The Great "Kazoo"

Tuesday I shared how BAD I was. I prayed this morning about my attitude and why it happened so suddenly…God revealed to me our conversation yesterday on my way TO WORK…this is how it went….

This morning on my commute to work, I started praying and pondering and God started speaking to me, asking me: “How do you see your enemy, Satan?”

This is one of those areas that I have heard MUCH discussion on, but little teaching. It seems that outside of my own readings of Neil T. Anderson and a handful of authors who openly discuss and teach on Spiritual Warfare, at least within some churches, a taboo subject.

I’ve actually heard this statement: “If we discuss Satan, we are empowering him.” What’s skewed about that logic (totally aside from the Biblical truths) is I couldn’t go ANYWHERE for a time, without hearing all kinds of talk about those dudes in Iraq. There were even a deck of cards that became popular in circles. Yet, if I talk about Satan, I’m empowering him? WHATEVER…Maybe we need 'collector cards' with all the different personnae's of Satan. That way we'd recognize him in every form he takes. There would be the snake, the beautiful fallen angel, the 'prowling lion', the horrific evil beast of Revelation...there has got to be so many forms of him, we could easily build a 'deck of cards' to distribute to the unsuspecting and unaware masses to prepare them. The other benefit to this is it would SO 'rock the world' of my childhood church. I'm just saying; sometimes we need our world "rocked" to step out of darkness, into the light, right?

Let’s start in truth: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Jesus tells us in John 10 that “…the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy…”

I honestly believed for such a long time that Satan must either look like that little red devil with a mustache and horns that stands on my left shoulder trying to get me to disobey (which was offensive to me anyway because I AM left handed. Let it go, Kim…), or he was just like the “Great Kazoo” on the Flintstones. Do you remember him? He is sort of small, and cute, and mischievous, but couldn’t really HURT me.

The more I read about Satan the more I understand that he is the culmination of every evil I can or can’t picture. He is the ABSOLUTE absence of love. When I try to tell SOME people how I believe Satan looks, they ‘shut-down’ and can’t accept that Satan is some big, powerful, evil entity. The response that troubled me most was from a young lady who came to a women’s study; she said: “It’s not Satan’s fault I act the way I do, it’s my own weak flesh.” ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH my soul screams at this sentence, even today. The night I heard this, I went home and cried…honestly!

What’s troubling, is Satan was a beautiful and beloved and gifted angel…at one time. He fell to pride, and his own desire over God’s. He wanted to BE God. I wonder if he wishes he could take it all back. If he sees the error of his ways and so wants to go and apologize to God for his behavior and destruction.

This morning after this brief dialogue with God, one of the radio stations was doing their “word” of the morning and lo and behold it was: Armor, whose root “panoplia”, translates roughly to mean “offensive weapon”. The full armor of God as described in Ephesians lacks defense. There is no covering for our back, for example. This is even more conclusive proof that God wants us to watch and protect each other’s “back”.

I thought it was perfect timing of God to remind me that while the enemy is BIG and strong, God, and God alone, has enabled us ~ empowered us ~ to defeat him. As a matter of fact, Jesus already did! So now, the enemy is not only defeated, but ticked about it! He knows his reign is short. He knows he will never have ultimate dominion over this creation because it is God’s, and as heirs to the very throne of God through Jesus, we can walk in this victory and dominion too. Satan is prince of the earth. God is King of all Creation!

I know it’s not ironic that the emotionality I possessed Tuesday concluded in both a test and a temptation. The test came when God asked me to ponder my enemy. The temptation came, and unfortunately I gave in to it…when the enemy came full force to lie to me about this victory.

So I thank GOD for the ‘re-test’ dates and I will put on my FULL ARMOR today and stand arms linked to my brothers and sisters as I face these attacks!

Here’s a couple of ACTION verbs for us to remember:
“SUBMIT yourselves to God, RESIST the devil and he will flee from you!”
James 4:7