satan always out to kill joy...

So I have to relate a story that really happened to me, because it seems clear to me that satan was out to kill my joy.

This past Sunday, I had some really good time in the Word before church. On top of that, I was coming off a retreat where I was really encouraged at the evidence of community and the power of the Lord and His ability to work powerfully through community to bring about His greater glory here in our corrupt and broken world.

You could say I was riding on a "spiritual" high. No drugs needed. Just Jesus.

I was riding my bike to church, and a block away from my house I turn right to go up a hill. A black truck turns onto the road behind me. Now, the driver, a male, has the whole street to pass me, and I'm riding close to the curb, out of the way. The truck slows down behind me, like I'm impeding its progress (he still has the whole street and an open lane)...after a few seconds, he roars ahead of me, slows down to cut me off, rolls the window down and yells "get on the god$*#$ sidewalk you motherfu*(#$".

I don't think he was talking to my bike. I was surprised at the random outburst, but wasn't really affected. My mind was on the earlier solid time with the Lord that morning and in that moment, I prayed for the guy in the truck.

I kid you not, not but 2 minutes later, I ride up to a major intersection, pull off on to the curb so I'm completely out of the road, and this time, a gold truck pulls up fast to the intersection, rolls its window down and yells "get on the $*$% sidewalk you idiot". Then quickly turns the corner and starts to speed off.

This time I quickly got enraged. I'm going to admit, not the right reaction. I was a little dumbfounded at how uncoincidental these two trucks with angry men yelling at me to get on the sidewalk were so close together in time (when riding your bike on sidewalks is against the law in most cities).
In my quick enrage, I flipped this truck guy the bird, and he was quick to flip it back. I was also gearing up to yell something to challenge him to come back and get out of his truck and I would get off my bike and then we'll see who would be up on the sidewalk, crying for momma. But I didn't.

I don't think these men were inherently evil, but I have to wonder about satan's ability to bring about evil through different means. My reaction in anger to the second guy wasn't right. Call me crazy, but after the fact, as I kept riding on to church, I was struck at how aggresive and timely these biker-hate events took place immediately after some solid intimate time with the Lord.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 NASB)

After I arrived, church was great, the teaching was very solid and worship was fulfilling. But I couldn't help but think for the rest of the day, and how clear it was to me that satan is tireless, quite crafty, and will use any means necessary to distract or try to destroy any joy or intimacy, any at all, that arises between the Lord and me.

evil in the world: old, but regular news

The reality of things is that there is much evil in the world. This is nothing new really. A quick look to our history textbooks, and I'm going to guesstimate that 75% of the content deals with some sort of evil. History textbooks don't tend to report the good happy times. They report wars and revolutions and crisises.

Evil is both wide and deep. Evil occurs in every nation, city, household, and the depth of evil can be seen in multiple situations. Just look at any news media, tv or internet news. Our senses are infiltrated with knowledge of evil again, and again, and again.

I'm kind of wondering why news outlets like to stick to reporting mostly evil things and events. It's not all bad, but the majority of focus is spent reporting on child molestors, murders, rapes, wars, fires, sicknesses, depressions, relationships gone bad (personal and business ones), greed...the list goes on and on and on.

A possible answer to that question might be that it's probably related to another evil - greed...those news "suppliers" want to make a profit and the best way to do that is ratchet up the stories that portray evil and abuse and heartbreak.

Why is it that evil continues to "get us"? Why do we continue to pay attention to the high volume of it that's out there. Yes, there's a lot of it out there, but why haven't news "suppliers" changed the substance of what they report? We continue to pay attention to evil, time and time again, I think for one principal reason.

Deep down, in the intricate fabric of every human being, we know that hearing or seeing or experiencing evil -- there's something wrong with that. It makes our ears perk up and our eyes grow wider when we read of evil or hear about it. The inner places of our hearts recognize that's not the way it should be, and so we pay attention to evil event A because we are intrigued as to why something went wrong where it shouldn't have.

Over the past couple of adys, I've been struck by how much evil is in our world. I think we often de-sensitize ourselves to the volume and intensity of evil in our world, probably so we can continue functioning as human beings without being overwhelmed...but I've been somewhat undoing the de-sensitizing, and it's really awful to try and grasp the magnitude of evil in our world (I know I really am not coming close).

In the face of understanding evil a bit more, I'm so thankful I can trust a promise from Jesus the Great Savior: "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NASB)

he would have it so

Apparently, people are showing by some numbers somewhere that satan seems to be gaining ground. I say gaining ground because the belief in his existence as a being is declining, as a study statistically shows. Now, that may sound paradoxical in nature, but re-read that carefully and think of what satan wants to do.

Now, any statistical study can be skewed in many ways. You always have to interpret data and numbers with a grain of salt. So this data may not apply or be true for the entire US or the entire set of "Christians" in America. I'm posting this because I think it's something to be aware about and think about.

This study is published on a website of "a multi-faith group", but the study was done mostly by the Barna research group, which does have Christian affliations. I provide this link to this "multi-fath" group because they offer some interesting interpretations of the data, and note this is done by people who are not necessarily Christ followers. It's here:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_sat4.htm

Two observations strike me most:

a) In looking at the chart comparing belief in satan in varying countries around the world, I think it's interesting to think of the current state of faith in those countries that lack any significant belief in satan. Most of the countries that lack really any belief in satan are virtually bone-dry, faith wise. Regarding this, there is a strong correlation with more than one country profiled in the chart. I know saying these countries are bone dry faith wise is a generalization, but I feel strongly that a statistical study could be done to prove this. This data did come from 1991, so there's also a good chance that things have changed. I hope so, I hope more people are believing in satan's existence as a being.

b) The percentage of people believing in satan's existence as a being in the USA has been declining in the period from 1991-2007. Has our society been declining in the same time frame? Are there any correlations? It could be argued, well, "hell, no! the 1990s and 2000s were some of the most prosperous times the USA has ever seen, with the advent of free trade, revolutionizing technologies, the computer, facebook, and the like!! You're crazy!"

Yes, I'll admit that I'm crazy. But I'm crazy because I'm trying to follow Jesus. That's a discussion for another post however.

In pursuing God and desiring to serve Him and bring Him glory in every way, as individuals and collectively as a nation, is there something we're missing? This doesn't necessarily apply to non-Christians, but to Christians, does not believing, or forgetting that satan is living and active, wanting to destroy, does that cause us to be more complacent in our walk with Jesus?

I think these numbers that offer a stronger "proof" if you will, I guess if that's what numbers in a chart from a scientific study do, are something to really be aware of.

If we are not aware of an enemy who is constantly coming at as, trying to attack, kill, and destroy, or don't believe one exists, then we have no reason to try to put up any defenses. Nor do we have any reason to flee for shelter.

I believe one of satan's most cunning tactics is to make people believe he doesn't exist.

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV)