Satan did not lose any time in creating problems for the Church immediately after the Feast of Tabernacles. A vehicle accident south of Las Vegas had two Church members trapped in traffic for several hours, delaying their arrival home for a considerable amount of time. Others going south took some alternate routes, causing major delays in their arrival times also. Thankfully, even though I had to go to Las Vegas for my flight, the accident was south of the city and I was not affected by it.
Eventually everyone made it home, including the German brethren that had stayed for a further week before leaving for home.
That in no way implies that problems have suddenly disappeared and that all things are now running smoothly; on the contrary, one member discovered a leaking faucet that occurred during the Feast which caused considerable water damage to their home. A few days after arrival, I had to replace a fridge and had issues with a rocking chair, and recently winds in Southern California caused structural damage to a member’s shed and another suffered damage to lawn furniture. So, Satan has been very busy and we can expect troubles and trials in the months ahead.
We cannot allow these occurrences to get us down; but rather, we must weather the storm by staying close to God as admonished by the Apostle James. We read in James 4:8: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
This is a principle we must never forget. As the days grow shorter and temperatures drop and we see a long period of time before the next Holy Day, we may get the winter doldrums and start relaxing a bit in our spiritual responsibilities toward God. We may tell ourselves, “I will pray tomorrow, I am really busy now, ” forgetting the fact that prayer is a tool used to stay close to God. We should remind ourselves of Christ’s example who rose early and went to a quiet place to pray without interruption. We must not replace our prayer with wanting to check the news or looking at our cell phones which can be used effectively by Satan to get us away from duties related to our relationship with God. We read in Mark 1:35: “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
How are we doing in this area?
We should be careful about what we allow into our minds which can affect our behavior and relationship with God. Satan as the prince and power of the air has lots of tricks to try to get us off track. Ephesians 2:1-2 tells us: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…”
There is no shortage of things to get us off track, as we read in 2 Corinthians 2:11: “… lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
One of his key devices is to get us to compromise in some small way. The compromise, if not dealt with, will grow and could be detrimental to our salvation if we don’t repent and turn to God.
There are at least three ways in which Satan can negatively influence our minds:
1. What may be shown on TV and in many movies is oftentimes PG “pure garbage” which can affect our thinking. It also includes what we see with our eyes and brings to mind the stern warning from Christ in Matthew 5:29: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
2. What we read and put into our minds may not be profitable but may tear us down and reduce our Godly standards.
3. What we listen to can include lies, deception and false teachings. We must discern those and turn away from them.
When we are praying regularly and staying close to God, we can guard against Satan’s efforts to distract us and distance us from God. Always remember, if we draw near to God, He will in turn draw near to us and help us overcome the adversary and get us closer to our eternal reward.