Ephesians 4:27, Neither give place to the devil.
In my book Satan’s Toolbox, I wrote about the methods that Satan uses to attack God’s people. I used many different characters in the Bible and showed how Satan used them to attack God’s people. I also wrote how we must arm ourselves against these attacks.
Hidden beneath the surface of these lessons is another important truth of which Christians should be aware. What if, rather than being a victim of Satan’s attack, you became the next puppet he used to attack a child of God? For example:
- Did Shimei ever envision that he would forever be remembered as the man who threw stones at David, the man after God’s own heart?
- Did Ahithophel have any idea that one day he would be forgotten as the friend he had been to David and remembered as the betrayer?
- Did Joseph’s brothers anticipate that God would use them, not for the good they did but for the evil they attempted to do towards their brother?
- When Satan attacked Job, do you think his three friends thought that they would become an asset in the attack Satan had launched against the man God had praised?
- Could Absalom have ever anticipated losing his own life when he began his rebellion against his father?
- When Judas became a disciple of Christ, could he already have had his eyes on betraying Christ in exchange for 30 pieces of silver? Would he ever dreamed that he would hang himself in grief afterwards?
Certainly some of Satan’s puppets are evil people. Some of them started off with the intention of hurting faithful servants of Christ. However, many if not most began as admirers and even followers of Christ. Some were members of churches while others were even pastors. Some would have considered themselves to be good people and may have even thought they were doing something noble. Most puppets of Satan do not consider themselves puppets while they are being used by him, but in the end, that is how they are and will be remembered.
It is good to be reminded not only of the dangers of Satan’s attacks but also of becoming one of his soldiers. If we are not careful we can inadvertently be used by Satan to attack another Christian and harm the work of Christ. Many churches have been destroyed by people who are now members of other churches. Just because they went to another church does not mean what they did was not evil.
It would be wise to consider not only what Satan is trying to do to us, but what he might be trying to do with us.
Pastor Neal, through his preaching and his counseling, displays the compassionate heart of a pastor, follows the true leading of the Holy Spirit, and expresses a fervent desire to see lost souls come to know Christ. It is his ultimate desire to see the greater Jacksonville area reached for the cause of Christ and for revival to come to Northeast Florida.
