The Devil was once crossing the Libyan Desert when he came upon a group of small friends who were tempting a holy hermit. They tried him with the seduction of the flesh, they sought to sow his mind with doubts and fears, they told him that all his austerities were worth nothing. But it was all in vain. The holy man was impeccable.
Then the Devil stepped forward. Addressing the imps he said, “Your methods are too crude. Permit me for one moment to make a recommendation.” Going up to the hermit, he asked, “Have you heard the news? Your brother has been made Bishop of Alexandria.” Then a scowl of malignant jealousy clouded the serene face of the holy man.
What do you think? Would that tactic work on you?
Tags: jealousy, Satan, temptation
‘A Mighty Fortress’, verse 3:
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.
Satan is depicted as the ultimate enemy, and he has filled the earth with demonic influences. At times, it appears that Satan, the Prince of Darkness, is winning, and we are about to fall. But we are to be encouraged that judgement day is coming and Satan shall surely be the one who falls.
So, Christian, you can endure Satan’s attacks! You can withstand his temptations! One little word shall cause him to fall. What do you think that little word is?
Tags: Satan, temptation, word
In 1943 the Allies wanted Adolph Hitler to believe they were going to invade Sardinia and the Greek Peloponnesus, not Sicily as was actually planned. The British came up with an ingenious scheme: float a dead man, carrying phony letters concerning invasion plans, off the coast of Spain, where German operatives were active. If all went well, the body would be recovered and its false secrets would fool the enemy.
Scrupulous attention was devoted to detail. The body had to look as though it had been in an airplane crash and then drowned. After an exhaustive search, the British discovered the perfect corpse: that of a man who had died of pneumonia following exposure. They called him Maj. William Martin.
The British conspirators stuffed the corpse’s pockets with theater ticket stubs, an “overdrawn” notice from his bank, love letters from his fiance, a cranky letter from his father about fuel rationing. And of course, the secret invasion plans. The body was placed strategically where currents would deposit it where desired.
The entire deception worked marvellously and the Germans were caught off guard. Satan is the master deceiver. He knows how to work events around to make us think we’re safe when we’re about to be destroyed.
When was the last time you were deceived?
Tags: deception, Satan, World War II