Caution: Devil at Work ??

     

     On the way to work yesterday morning, I ended up behind a logging truck – full of logs hanging over the back of the trailer like they do.  The customary red flag was tied at the end of the log that seemed to be hanging over the farthest. This red flag reminds those traveling behind a logging truck to keep their distance.  It’s kind of like a danger signal.   I kept my distance.  I don’t like being anywhere near one of those trucks. 

      Further down the highway, signs were out signaling drivers that the left lane was closed.  As you got closer to the work area other signs said “Caution – men at work.”  All these signs which we must pay attention to for our safety got me to thinking about signs we see every day – and some we don’t. 
      “Wouldn’t it be really neat if there were such obvious signs about spiritual dangers along life’s highway?”  It seems that decision making would be so much easier.  I mean I really like the idea of a temptation coming with a red flag that signaled the danger of getting too close or of giving in to it.  And wouldn’t it be great as you were going through your day that you could literally see a sign that says “Caution – devil at work here?”  It just seems like life would be so much simpler. 
     But that isn’t the way life works and it certainly isn’t the way the devil works.  We all know how deceptive he is.  The Bible says he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  He disguises himself very easily and deceives us in sin.  Sometimes he doesn’t have to work very hard at all in order to entrap us.  You see – he uses phrases like – “So you’re on vacation – nobody knows you here.  Let’s go have a little fun – no one will ever know.”  You know that “who’s going to know”  trap is pretty easy to fall into sometimes. 
     There are others – “Aw come on – this isn’t going to hurt anybody.”  Or "It isn't anybody else's business what you do you, know - you can do whatever you want."  How about --“So what if you do this?  Look over there at old “so and so” – at least you aren’t doing what he is doing. He is really being bad.”   -- or “Go ahead and tell – don’t you think she deserves to know?”  or – “Well, remember how they treated you?  It’s payback time?”  Or “No one is going to notice if you skip services today – they don’t care about you anyway.”   Maybe some of these thoughts have come into your mind before – but I bet none of them came with a big red flag or a sign that said “devil at work” did they? 
      Sometimes the temptation may not be to commit a sin -- but the devil may tempt you by trying to keep you from participating in a church work when the elders or other organizers ask for volunteers.  We may feel like we can’t do this or that – or that it is time to let someone else do something for a while – or the last time we did help somebody complained about how we did it – or we might not like the person in charge of that particular work – or well they don’t ever specifically ask me, so they must not need me.  What???  Really??  God says in James – “To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 
     So how do we keep from being deceived by the devil?  Study – II Timothy 2:15 says to “Study to show thyself approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  We can’t know what God wants us to do if we don’t listen to what He tells us.    And we can't keep ourselves unspotted by the world, as James says if we don't know just what that involves.   The study of God's Word has to be a vital part of every Christian's life. 
    In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us not to be conformed to the world, but rather to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  We renew our minds by going to the Word.  That is the only way we can re-train ourselves to become like Him – by knowing Him and His commandments.  We love Christ enough to understand what He wants us to do and then we do it. 
     We have to be on constant watch.   Peter tells us we must –“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (I Peter 5:8)

      Jesus Himself told us to “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the hour nor the day when the Son of Man cometh.”  (Matthew 25:13)

      And, Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-11-  “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

     No, we are not going to be shown a red flag when we are getting too close to the devil – unless we have trained ourselves well enough to see it.  There will be no signs posted ahead of time telling us that the devil is at work.  No word of caution given by the world that you might be playing with fire.  We just have to know that the devil is always at work.  He never takes a break.  So we have to study – to know what sin and temptation is when we see it.  We have to transform our minds to think like the Savior does – not like the world does.  We have to be on constant watch – guard ourselves against evil.  And fight against the wiles of the devil.  It will not always be easy – actually sometimes it will be quite difficult.  But it will always, ALWAYS be worth it.

Christ above all things,

Robin