Satan's Deadliest Strategy

The following is a slightly edited version of an e-mail that I received, today, from my wee cousin, Heather. It has a great deal of what J.B.Phillips would have called 'the ring of truth'. It also brings a considerable challenge to those of us who claim to be disciples of the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.In his opening address he said,“We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Saviour. Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners BUT – steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do,” he continued, “Distract them from gaining hold of their Saviour and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!”

“How shall we do this?” his demons shouted.“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. “Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow.Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. Soon, as their families fragment, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work! Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small, voice. Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive; to keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their homes; and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world constantly plays non-biblical music. This will jam their minds, and break that union with Christ.

Fill their coffee-tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news, 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their letterboxes with junk mail, mail-order catalogues, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotion offering free products and services, and false hopes. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so the husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches too! If they don't give their husbands the love they need, the husbands will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly!

Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas. Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death. Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead.

Keep them busy, busy, BUSY! And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. Crowd their lives with so many good causes that they have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength; sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause.

It will work! It will work!"

It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there. They had little time for God or for their families. They had no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.

Does "BUSY" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

I guess the question is: Has the devil been successful in his schemes in your life?