Pride, Ignorance, Instinct and Emotion - Feb 25

If there's one positive attribute that can be laid at the Devil's feet is that he's always busy. The ways of Satan is one of corruption and mischief. The world system in place is in ideological synchronicity with the wicked one.

Satan's Prime Task: To Get You Thinking Negatively About God

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth - the one who accuses them before our God day and night.
(Revelation 12:10)

In a court in any Western nation you have an adversarial system of justice. On one side is the Crown (representing the Queen). The other is a lawyer for the defense. Witnesses are called and the cross examination begins. Most of the time it works. Sometimes it doesn't. A jury may choose to believe a lie or it may reject the truth and so a miscarriage of justice can result. Satan wants nothing more than to get you to distrust God and to place doubt as to the accuracy and the timeless and universal nature of His perfect manuscript, the Bible.

What Human Nature is Really Like

This has and will continue to be a point of contention with the Marxists and the secularists. I do not buy into the argument about the inherent goodness of Man. I say the word 'buy' because I feel I'm being ripped off as one would get sold faulty goods. Human nature is not a pretty thing to behold. Here are four major stumbling blocks that need to be hurdled in order for humanity to progress.

Pride

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
(Philippians 3:7-8a)

Without a doubt, this is the foundation of most sins. The desire to elevate oneself or diminish others is the signature of pride. Racism is pride. So are sexist attitudes. The worst kind of pride is religious pride. Self-sufficiency and smugness are attributes the Devil loves to see in a person. There is no greater religious lie than the idea that we can justify ourselves before God on our own merits. The apostle Paul considered himself justified because of his credentials. Yet when he came to the truth his pride melted away.

Ignorance

Have you ever found yourself in a political discussion? I enjoy a vigorous debate, yet I find myself cringing most of the time at the ignorant opinions being thrown around. The exercise becomes sheer folly as one person dominates with their rhetoric and bombast. The whole point of debate is to allow your peers and equals a chance to counter your argument. As in politics, we are also born ignorant of spiritual things. Our attempts to connect with God (and spiritual matters) apart from the workings of the Holy Spirit is just as equally foolish.

Instinct

Ever jumped to a conclusion? Have you ever made a hasty and irrational decision about someone (or something) only to be later proven incorrect? That's instinct. In layman's terms it's called a knee-jerk reaction. I find myself laughing at the news whenever they have a 'Man on the Street' interview. Most responses are ill-informed and superfluous. I think the only purpose they serve is to boost ratings and make the subject look stupid. We remember all to well the sheepish feeling we had when we made an (usually incorrect) instinctive decision.

Emotion

Our emotions are indeed an integral part of who we are. Yet how often are we led astray when we judge with a corrupt heart? What we feel - and the decisions we make as a result - can have disasterous consequences. A discussion between two adults can be going swimmingly until one gets emotional. The whole exchange rapidly goes downhill from there. The raw appeal to emotion is one we see constantly from entertainers and politicians (Is there a difference between the two?). The Devil uses his proxies to do the same when it comes to relating to our Creator. Any emotion that leads us away from God's love is one to be avoided.

Don't Be A Dupe!

Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
(Psalm 44:22)

Now that you've seen the extent of the problem, what are we to do? Nobody wants to be a patsy. Nobody deliberately chooses to follow after a lie that leads to harm. There's a dearth of discernment in this day and age. Like a baseball hitting the sweet spot, there's something to be said about getting it right the first time. If you want the truth - and nothing but - the only true path to understanding is through Jesus Christ. We must be born again! Without the presence and working of the Holy Spirit in our lives we becomes dupes and pawns in this fallen world. There's no other way to enlightenment.

Johnny Cash