October 31, 2006

Darkness

“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know who is true.” 1 John 5:19:20

In the book of John, Jesus calls the Devil the original murderer and tells the Pharisees that when Satan lies, he is speaking his native language, as he is the ultimate perpetrator and king of deception.

We started a new five-part series at church this week called “Twisted,” and on Sunday Andy Stanley told us that while it is sometimes hard to fathom, there is an unseen, invisible world that daily impacts the visible world. There are agents at work – whether you want to think of them as emotions or corporeal demons – whose primary goal is to twist the truth. Andy admitted that it’s hard to comprehend sometimes, but that he leans heavy on the Bible, because there is a lot that is hard to comprehend. And where else can you look but to what you know is true?

The Devil wants to destroy everything we hold dear: our relationships, our families, our friendships, even our bodies. His tool is deception and his desired result is destruction.

If you’re resistant to the idea of God, I assume you’re even more resident to the idea of a Devil. But our entire word provides evidence of both. It’s ying and yang. Dark and Light. A world without Evil would be a world where gunmen don’t break into schools with the intent to kill. Where terrorists don’t scheme – sometimes for years – to destroy. A world without Evil would be a world where the Holocaust never happened. How else do you explain systematic, intentional intended eradication of an entire people group? Without Evil, there is no Hotel Rwanda. (Which is also to say, without dark, how would you recognize the Light?)

I have no doubt the Devil lurks. He almost had me – it’s only through Grace that I escaped.

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.

Posted by hannah at 02:15 PM