I observed some folks mentally applauding this meme:
“If churches want to help people heal they need to become trauma-informed. Everything is not the devil.”
As it garnered “likes” I thought to myself ( and posted):
Who or what do you think was responsible for the evil that caused some of that trauma?
When one has smelled the harassing spirit of fear, knows what the spirit of envy and cowardice looks like, recognizes the spirit of deception, sees the spirit of paranoia or suffering standing in the presence of a person you begin to realize how present evil is in this present dark realm. Not fearful, just fact. But greater is he that is in believers in Christ than he that is in the world. When the Light is come, the darkness flees.
I have no problem with a church understanding that evil exists. I have a problem with the way some think it should be dealt with….. invoking fear, inducing trauma, theatrical physical dramatics, incantations, rituals, waving Bibles or crosses, rushing them off in a flood of emotion to be immersed in “holy water”, condemning persons, coloring mandalas, etc…. I do not see any such conduct by Christ or his apostles. Instead I see prayer, gentleness, compassion, and a call to faith and following Christ in obedience.
Considering how averse many people are to accepting personal responsibility for the consequences of their choices and being disciplined, and to repenting before God and how willing they are to blame others, the devil is a perfect scapegoat everyone can pile on…..It makes me realize what genius God displayed in punishing Lucifer the way he did…. casting him to earth and allowing him to live out his fantasy that he could be more powerful than God, then redeem, redeem, redeem all the destruction Lucifer thinks he can do. What a perfect way to make satan live in his own self-made hell.
Those who understand the power, sovereignty, goodness, and intimate love for his creation that God has have no fear of the devil or of hell. They are safe in the Land of the Living and will never die.
When we act like Lucifer, rebel against godly authority, thinking we can avoid God’s loving discipline, that we are smart enough to avoid consequences, set out to judge others for what we see as their splintered eyes’ vision while ignoring our own beams, or hide from God in fear instead of leaning into him for comfort and reconciliation, we put ourselves into that hell with the Enemy…
Don’t go there. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Love God. Love others. Wake up.