can't kill God (already tried and lost.)  He can only hurt God through His kids.  So, he comes after us to get to God.  If we simply obey God in the middle of the attack, then Satan will go 0 for 3.

2. It's gonna happen. - God allows us to be under attack, so that we can rely on Him, and clearly point people to Him.  If God doesn't allow Satan to attack us, we won't grow.  So where Satan only uses us to get to God; God uses Satan to get us to Him.  It's a risky thing on God's side, but He loves us enough to run the risk.  So, attack is a normal part of growth as a Christian.

3. No water pistols. - I grew up in a culture that loved to talk about our battle we have to fight.  Phrases like "taking on Hell with a water pistol in Jesus name" were thrown around a lot.  We don't have to attack anything.  God tells us that when we've done all we can to prepare, then stand.  We don't need to attack Satan or Hell.  Jesus did on the cross, and when He left Hell, He took the keys with Him.  Satan can't even lock his own doors anymore, Jesus holds the keys.  So, we don't need to be all Rambo on the offensive.  God's won.  Trust Him, obey Him, wait for Him to save the day, be faithful and stand.  Pretty simple.

4. No fear. - God does not use fear to motivate us.  Only Satan does.  So any fears of "what if...." are not from God.  He has the battle won.  We have nothing to fear as long as we obey what He wants.

Are there any others you would add?  Anything you would disagree with?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

So, What's the Plan?

I need God to help me out. Okay, that's not true. I need to listen to what God has known for billions of years. Yeah, that's much more like it.

I am overwhelmed with the needs of families in our community, and how it plays out in their teenagers lives. It's the old feeling of fighting the oncoming flood with nothing more than an umbrella. I feel outmatched, out powered, under equipped, and under resourced. So, I want to turn away from it.

There is so much brokenness, abuse, hurt, anger, hatred, and dispair in people. I've had six suicide threats in the last three weeks. What can I do? What can we do? We're just a church, how can we fix all of society?

Honestly, that's how I feel. That's what I think.

But even as I write this, I am reminded that the battle isn't against other people. It's against powers and spirits and Satan's forces. It is. They are the ones that need beaten back. People need rescued. I can't heal them. But I can fight for them. So, today, I am praying for God to give me the pieces of the Plan that He has. I'm going to seek for them even more this week. What will it hold? I don't know. But He does. That's more than enough.

Pray with me. Pray for the families in our town. Pray for other people to be drawn to His plan. I know there are already dozens working it out. I just need to figure out my role. You need to figure out yours. He is the one who has to solve the problems. We just have to follow.