Thought of the Day !!

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

We get mad at people who deceive, harm or simply irritate us. We lash out at men and women trained to kill our own country's men and women in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. We may even hate this evil man that is said to be responsible for planning the 9/11 attacks. What Paul is telling us is that it's not the flesh and blood people that we are struggling with. It's the evil forces that have convinced them of a lie.

The devil is behind all the evil in this world. I've said it before, and I'll say it many more times before I die. The devil is REAL! And he ain't the old cartoon character with a pitchfork! And he ain't what we see in all these modern horror flicks! The devil is with you and me daily struggling to get our attention. He's tempting us with things that God wouldn't use. He's trying to get us a little further away from our Father in Heaven on a daily basis. And he's good at his job.

So just remember that instead of hating people that you see as enemies, it would be better to feel sorry for them. Jesus said to love them. Maybe this is because he knew that the truth was that they were merely pawns in the devil's game.

Whether Osama Bin Laden or the person next door that you have an ongoing feud with, remember that it's the devil working behind all the evil things going on. Then look to see if part of the evil going on is coming from you.

Pray for your enemies, said Jesus. Pray for yourself so as not to fall into temptation (Jesus actually said that too). And know that your struggle is not against people, but against the liar who's convinced them that it's alright to be a part of evil.

In the love of Christ,
greg