Posted by Phil on April 05, 1999 at 13:00:08:
The Devil's Convention
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels,
he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them
from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from
forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience with Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So
let them go to church,
let them have their conservative lifestyles; but steal their time, so
they can't form
that relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do,
comrades.
Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that
vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this?", shouted the demons.
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent unending
schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow.
Convince the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work
6 or 7 days a week,
10 - 12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from
spending
time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes
will offer no escape from the pressures of work.
"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small
voice.
Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to
keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their homes. And
see to it that every
store and restaurant in the world plays distracting music constantly.
This will clog their minds and break that union with Christ.
"Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Bombard their
minds with
the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards.
Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogs,
and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products,
services, and false hopes.
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from
their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming
week. Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders.
Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, and movies
instead.
"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and
small talk
so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion.
"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek
power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength,
sacrificing their health and
family for the good of the cause."
It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly
to their assignments, causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy,
busy and rush here and there.
Has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge.