Morning Meditation – Say No to the Devil

Years ago, there was a popular morning TV show called “The Phil Donahue Show.” I hated it and rarely watched, but when I did I saw the purest of the pure turned into hell. Phil could turn good into evil and evil into good!

In the hit musical, “My Fair Lady,” the comical and entertaining song, “With a Little Bit of Luck,” appeals to our imperfect nature. The lyrics go, “With a little bit of luck, when temptation comes, you’ll give right in.”

There is a grain of truth there and I identify with it. Satan’s sly voice tells me my sins are harmless. He makes me laugh at my own imperfections and shortcomings and gives me reason to accept my fallen nature.

When I was a young preacher I led a revival in House Springs, MO. Jim Grayson attended and afterward knocked on my door.

“Are you the George Hutchings who spoke at House Springs a week ago?”

“Yes,” I replied.

He continued, “You speak just like Billy Graham.”

I said, “Thank you. Come right on in.” He did and then sold me two insurance policies!

His appeal to my vanity worked. Though Jim was not the Devil he used the Devil’s tactic in tempting me: vanity. I have a saying, “Never talk to the Devil.” (However, Jim wasn’t the Devil and we later became close friends.)

Jesus also was tempted. The Devil told Jesus to throw himself off the mountain and avoid injury himself by demonstrating His power as God. He appealed to the human nature of vanity: “Show off. If you, have it, flaunt it!”

Jesus resisted and replied, “Depart from me, you who work iniquity.” He would not talk with or debate the Devil.

The Christian life is that of a wrestler’s. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.” We are constantly entangled in temptation and trying to wrestle free of Satan’s influence.

The Devil continued tempting Jesus. Next, he told Jesus to fall and worship him and he, Satan, would give Jesus the world’s kingdoms. He tempted Jesus to avoid the sacrifice of the cross.

Christianity without sacrifice is a country club. The Devil wants us to sit in church and do anything but fill a pew. “Let someone else do what needs to be done.”

Sidestepping our obligations is the sin of omission.

Satan brings tremendous pressure to quit—especially to young Christians struggling with their new faith. If he snuffs out a believer before they get grounded, he can rob that believer of years of service in God’s Kingdom. That’s the sin of omission. “Let someone else do it.”

Old men are also tempted to quit. “I did my work. Now someone else can do it.” The temptation is to rob the believer of “the Crown of Righteousness that fades not away.” Satan does not want us to run our course and finish the race. He wants to entangle us in the affairs of this life and quit. It is, again, the sin of omission.

In Vietnam we had two types of enemies. In the Kingdom of God, we also have two type of similar adversaries:

In Vietnam there were North Vietnamese snipers. Their goal was not to kill but to wound. A wound was as good as a kill. I remember my point man walking into a sniper ambush and being shot in the shin with a machine gun. He didn’t die but he was taken out of action. It slowed our advance because it took time to call in choppers and medivac out he and other wounded.

Through fear and demonization Satan also wants to take you out of action and slow the advance of the God’s kingdom. His wounding is as good as a kill. Because we chose not to go into battle, we exercised the sin of omission. Like the song in My Fair Lady, “With a little bit of luck, you will give right in.”

Our second enemy was like the North Vietnamese regular who was well equipped, dug in, and deadly. He is more like Phil Donahue: He kills. He takes our purest motives and tramples them underfoot. Never quarrel with him: He will win.

However, we do not have to go to war against the Devil. “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” Say no and he walks away.

Treat the devil like my first girlfriend treated me: After walking her to the door I expected a kiss. She shunned me and slammed the door in my face! Slam the door in the Devil’s face!

We pray our Juanita School girls learn spiritual warfare as well as they learn academics. They have entire lives before them to serve God in his Kingdom.

Give us spiritual warriors to disciple them and prepare them to deal with the devil, so they may begin their course, keep the faith, and finish their races.

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