Did the Devil Make Me Do It?

I just sinned. Did the Devil make me do it?

The authors of the New Testament almost never speak about a Christian's sin in terms of demonic influence. Paul refers to false teachers who have been captured by the Devil to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26) and ill-qualified elders in a church who are in danger of falling into a snare of the Devil (1 Tim. 3: 6-7). But when he speaks to believers about their sin it's usually in direct terms. So, for example, in Ephesians 4:25-32 Paul instructs us:

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Paul does indeed mention the Devil in this passage, telling us not to give him an opportunity to tempt us by clinging to anger and rage. But while our sin might give Satan an opportunity to advance his agenda through us, Paul doesn't understand our sin to be fundamentally caused by the Devil and his demons. Notice that the apostle doesn't instruct them to beware of the demon of falsehood or to be on the lookout for an evil spirit that might tempt them to unwholesome talk. Paul simply tells them that these things are inappropriate and that God's people should have nothing to do with them. Sin isn't evidence of demonic strongholds in our lives; it is simply disobedience that is inconsistent with our salvation in Christ. We don't need an advanced degree in demonology in order to be obedient; we don't need exorcisms or deliverances.

So as a Christian, one of my motivations for avoiding sin is a desire to keep Satan at bay. He wants me to disgrace myself and Christ by indulging in sin. The Devil desires me to be a selfish husband and an impatient father. He is happiest when I am miserable in my sin. I don't want those habits and patterns in my life, so I resist Satan and his temptations. But he has no power to coerce me. God promises never to let any temptation come to me that is beyond my capacity to withstand (1 Cor. 10:13). The only person who can make me do anything is me.

C. S. Lewis warned that Satan is happy with either our ignorance or our obsession with him and his ways. It seems the Bible's approach to the topic cuts right down the middle. On the one hand, Satan is a real and dangerous opponent; he prowls about and exerts influence in the world and even in our lives. But on the other hand, Christians are not at his mercy. The salvation Christ purchased has set us free from the Devil's tyranny, so we are no longer slaves to sin and death. Instead, we are under the authority of God's Spirit and bearing his fruit in our lives.

So should we be aware of the Devil? Yes.

Should we be alert to his motives and ways of working so that we can avoid him? Absolutely.

Should we be obsessed with him, looking for a demon lying behind every sin? No.

Should we tremble at his power and rage? Under no circumstances!

Satan's power and knowledge are limited; his doom is sure. He's not worthy of our time, obsession, and emotions. Instead we live with both of our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus, who has delivered us from the Devil's wrath and given us a sure hope that we will one day be rid of him for ever.

The devil will be in the details of the religious exemption language of ENDA

When it comes to religious liberty and the separation of church and state, the devil will be in the details of the new ENDA law (just passed Senate; awaiting on House).  Here is how a Fact Checker describes the current Portman amendment embedded over protests from left and right inside ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act):

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) includes a broad exemption for religious organizations. ENDA’s religious exemption recognizes that the U.S. Constitution protects certain employment decisions of religious organizations and that some religious organizations may have a specific and significant religious reason to make employment decisions, even those that take an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity into account. It also acknowledges that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees of religious organizations should be aware that they could lose their jobs, even jobs that do not serve a clearly religious function, because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The exemption consists of three parts:

A complete exemption for houses of worship, parochial and similar religious schools, and missions A codification of the so-called “ministerial exemption” recognized by many federal courts, exempting positions at religious organizations that involve the teaching or spreading religion, religious governance, or the supervision of individuals engaged in these activities A provision allowing religious organizations, for classes of jobs, to require employees and applicants to conform to a declared set of significant religious tenets, including ones which would bar LGBT people from holding the position

In the third section of the exemption, the declaration of an employer’s significant tenets is not subject to judicial review and is only applicable in proceedings under ENDA.

In practice, this language continues to exempt many jobs with religious organizations. Under the first section of the exemption, for example, a priest or minister is clearly exempt, as well as the church secretary and the administrator of Sunday School programs. Under the second paragraph, the chaplain at a religiously-affiliated hospital and the teacher of canon law at a religious university are also exempt.

Under the third part of the exemption, a religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society may decide to apply its religious tenets to classes of employees. Although this provision gives, as most courts would give, deference to religious organizations in declaring significant religious tenets, it means that ENDA will apply to some positions but not others at these employers. For example, a religiously-affiliated hospital could choose to require all nurses to follow a declared set of significant religious tenets, including avoiding same-sex sexual activity, and be able to terminate a male nurse who they subsequently learn is in a relationship with another man. Similarly, a social services agency run by a religious sect could require its executive director to subscribe to a set of tenets that it declares significant, including one that bars LGBT people from holding the job, but choose not impose the same requirement on its social workers or other classes of employees

The WSJ has an article on the current politics of it.  In short, some want the exemption drawn more narrowly (from the left) while others want it drawn more broadly (from the right, protecting some for-profit businesses as well).  Questions that arise include:

Will the House version adopt this amendment.  If not, will it weaken it or strengthen it?  If it weakens it, how far?  Will it only exempt houses of worship?  Will the exemption be gutted in some way at a future date, especially by executive non-compliance (a growing trend in this administration when it disagrees with existing law)?

Let Wonder Lead You to Worship (Don’t Let the Devil Dumb You)

How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!
The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this” (Psalm 92:5–6).

The devil does not want you to wonder. Wonder is deadly to the domain of darkness because of its dangerous tendency to lead to worship.

So the devil is going to do his level best to keep you stupid — stupid in the sense of being sense-less. If he can’t damn you, he will try to dumb you. You must resist him (1 Peter 5:9)!

All the senses that God has given you are telling you about God today (Romans 1:20). And one of the healthiest things you can do for your soul after prayer and bathing in God’s living Word is to listen to creation tell you about the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).

You live and move and have your being in a world so full of visible and invisible, material and spiritual wonders that’s it’s a wonder you are not constantly overwhelmed by even the most ordinary things.

Look at the dead fly on your windowsill, for example. Could you have imagined such a creature? Its eyes gave it almost 360-degree compound vision and it tasted with its legs. Its transparent wings moved it faster than your hand. The most brilliant humans in history combined could not create one and God made this marvel mainly for manure.

Then look at the windowsill. If it’s wood it was once a living tree whose branches stretched to the sky and caught sunrays in its leaves for food. Where did that tree grow? How did light and water produce something so strong and durable that it now shelters you and frames your view?

Now look at the window glass. Who first discovered that by putting the seashore into the fire you could put the seashore into the side of your house and see through it? How God must have delighted the day the glass age dawned!

And as you look through your window know that each thing on which your eye rests has a story that stretches back, back into ancient ages before all memory except the Ancient of Days. Every living thing you encounter is a descendent of the Adam of its kind. Open your window and listen. Every sound is telling you something about that story. Every smell too. Get out into the sun or rain, heat or chill, wind or still and feel the real.

And wonder. Let yourself wonder. Let it lead you to worship the One who created it all (Colossians 1:16) and who is at this very moment upholding it all by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3).

But expect a fight. The devil wants you stupid, distracted from wonder, fearful of an imagined future, and deceived by his virtual, distorted counterfeit of God’s true world.

But don’t be fooled. All the awe and health and romance is in the real. Get into the book of Scripture first and then get out into the book of nature. Listen to them tell you of the glory of God.

“Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14).

 

Let Wonder Lead You to Worship (Don’t Let the Devil Dumb You)

How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!
The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this” (Psalm 92:5–6).

The devil does not want you to wonder. Wonder is deadly to the domain of darkness because of its dangerous tendency to lead to worship.

So the devil is going to do his level best to keep you stupid — stupid in the sense of being sense-less. If he can’t damn you, he will try to dumb you. You must resist him (1 Peter 5:9)!

All the senses that God has given you are telling you about God today (Romans 1:20). And one of the healthiest things you can do for your soul after prayer and bathing in God’s living Word is to listen to creation tell you about the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).

You live and move and have your being in a world so full of visible and invisible, material and spiritual wonders that’s it’s a wonder you are not constantly overwhelmed by even the most ordinary things.

Look at the dead fly on your windowsill, for example. Could you have imagined such a creature? Its eyes gave it almost 360-degree compound vision and it tasted with its legs. Its transparent wings moved it faster than your hand. The most brilliant humans in history combined could not create one and God made this marvel mainly for manure.

Then look at the windowsill. If it’s wood it was once a living tree whose branches stretched to the sky and caught sunrays in its leaves for food. Where did that tree grow? How did light and water produce something so strong and durable that it now shelters you and frames your view?

Now look at the window glass. Who first discovered that by putting the seashore into the fire you could put the seashore into the side of your house and see through it? How God must have delighted the day the glass age dawned!

And as you look through your window know that each thing on which your eye rests has a story that stretches back, back into ancient ages before all memory except the Ancient of Days. Every living thing you encounter is a descendent of the Adam of its kind. Open your window and listen. Every sound is telling you something about that story. Every smell too. Get out into the sun or rain, heat or chill, wind or still and feel the real.

And wonder. Let yourself wonder. Let it lead you to worship the One who created it all (Colossians 1:16) and who is at this very moment upholding it all by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3).

But expect a fight. The devil wants you stupid, distracted from wonder, fearful of an imagined future, and deceived by his virtual, distorted counterfeit of God’s true world.

But don’t be fooled. All the awe and health and romance is in the real. Get into the book of Scripture first and then get out into the book of nature. Listen to them tell you of the glory of God.

“Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14).

A Pregnant Woman’s Defense Against the Schemes of the Devil

If you are a pregnant mom, perhaps with your first baby, you may be reading these articles about Mommy Wars and shaking your head. As if you didn’t have enough on your mind already!

In the chaos of battles over things like bottle feeding, co-sleeping, and baby wearing, Carolyn has pointed out how the real Mommy Wars are primarily spiritual battles. The real battles are not against other moms who have different mothering preferences, but against our adversary the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

God has provided protection for the pregnant woman against the schemes of the devil.

The armor of God comes in maternity sizes.

For the next 42-weeks (or less) you have a unique opportunity to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might (Ephesians 6:10) even when you’re wearing support hosiery and your center of gravity has shifted to your navel.

When a pregnant woman wears the armor of God then she has every reason to estimate her potential for endurance based on “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might” (Ephesians 1:19).

When Paul said in Philippians 4:19 that he “can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” he wasn’t only talking about throwing a baseball or lifting weights. He was talking about learning contentment in the permanent circumstance of God’s sovereign goodness toward him. The power of God toward you is “according to the riches of his glory that he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16).

Pregnant ladies, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, including fearlessly ground your faith in God’s sovereign goodness as the basis for your contentment. I know it is so hard to be content when you’re weary and feel you can’t go on, when your heart is distracted with fear for your baby, and when your emotions careen out of control. But God’s power is more than adequate for these things; his immeasurable greatness of power can overwhelm even the most powerful schemes the devil devises to steal your joy in God.

Scripture exhorts us to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). Even when the only pants and skirts that currently fit you are held up on your hips by a yard of elastic, the armor of God still fits you and you should wear it. By wearing the armor of God you can stand firm against the schemes of the devil as he tries to unsettle your faith with every wind of doctrine, encourages human cunning, and deceives you (Ephesians 4:14).

Here are a few things for pregnant ladies to remember about the armor of God:

The “belt of truth” encircles you with the confident protection of knowing who God is, what Christ has done for you, and who you are in light of your being “in Christ” through faith in him. You must take pains to hold up this belt of truth around you through whatever means necessary. Engage in spiritual disciplines like prayerful meditation on God’s word, commit Scripture to memory, and actively pursue fellowship with other women who will remind you of God’s truth in his word.

The “breastplate of righteousness” is one-size-fits-all-who-believe. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed by faith to sinners who deserve death and judgment for their sins. We understand that by “the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

Pregnant sister, you will be tempted by the adversary to put forward your own righteousness as a front when you’re feeling insecure. The devil will use everything from insecurity about your pregnancy to your prenatal care and your birth plan to your mothering potential. Guard yourself against the temptation to comfort yourself with self-righteous pats on the back. Arm yourself with Jesus’ warning against parading our own righteousness before others to gain rewards of smiles, admiration, and respect from them (Matthew 6:1).

As you have put on the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness then you can stand firm against the devil’s lies of inadequacy and failure. Wear the breastplate of righteousness Martin Luther-style:

So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: “I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!”

Dear pregnant friends, the shoes of the armor of God not only fit you, but they make your feet move. You know how special this is when you’re already fatigued by 10 o’clock in the morning and you can watch your feet widening with every pregnancy. “As shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15).

The gospel of peace provides readiness by giving you the reason and the power to go wherever Christ would lead you for his sake. In this way the gospel empowers you to go into the fray of the Mommy Wars and announce to the contenders the victory of the cross, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!”

The “shield of faith” is for your protection all day and into the sleepless nights. “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). It doesn’t matter if your faith is as small as a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20) or the hCG hormones circulating through your blood right now. What matters is the greatness of the One in whom you have placed your faith.

As you get excited about the upcoming birth of your child, rejoice most of all in him who has caused you to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3, 23). When you take up the shield of faith and watch as the devil’s flaming darts implode into little puffs of smoke, give thanks to God: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

In the weakness of your back pain and vulnerability of feeling nauseous remember your hope of salvation in Christ as you rely on Scripture, your offensive weapon against the enemy. “Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

Don’t just not believe the lies of the devil, but speak God’s truth to yourself. Don’t just not dwell on your bloated appearance and spider veins, but talk to yourself of the beauty of Christ’s sacrificial love and how he gave his body up for us all. What a delight it is, then, for you to let your body serve the life of another.

And finally, purpose your mind, will, and emotions to submit to God’s good plans to glorify himself in all things. Be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

This is the power of God in a pregnant woman whose hope is in the victory of Christ Jesus over the schemes of the devil.