Spiritual Warfare: Satan's Schemes #3 (vulnerable in good times)
Today we're going to look at a general time we're vulnerable to Satan's attacks, when we need to be alert, discerning, and careful. And we'll look at a few more in the next posts. (I looked at fear, specifically, in the last post. So I won't cover it here.)
The more aware we are of his schemes, the more we can recognize and resist them. And notice it's "schemes" - Ephesians 6:11: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes" - not willy-nilly, shot-in-the-dark attacks. These are strategically-planned attacks, tailored to you.
Satan (demons) knows each of us, our weaknesses, desires, hang-ups, etc. He's been watching us our whole lives (and watching humankind for millennia). He hears what we say, what we mumble under our breath. He knows what we read and watch and listen to and gaze at. He knows when we discreetly peek at something, when we take an intentional second glance after an accidental first glance. He knows what we do when we're alone, when we're outside of church, when we're hanging with our non-Christian friends, when people cut us off in traffic. He knows what we're interested in, what we focus on, what entices us. He knows how we treat people, what frustrates us, what makes us angry or afraid or prideful or jealous. He knows what kinds of "little white lies" and "small sins" we try to get away with, which excuses we use to rationalize them, which areas we're most likely to disobey God in, etc.
He watches us closely and knows us well. (Do we watch our behavior, choices, and attitudes as closely and carefully as he does?) He knows what our weak spots are. And he watches for opportunities to attack these areas when we are most vulnerable.
So when are we vulnerable?
In the good times
In the good times, we feel happy, strong, and confident, like we're in a little bubble of sunshiney-bliss and godly protection, like nothing could ever mess it up, like Satan can't get to us, like we won't give in to temptation because we feel so close to God right now. And we let our guard down. And begin to rely on ourselves. And trust in our circumstances. And focus more on pursuing happiness than pursuing God.
In these times, watch out. Sometimes our greatest falls come after our greatest highs - precisely because we were overly confident that we wouldn't fall or get attacked. (Been there.)
[And just thinking out loud here, but I think it's especially important for kids or adults who go on mission trips or serve in higher-up roles in church to be warned about this. When their trip//experience is done (or when it's at a high point, such as a very successful pastor/leader), they are usually riding high, feeling extra godly, extra strong, extra special (maybe extra tired) ... and it can lead to being extra vulnerable to an attack because they feel so close to God, so strong, that they don't feel at risk. (Do you ever wonder why so many pastors end up messing up so badly?)
It should be standard practice for churches/leaders to warn them to be on their guard (and to offer them some support, some accountability) for any blind spots or temptations they might have after such a huge spiritual high, such as things like pride, self-confidence, judgmentalism (against those who didn't serve like they did), exhaustion (which might interfere with their ability to resist temptation), discouragement (at having to go back to "normal life"), out-of-order-priorities (sure, exciting opportunities and trips are fun, but we need to learn to live in and glorify God in the normal, boring, daily life, instead of chasing spiritual highs or judging our faith by them), etc. Just a thought.
However, on the flip-side and to be fair, there are also risks - schemes - for those who don't do the big trips or exciting jobs, the people who work behind the scenes in boring roles, who trudge through boring days or have unpleasant jobs or sad circumstances - such as the temptation to grow jealous/bitter/depressed, to compare your role with someone else's, to judge people's hearts (including your own), to assume God is punishing or ignoring or overlooking you because you got a lowly role, to refuse to do well or to bring God glory in your lowly position because you wanted something bigger and more exciting (maybe God wants to see that you're faithful in the little role before giving you a bigger one), to adopt a "martyr" attitude ("oh, woe is me and my life, no one understands the troubles I have, but look how well I bear up under it all, how spiritual I am, don't worry about me, I'll be okay, you all just go and have your fun while I suffer, that's fine"), etc. They need to be careful, too, of the traps they might fall into, the ways Satan might tempt them to have wrong attitudes and perspectives.
There are seasons of life and faith, times for bigger jobs and times for smaller ones. (And maybe in heaven's eyes, the smaller jobs are the bigger ones.) Be faithful in whatever role God has you in today.
Personally, I think our faith is better demonstrated/proven by how we live in the hard times and the boring times - the "spiritual low" times - than in the exciting, "spiritual high" times. It's in the valleys - not the mountaintops - that we learn what we are really made of and the true condition of our faith.
And I think those who had the lowliest, most non-flashy, non-exciting, non-obvious roles here on earth - and yet who faithfully carry them out for God's glory - will shine the brightest in heaven. The "Sarah Smith"s of CS Lewis's The Great Divorce. They didn't get the attention, appreciation, accolades, awards here on earth that those in the flashier, more exciting, more public roles got. Their rewards were deposited into heaven's bank account, to be enjoyed in eternity. Never despise your lowly, common, boring position. Do your best at it for God's glory. He sees what you do, even if no one else does. He sees how and why you do it. And He will reward you accordingly, just maybe not until heaven. But those will be the rewards that last and that matter anyway.
Matthew 6:6: "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Matthew 6:19-21: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Okay, back to what I was saying...]
As I said, I think we are almost more vulnerable in the good times than in the bad, because we don't realize how vulnerable we are. And in the good times, we don't feel a strong need to run to God, to lean on Him, to need Him - not like we do in the bad times. Pain makes us realize how much we need God, but comfort makes us, well, comfortable. Lazy and self-sufficient and unfocused.
Yes, there are definitely spiritual problems/risks/damage that come with the painful hard times, but they're more immediate, more urgent, more noticeable. Like deeply slicing your finger while cutting vegetables, you know there's a problem and that you must deal with it now.
But the spiritual problems/risks/damage that come with a comfortable, good, blessing-filled life is like a slow burn, a slow poisoning - gentle, quiet, inconspicuous. It's like the frog in the pot, where nothing dramatic enough happens to alert you to the fact that you're at risk, that you're going down, that you're drifting from God and His Truth ... until it's too late.
As the demon, Screwtape, tells his nephew, Wormwood, in Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, teaching him about how to tempt and trip up the human he's in charge of, "You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."
As said in a previous post: How do you think the Laodicean church of Revelation 3 got to be so lukewarm, so worthless? They got everything they wanted and didn't need God anymore. Being too fulfilled by earthly blessings might take our focus from who blessed us: Deut. 6:11-12: “... then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
If Satan knows we'll nibble our way lost all on our own, he might just leave us alone to do it, letting us enjoy "the good life" so much that we slowly drift from God, pulled away by pleasures. Maybe he'll even shower us with more good things to distract us (or bad things disguised as good things), while convincing us it's from God. Or maybe he'll tempt us with things that aren't sinful at first or from certain angles, slowly pulling us in - step by tiny step - until it is sin, all the while helping us find excuses or rationalizations for our risky or sinful choices.
When we're enjoying the fall down so much, we don't stop to think about the deadly impact when we hit bottom. Sure, the first 999 feet of a thousand-foot fall might be fun, but it's that last foot that gets you.
Look what happened to King David when he enjoyed earthly desires and pleasures too much. And he was closer to God's heart than almost anyone. And then look what happened to his son Solomon: the more pleasures he got, the more he drifted without realizing it, to the point of idol worship. And he was the wisest man there was. And so if they needed to be more careful, more alert, more on guard, how much more do we need to be?
Some "blessings" may not really be blessings at all (or may not be just blessings), but they might be trials, temptations, testings, attacks, or opportunities to decide what we'll cling to above all: God or His gifts. Our faith or our happiness. Obedience or disobedience. Righteousness or sin.
Romans 12:3: "... Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment..."
When things are going well, remember Whom to thank. Remember to be alert for any footholds Satan might find, any ways he might twist or contaminate the good things, turning them into traps.
Remember that you are in a battle and need to keep your guard up, that the good times are not times to lay back, put your feet up, and rest, but they are perfect times for preparing for the hard times: learning how to fight in spiritual warfare, learning more about God's character and Truths, correcting any misconceptions or assumptions you have about God, faith, yourself, life, etc., and storing up His Word and Truth in your heart.
And remember to use your blessings for God's glory, His kingdom, and the good of others, and to be thankful and praise God no matter what. These are always "wins" in the spiritual battle.
A "blast from the past" song: God's Got an Army by Carman
