The Lull of Everyday Sin

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)

The Bible teaches that Satan is the “prince of the power of the air”. (Ephesians 2:2) But the problem with Satan is we don’t recognize him when we see him.

The truth is Satan will go to any extreme to make sure Christians don’t recognize him or his works for what they really are. That’s why the Bible points out, “For Satan himself masquerades as angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)

We often don’t associate many of the everyday things we do with sin, which shows just how good Satan is a deceiving us. Here’s a story I borrowed to prove my point.

It seems Satan called a worldwide convention.

In his opening address to his fallen angels, he said, “We can’t keep Christians from going to church. We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and praying for one another. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ. You see if they gain that kind of stronghold with Jesus, then our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their religion, but do everything you can to make sure that they don’t have enough time to get to find out who He really is.”

“How in the world can we keep them from Him?” the fallen angels asked.

“Keep them busy with the things that don’t matter. Invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered. “Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and then encourage them to borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince husbands and wives that both of them have to work to maintain their lifestyles and remind them along the way that the only way to get ahead is to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day. Make sure that they have little or no time to spend with their children and it won’t be long before the tightly woven fragment they call a family begins to unravel. Obey me and I promise you that their homes will offer no escape from pressures of everyday living.”

“Saturate their minds so that they are unable to hear that still small voice. Let them play their radios or cd players when they are in their cars. Remind them that it’s okay to keep the TV or stereo going all the time when they are home. And see to it that every store and restaurant they visit has music to crowd their thoughts. Fill their coffee tables with newspapers and magazines. Pound their minds the news, 24 hours a day. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes offers, promotions – anything that will offer false hope.”

“When they go on vacation, make sure they do anything but rest. Be sure they return exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don’t you dare let them enjoy His wonders. Instead send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, and movies. And when they get together for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions.”

“Go ahead and let them get involved in soul winning, but crowd their lives with so many causes that they don’t have time for Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and their families for the good of the cause. They’ll be working for us.”

Sin can mask itself in many ways. It’s like a great tan. It may look good at the time, but it will eventually kill you. That’s what James meant when he said, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:15)