No Undercover Christians
Scripture Reading — Revelation 12:7-17
The dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Obeying God’s law will make you a target of Satan. Sorry to bring bad news, but it is true, and it makes sense. Satan is the lawless one. Satan—the great dragon, the serpent, the tempter—rebelled against God, who is right and just, who wrote his law into the universe.
Satan knows who all the followers of Christ are. We are “those who keep God’s commands” and hold to the testimony about Jesus. We are not wearing moral camouflage. We are recognized as followers of Christ because we aim to live by God’s law of love.
So Satan is constantly after us. He tempts us. He mocks us. “What, you think you need to be sexually pure? How naïve.” “You think you need to give one day a week to God? You’ll never get ahead.” “You think you need to tell the truth, even when you’re online? No, online communication is different.” There is no end to the ways Satan can tempt us. Ever since he broke the law of God, he searches for others to join his rebellion. And that happens when we leave the path of God’s truth and follow the lies of Satan.
As long as you live, Satan will tempt you to turn away from God. And we turn away if we ignore or disobey God’s law. This is the battle of our lives.
Lord, help me to overcome temptation. I know that Satan wants me to ignore or disobey you, but you want me to love and obey you. Help me to be victorious, in Christ, I pray. Amen.
About the author — Kent Van Til
Kent Van Til was a missionary in Costa Rica. He taught theological ethics both there and in the USA. He is the author of four books. The most recent is a spiritual biography of his grandmother entitled, "A Name for Herself: A Dutch Immigrant's Story." Kent likes to fish, hunt, make music, and entertain his grandchildren.
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