The Great Deceiver

Back in 1994, I wrote a song entitled “Welcome To The Real World” (you can hear it on my website at greggmpro.googlepages.com or click on the QuickLinks above) which is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek, yet serious, statement about how Christians shouldn’t expect everything in life to be hunky-dory simply because they received salvation. As I mentioned in a previous commentary: Our souls may have become perfected in God’s eyes but our human lives remain prey to an imperfect world.

I think we can all accept the notion that the devil uses bad people for his evil accomplishments in this world. I’d like to take this concept one step further, though, with some insight worth considering.

I believe the devil loves to use Christians to do his bidding more than anything else in life. He is, after all, one of the most clever angelic beings ever created. The very fact that he can orchestrate situations and maneuver people with shrewd cunning gives him his claim as the Great Deceiver. Simply put: The devil is a master manipulator... and deception is his forte.

We all love (and I use the word euphemistically) to see evil in its terrifying and horrid state. Why? Because we can rally up our spiritual armor, unite together as Christian brothers and sisters, and beat the son-of-a-bitch with prayer and conviction. What happens, though, when it comes at you with stealth; invades your life with a subtle assimilation that seems benign and immaterial? Ahh, this is where the devil shines.

The devil, that goddamned devil (and I use this in the literal sense), really can play with us. We don’t have to be engaging in the “dark side”, playing with Ouija boards, snubbing our nose at God, or anything else contrary to righteous living. Christians can be duped, plain and simple... and the devil is just the one to do it to us.

Where does this leave us, then? The cold, hard truth is we need to be ever vigilant with our faith. We need to acknowledge and accept the fact that we can be pawns in the devil’s game. We need to realize with absolute conviction that as long as we are in this world, we can be prey to the one that lurks around this world seeking to devour our lives. Our lives, however, can be devoured shrewdly and with evil cunning so as not to be noticed until we’re in dire trouble. This is why we must pray. Pray in earnest. Pray constantly. Pray consistently. Pray as if your life depends on it... because it does.

Greg A. Morton
© May 30, 2008