Indivisible & Unconquered


Say what you will about Satan, but he's good at what he does. He's calculating. He's contriving. He's crafty. He attacks us when and where we are most vulnerable. He did this to Christ, and he's done this to me more than a few times in my life. I'm sure if you are being honest, you'd admit he's done the same to you. We learn about Satan's character very early in the New Testament.

In Matthew Chapter 4, we read about Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness. Matthew doesn't simply tell us Jesus was tempted, he sets the stage by telling us Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights and Jesus was hungry. Satan tempts Jesus by telling Him to make stones become bread. I bet bread would have hit the spot after 40 days of hunger, but Jesus refuses. Personally, if I miss breakfast and lunch, I could be tempted with a snack cake pretty easily by mid afternoon, let alone 40 days without food. Jesus is further tempted by Satan with the promise of power and authority, if He would only "fall down and worship" Satan. Jesus refuses.

Jesus was then, and is now, the opposite of Satan. He's caring. He's considerate. He's compassionate. He comforts us when and where we are most vulnerable. He did this to many in the bible, and he's done this to me more than a few times in my life. I'm sure if you are being honest, you'd admit he's done the same to you. We learn about Jesus's character very early in the New Testament.

Satan is the same person now that he was in the wilderness with Jesus, he just has new tricks up his sleeve. Like a clever magician, his act is always getting an update to stay fresh and current with the times. Jesus tells us "where two or three gather in my name, I am there with them." (Matthew 18:20) Jesus knows we need each other, and we need Him. Unfortunately, so does Satan. Jesus teaches love, fellowship, and acceptance, but Satan seeks to separate us from each other and from Jesus wherever and however he can.

Satan lies to us and tells us Jesus and the comfort He provides are far from us, and we are unworthy anyway. When we are hurting and alone, Satan whispers "nobody cares about you, look at you, you are all alone." When a student feels like an outcast at school, Satan tells them "you are different than other kids, nobody likes you, you'll never fit in." He tells the alcoholic and drug addict that a bottle or a pill is the only friend they'll ever need. He tells the person addicted to pornography, "you don't need "love," no-one will ever love you anyway."

Satan loves conflict. He no doubt smiles with joy seeing how we interact with each other in our daily lives. A car horn and a cuss word lunged at a neighboring car in busy traffic (I'd never do such a thing on Kingston Pike during rush hour). A hate filled comment on a social media post. Satan loves a keyboard bully, I'm sure. We've been given the tools to interact with each other in a positive and loving way, or we can allow Satan to win and divide us with everything at his disposal. We fall down and worship him when we help him fulfill his agenda of hate and divisiveness. Jesus refused him, and we should as well.

We are arguably more "connected," yet more apart as a society than we have ever been. I would say it's not a stretch to agree we are more vulnerable than we have ever been. We've become so creative in the ways we distance and separate ourselves from each other. It's refreshing to see the hate and divisiveness set aside a few times a year around certain holidays. Most recently as a nation, we celebrated Veteran's Day. I remember growing up as a kid pledging allegiance to the flag of the country I was so fortunate to grow up in. One of the last lines of that pledge is "indivisible with liberty and justice for all." But the holiday has passed and here we are divided once again. Here we are pushing away from each other like opposite ends of a magnet.

It's time we rally around each other, and we come together in love, fellowship, and acceptance. Jesus loves us and He is with us. We need to show Satan we refuse to be tempted any longer. We are indivisible and unconquered.

Much Love, Adam

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