On March 1, 1932, the attention of America was focused on the son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, kidnapped from his home at the age of 20 months. The child was taken from his second-story room through an open window by the use of a ladder. A ransom note for $50,000 was found in the room, along with muddy footprints. Three days later the ransom increased to $70,000, but soon the child’s dead body was found less than a mile from home. The parents were heartbroken and ended up donating their mansion to charity and moving to a new location.
The kidnapping went unsolved until September, 1934, when a marked bill turned up at a gas station. The attendant was suspicious and he wrote down the license number of the car, which led to an arrest, conviction and eventual electrocution in 1936. Ransom money found in the suspect’s home as well as testimony from handwriting experts convinced the jury of the kidnapper’s guilt. This tragic case eventually resulted in kidnapping being made a federal crime.
There is no question that the kidnapping of an innocent child is a very terrible tragedy. Today, human trafficking has exploded in the world, with children as young as 12 exploited by forced labor, prostitution, and organ removal. 50,000 are trafficked in America every year, with a large number targeted using online social media platforms or even through the foster care system.
But far worse than any kind of kidnapping in the world today is the kidnapping of the human soul by the enemy of God. Ever since the devil was ejected from heaven for rebelling against God, he has attempted to take control of the human soul through deception and every means possible. His first attempt was to appear in the Garden of Eden in the form of a serpent to deceive Eve into disobeying the one single rule that God had given to her and Adam.
“Words from Above in I Peter 5:8 warn us to “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.” In II Corinthians 4:4, the apostle Paul calls the devil “the god of this world”, and says that he “blinds the minds of people who do not believe in God so that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” This is purely an attempt to prevent unbelievers from being exposed to the truth of the gospel. Jesus in John 8 calls the devil “a liar, and also the father of lies”. His greatest desire is to kidnap and destroy our souls.
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.
