Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

We Live In Evil And Dangerous Times

EPHESIANS 5:15-16 – Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

THEME OF THE DAY. WE LIVE IN EVIL AND DANGEROUS TIMES. This world is a dangerous place. And I am not talking about the physical dangers we face. Oh, they are real, but the dangers of the most severe kind are in the spiritual realm. Always remember, we are eternal spiritual beings living in a temporary physical place. When I mention “always remember” it is because we easily forget. We are constantly tempted to place way too much emphasis, invest way too much time and energy in the things of this passing physical world. Our primary reason for living in this physical world is to prepare for our eternal existence in the next world. Keep that before us as we run the race and fight the good fight of faith on the way to our real home – heaven. So, with the acknowledgement that the primary danger in life is in the spiritual realm, let’s identify the source of dangers. The soldier best prepared for battle is the one best informed of the enemies to be faced.

First, we face the spiritual danger from the devil. This fiendish foe has one objective in our lives – devour us. The Apostle Peter warns us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The word “devour” means to “destroy completely, to swallow up in one drink.” The devil is not out to make our life a little hard or inconvenient. Nor is his aim to cause us harm. No, he is committed to our total and complete devastation. And one of the greatest and most effective ways he will do this is to get God’s people to deny his existence. I marvel sometimes over Christians who want to get into debate over all the ills and problems in our nation. They advocate more education, more legislation, and even advocate activism as the way to heal the land and bring violence under control. All those have their place as being good citizens, but nothing we do will stop the evil in this land. Why? The devil. He is called the “god of this world” and all evil finds its source in the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4). When Christians don’t remember there is a personal and literal devil roaming in our world seeking destruction, they are already in the roaring lion’s mouth.

Our second foe making our lives on earth a spiritually dangerous place is the world. Not the physical world, but the godless world of sensuality seeking with all its allurements to distract Christians from holiness and Biblical separation. The Apostle John commands, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16). Friends, the Christian life is “either/or” . . . we either love the world and not God; or love God and not the world. No Christian can have a heart in the world and heaven. And the way to know if the world is causing us serious spiritual damage in our lives is to ask, “Where is my heart?” If it’s in heaven, then our time, resources, and energy will be there, not in the things of the world.

The final, and perhaps the most deadly of foes, is our flesh; the remaining sin in us that wages constant battle against the Spirit of God in us – “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Galatians 5:17). And what will the flesh do to severely damage us spiritually? Resistance and distraction. The flesh will never submit to faithful attendance in church, diligence in the Word, and consistency in prayer. And distractions? The flesh will always put earthly pleasures and pursuits ahead of spiritual. The danger is the flesh will distract by good, not sinful things, but keep us from the best things.

We live in evil and dangerous times. Remember, the worst danger is in the unseen, spiritual world. Be informed and armed against them.

PRAYER: “Lord, keep me close to Your side that I might have discernment in the dangerous world I live.”

QUOTE: “Ignorance of our spiritual enemies assures of spiritual defeat at the hands of our enemies.”