There is no question that our world today is filled with crime and acts of evil in many different areas of life. It is certainly understandable that the people or groups of people who commit these crimes and evil acts make all possible efforts to do coverups of their crimes and acts of evil. None of them want their crimes or acts of evil to be discovered, obviously because they do want to be punished or held accountable.
“Words from Above” tell us that the most evil personality ever is one who was once the most beautiful angel God had created in heaven. The sad news is that this angel named Lucifer, now called Satan, wasn’t satisfied with his position in heaven, but rebelled against God and sought to take over God’s throne. He ended up convincing one-third of the other angels to join him in his rebellion, and they were all cast out of heaven forever. They are now creating havoc here on the earth.
The saddest thing about all of this is that they go about committing their havoc in what we might call coverup mode. This is why the apostle Peter wrote in I Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.” He goes on in verse 9 to say that the devil needs to be resisted through our faith in God. It may seem that a roaring lion would be easy to identify, but it is also important to know that as he does so he is able to transform him-self into an angel of light, a true coverup.
With all of this in mind, the apostle James strongly encourages faithful followers of God to “submit themselves to God, and resist the devil so that he will flee from them.” He goes on to say, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” He also says to those who are not followers of God, “Cleanse your hands, you who are sinners, and purify your hearts, you who are double minded.” It is important to realize that there is no way to get the devil to flee from us until we do what James says first, which is to submit ourselves to God. If we fail to do so, the devil will absolutely laugh in our face.
Sometimes the devil is portrayed as wearing a red suit and carrying a pitchfork, but he is way smarter than that. He will use every imaginable disguise to cover up his real motives and his real goal of capturing the souls of humanity. So, let’s keep our eyes open.
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For informa-tion, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.
