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Sunday, August 29, 2010

The Devil Doesn't Care If You . . .

The devil doesn't care if you go to church. He's going to be there. He encourages lots of people to attend church. He wants those will gossip and destroy the unity of the church to be there every Sunday. He doesn't like genuine prayer meetings. He hates people who are humble and confessing to their Lord. He doesn't want these people to change the church he has created.

The devil doesn't care if you come into the worship service. He will be there too. He wants people who are more concerned about which songs are being sung than who the songs should be sung to. He loves songs which make people feel good but tell no gospel story, genuine praise of God or theology. He loves songs which can be sung without anyone's hearts being changed. Of course, that depends on whether the heart has been prepared for worship. He hates people coming prepared to worship. He hates it when people know that the whole worship service is about the Lord and not the air conditioning, the suit the preacher has on or the dress that the lady across the aisle is wearing.

The devil doesn't care if you go out to do evangelism. He loves prepackaged programs which get people to "witness" because they have been made to feel guilty. He loves to hear the prayers secretly whispered that hope that no one is home. He hates it when people pray for the lost. He hates it when they determine to love the person they will witness to. He hates it when they weep over the lost. He hates it when someone comes to know the Lord but he knows that the prepackaged evangelism programs have abysmal records.

The devil doesn't care if you read your Bible. He is a student of the Bible too. He has been using it to get God's people to do things since the beginning. He knows that many Christians decide what to do and look for a scripture to "confirm" their decision. He helps them find these scriptures. He hates it when the Christian prays for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the scriptures are read. He hates it when the Christian becomes convicted by the Spirit as the Spirit reads the Word to the true believer.

The devil doesn't care if you have fellowship with other Christians. He loves it when you "share" with each other. He loves it when this involves stories which hurt the other people. He loves it when you exclaim, "Its only the truth!" and believe that absolves you from the damage that you have done by "sharing." He hates it when Christians get together to challenge and encourage each other to live lives worthy of the Lord. He loves it when they overeat, gossip and tell off-color jokes.

You see, you can easily be a fine upstanding church member without the devil ever caring.

Wouldn't you rather be someone that makes the devil care?

John 12:31 (NIV)
31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

John 14:30 (NIV)
30  I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,

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