Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can't keep the Christian from going to church. We can’t keep him from reading his Bible and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep him from obeying the Gospel.
“But if we can prevent an intimate association between the believer and Jesus, our power over him will remain unbroken. Therefore, let him go to worship. let him have a pure lifestyle. But STEAL HIS TIME! Without time, he cannot obey Jesus faithfully.”
“How?” shouted his obedient angels.
“This is what 1 want you to do,” taunted Satan. “Distract him! Keep him busy in the non-essentials of life. Invent innumerable schemes to occupy his mind. Tempt him to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wife to go to work. Pressure the husband to work 10-12 hours a day for six or seven days each week, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Soon the family will fragment. Soon the home will offer no escape from the pressures of work!
“Over-stimulate the mind. Entice him to play the radio or CD whenever he drives. Keep the TV, VCR, and PC going constantly at home. Jam his mind. Break that union with Jesus. Fill the coffee table with magazines and newspapers. Pound his mind with news 24 hours a day. Invade the driving moments with billboards, beepers, and cell phones. Flood his mailbox with mail-order catalogues, sweepstakes, and other promotional materials offering free products and false hopes. Keep him busy, busy, busy!”
“Go ahead. Tolerate the Christian as he talks with others about his Savior. But crowd his life with so many good causes that he finds no time to build relationships, have meditative studies, or seek God’s wisdom. Soon he’ll give up, believing ‘I just don't have time.’ Simultaneously, he will sacrifice his health, his family, and even his soul for the good of our cause. It will work! It will work!” cried Satan.
The evil angels left the convention eagerly motivated in their assignments. It was quite a convention!
But not to worry! Every “real” Christian knows these devilish tactics are too extreme and unworkable. After all, there is nothing “in all creation that will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus,” .... is there? Think about it!