In our two previous conversations, we have focussed on two aspects of human nature that impede us from pursuing intimacy with our Creator, our Heavenly Father. The first was our inclination to form conclusions without all the facts. When we form conclusions about God without truly understanding who God is, His nature, and His motivations, we easily find ourselves avoiding the very thing we desperately need: a relationship with God (see discussion 1).
The next topic we addressed was our inclination for arrogance. Arrogance ultimately leads to declarations like, “We don’t need God!” We explored this in the Biblical account of the Tower of Babel (see discussion 2). Both of these inclinations or tendencies create very real and very powerful obstacles to our experiencing a relationship with God. The good news is that God has a lot of experience helping people find their around these road blocks of life!
There is still one more formidable impediment that is constantly working against us in our efforts to pursue intimacy with God. The Apostle Paul says it best in the Bible (Ephesians 6:12), “We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers…” What in the world does that mean?! That sounds like a bunch of hocus pocus non-sense! You are absolutely right, but unfortunately the idea of an evil spiritual force at work against us is very real.
More often than not, we are our worst enemy. Have you ever met someone that tends to find the Devil or some evil spirit behind every problem? Sometimes we give the Devil and his minions more credit than they deserve. However, forgetting them completely would be equally unwise. The creation story in the first book of the Bible is a perfect example of what we’ll call evil intervention. The Devil was hard at work to derail God’s perfect plans from the very beginning. In Genesis, we sim him successfully deceiving Adam and Eve. We see him at work again in the book of Job. This time, although he devastates Job’s life, he fails in his attempts to lead Job away from God (unlike Adam and Eve). In Matthew 4:1 we read where the Devil tried to distract Jesus from His earthly life and ministry. Let’s not look for the Devil behind every problem, but let’s not forget there is an evil force at work in this world working persistently against God, and his usual plan is attacking people. God is always at work orchestrating ways to draw us into a deeper and closer relationship with Him, out of which will come both the discovery of our destinies and a closeness with God that enables us to withstand the Devil's attempts at our personal destruction. Just as Jesus was successful in Matthew 4, so too can we!
If you have never read Frank Peretti’s book “This Present Darkness” then you are missing a great read. Who knows whether or not it is a completely accurate portrayal of how the physical and spiritual realms coexist, but he certainly succeeds in giving a powerful reminder to God’s children that there is a force at work against us. Our comfort though comes from promises in the Bible like the one in I John 4:4 that assures us that God in us is greater than any force opposing us!
This is all the more reason each of us should be a committed part of a local church family. Let’s take a lesson from sheep (especially since we are called sheep so frequently in the Bible) who have learned there is safety in numbers. In a church family we learn about the Bible, help one another discern the difference between the Devil, plain circumstances of life, and consequences of our own stupidity. I Peter 5:8 is a powerful reminder about the Devil as it says he is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. By being a part of a church family, we find a strong defense against following in the footsteps of Adam and Eve and being deceived by the Devil who is still busy at work against God’s people even today.
Talk to some friends about times you really feel an evil force was trying to derail your relationship with God. Share what you did to withstand the temptation or tragedy. Ask someone you esteem as a seasoned Christian to share how they discern the difference between the Devil and simply a circumstance of life. Pray for God’s continued protection and safekeeping. Finally, if you are not a commited part of a local church family, visit one this Sunday and then keep searching/visiting until you find one that you can call home!!
Pastor Fred Michaux
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