Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is
it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit
and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Acts 5:3
AS WE
MOVE FARTHER ON IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE we may expect to encounter increased
hostility from the enemy of our souls. Although this is seldom presented to
Christians as a fact of life it is a very solid fact indeed as every experienced
Christian knows, and one we shall learn how to handle or stumble over to our
own undoing.
If Satan
opposes the new convert he opposes still more bitterly the Christian who is
pressing on toward a higher life in Christ. The Spirit-filled life is not, as
many suppose, a life of peace and quiet pleasure. It is likely to be something
quite the opposite.
Satan
hates the true Christian for several reasons. One is that God loves him, and
whatever is loved by God is sure to b e hated by the devil. Another is that the
Christian, being a child of God, bears a family resemblance to the Father and
to the household of faith. A third reason is that a true Christian is a former
slave who has escaped from the galley, and Satan cannot forgive him f or this
affront. A fourth reason is that a praying Christian is a constant threat to
the stability of Satan’s government. The Christian is a holy rebel loose in the
world with access to the throne of God.
Satan
never knows from what direction his danger will come. Who knows when another
Elijah will arise, or another Daniel? or a Luther, a Finney or a Booth?
No comments:
Post a Comment