What came with these? Peace? In the end yes... But during? No way! Blood. Man slaughter. Brothers killing brothers. Families torn apart. Complete and utter destruction.In World War I submarines were used for the first time. An army could now attack and destroy a whole fleet without anyone knowing that the enemy was there until they were dead.
Not one person I know will deny the occourance of any of these... So why do people have such a hard time acknowledging the slaughter of our souls?
The battle for our souls is just as real, if not more so. This is not a game. People are dying out there and so often we are too blind to see it. Soul slaughter. People's souls are literally dying. The have no purpose to their life. Families are being torn apart. Heart are breaking. There is a void.
But the problem is that so many people view this battle as a joke, a cartoon, somthing to laugh at. Satan is just a figment of your imagination. There is no real danger. When people picture evil and Satan they get all these fake images. You know the ones I'm talking about. A red, pitchfork bearing, cartoon demon with horns and a silly grin.
That's not true. That's just what Satan wants you to think because either #1 you stop believing in him or #2 you stop taking him seriously. That is a grevious mistake.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)
He is planning, plotting, scheming at this very moment to take you down and it's no joke, no game, no stroll in the park. Not even Michael, God's strongest angel, would pick a fight with Satan (Proof of this is in the Bible.). So if God's head angel doesn't even have power over Satan, what does that say about our need to take him seriously? It says that we'd be stupid not to!
One person described it this way. "According to Ezekiel 28, Satan is the most powerful and beautiful angel ever created. Think about that for a minute...and according to that same chapter, after he got kicked out of heaven for trying to lead a rebellion against God (never a good idea, by the way) - he apparently kept his power and beauty. Nowhere in the Bible do we read verses like: 'and after Satan fell from heaven, he turned really red from embarrassment and sprouted horns. And the only thing God let him keep was his trusty pitchfork...'"
Even if you do believe in Satan and his power we often miss it because we look for him in forms of evil when often he can creep in it the good and pure things. Like your best friends. Like television and movies. Like the internet. Like a self-righteous attitude. Like a lot of things you never considered before.
Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:13)
Get it? That means that Satan is WAY too good at making himself appear to be something that he's not. He puts on his holy angel costume and then uses that to bring you down. That means that if you came face to face with him today, he could very easily make you believe that he is one of God's very own angels sent down just for you to _______ (you fill in the blank). That's a scary thought.
Here's the way one friend described her thoughts of evil and Satan. "A black presence, not really defined... Darkness... Attacking... Yelling.. I feel fear, not like I'm afraid though. This fear is different. It's like I can't stop it. Almost like it's not mine..."
"And of course, there are roadblocks and detours that try to slow us down or get us to drop out of this amazing race completely. They don't come from God, however, and here is where the competition comes into play. We are not competing with each others as believers - rather we are in competition with ourselves. It is abundantly clear to me that we are most often our worst enemy when it comes to serving Jesus.
We let discouragement and lack of faith detour us and get us off course. We let sin and rebellion roadblock our progress and trip us up so we start to fall behind. And if we aren't careful - we may end up getting the wrong idea about the race and dropping out."
You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn't God, for he is the one who called you to freedom (Galatians 5:7-8).
So what? Now what do we do? So Satan is really real and He's out to get us, and he's really good at it. We're in serious trouble.
We do the only thing we can.
"When life knocks you down remember that you're in the perfect position to pray."
And, when we ask Him, He WILL help us! He is with you-ALWAYS. Even when you don't feel Him, He is there. I'm learning this right now. He promises to never leave you (Deuteronomy 31:6, Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5), and He never breaks His promises and never changes.
When I asked my friend how she could still trust that things would work out she said "Well, it's not me exactly. I don't know...I trust God and I know he will win. When I have have fear I take it to Him. I know it'll all work out."
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6:10-13)
City lights are flashing, they call you to the streets.
Hearts are filled with passion in everyone you meet.
The Boulevard is waiting, it wants to get you high
Neon signs are waiting to sell you anything you want to buy
But I know your devices, it shouldn't seem so odd
You lied from the beginning, I see through your facade
(Chorus)
Angel of light, I see you glow in the night
But you only bring darkness to my soul
Angel of light, You're telling me wrong is right
I won't let you're evil take control
They follow in your footsteps not knowing that you fell
Bumper to bumper on the freeway to hell
You lead them into wrong and you make it look so right
You lead them into darkness and make them think you lead them into light
But I know where you're going, too bad you're not alone
If it wasn't for the real light I might have never known
You've got politicians everywhere listening to what you say
You've got false apostles teaching lies perverting the only way
You've got principalities and powers waiting to obey
You've got philosophies and vain deceipts lying to deceive
You've got hate, and greed, ungodly lusts in the deadly web you weave
Somehow you've got so many thinking you're not even there
One look is all it takes to get them blinded by your glare
"Angel Of Light" by Bob Hartman
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