I hate you! For real, in a very personal way, I hate YOU!
My wish for you today is that you grow in hate, anger, fear, and the pride that leads to greater selfishness. Yes, I know that dark hidden desire you have that has brought you to follow me so many times before. I know just where you are vulnerable.
You guys, oh I see you lusting after every pretty woman you see, and thanks to technology just how little respect you have for the women around you, even your wives. One day I hope to pile great shame on all of you, like I did recently to Jeffrey Toobin. On second thought, he and some of you are so far gone that shame is all but dead. All the better! In that case I don’t have to pay any attention you, as far in my grasp as you are.
The other great thing about seeing everyone as an object for your use and abuse is that this extreme form of selfishness spins up your anger to the point of rage. You blame your sins on being a guy, that testosterone thing. Every time you make that lame excuse instead of facing the challenges of your nature and the destructive truth of your sin head on, you become more pathetic and hopeless.
You women, you are no better. Many of you split your time between counting your social media likes and retweets and wishing you had the wealth, looks, and power of the idols you follow, be they celebrities or people down your street. “If only” runs through your mind all day. But you really aren’t pretty, rich, or extraordinary in any way, now are you? Who would want to pay attention to you?
You are all such suckers!
The funniest thing about your miserable lives is that you think you can compete with me in the falsehood game. Are you kidding? I am the father of lies, and you are all pikers. Every lie you tell only entangles you deeper in my net! You know this, and yet you continue to ignore Truth all the same. What do they say the definition of insanity is, repeating the same mistake and expecting different results? These are not mistakes, they are just your lame attempts to save yourself from embarrassment and cancelation. They won’t work, YOU are canceled! That is my whole raison d'être.
Speaking of insanity, it has been great fun lately watching all of you dehumanize yourselves based on the hype my friends have propagated. They have been masterful at using your unreasoned fear to empower and enrich themselves while driving you all further from my Enemy. Yes, I was behind all of that, fear is my favorite and most effective tool. How fun it has been to watch all of you fall to the very depths of despair, especially those who have fallen completely for my plan by choosing to OD or commit suicide.
Have I told you I hate you lately???
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Does Satan really hate us that much? No, he hates us more than we can ever imagine, just as God loves us more than we can imagine. We took his place before God, and that is unforgivable in his mind. Anything he can do to destroy us, he will.
Yet, when you hear his voice it is both an affirmation and a clue. Sound crazy? Actually, it is a gift if you know what to do with it.
Early last year I was leading an event that had the potential of bringing a group of people closer to Jesus. Computer problems popped up, then I couldn’t print, the HVAC system went on the fritz, and others become nervous. Aha, the dark didn’t like what was going on, therefore God must have valued it. I redouble my efforts. Despite my initial frustration, the dark’s interest was a clear affirmation of this particular work.
The demonic gives attention to disrupting things that are in line with God’s desire and has no need to pay attention to dark things that are already aligned with his evil ways. This is hard to remember when the enemy throws a wrench into our works and frustration sets in, but what a gift it can be if we can realize what is going on and allow the Lord’s peace to rule instead.
Once we recognize the attack, it is time to pay attention to how the dark is communicating with us and look for subtle clues. What method is he using, temptation, distraction, fear, etc.? Does the attack intensify over time indicating we might be continuing on God’s track, or weaken potentially indicating we have gone awry? Can we hear God’s voice directly through the noise?
As we get to decision points it is essential to realize that when choosing between two good possibilities the question is not limited to which is better. The real question is, what does God want, for that is always the right choice. It is also worth noting that the more experience we have with fighting off the dark the more subtle things become. Our enemy puts more effort into being sneaky, fogging up the battlefield, and making which direction is aligned with Love less clear.
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Don’t think demons exist? Jesus does…
From last Sunday, February 7, 2021’s Gospel (Novus Ordo):
…When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.Rising very early before dawn, he left
and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues,
preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.
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We see in this Gospel passage what we were just discussing. Jesus has gone off to discern what direction to go in. The people with Simon want Him to stay with them. But using the tool of prayer, He is clear that His “purpose” is to “preach” to “the nearby villages.”
Jesus gives us here a formula for our own discernment. 1) Step away to a place of silence and solitude and then 2) have a conversation with God (pray). Our connection with God in this way is essential to making godly choices.
In the end, we can only get clues from what Satan does. It is never a good idea to have a conversation with him or even to look at him. He is too sly to risk that. We simply take what clues we can from how he approaches our situation, give praise and thanks to God for the insight (out loud, as it is an effective way to drive off demons), and find a quiet place to turn to the Lord in prayer. Calmness and peace should be the fruit of this time connecting with God, while angst, fear, anger, etc. indicate that more time is needed with Jesus.
May these thoughts help us to use Satan’s hatred for us as a tool to grow closer to the Lord.
Praise and thanks be to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
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