By Pastor Greg
Four guys are driving
cross-country together -- one from Idaho, one from Iowa, one from Florida, and
one from New York. One day, after many miles spent together, the man from Idaho starts
pulling potatoes from his bag and tossing them out the window. The man
from Iowa asks, "What the heck are you doing?" The man
from Idaho says, "Man, we have so many of these things in Idaho -- I'm
sick of looking at them!" After a
few more miles, the man from Iowa begins tossing ears of corn out the window. The man from Florida asks, "What are you
doing?" The man from Iowa replies, "Man, we have so many of
these things in Iowa -- I'm sick of looking at them!” Inspired by the others, the man from Florida pushes
the New Yorker out the door.
I guess he just couldn’t resist
the temptation.
Back when I was younger, we used
to say, “The Devil made me do it!”
However, today I know better. The
Devil can’t *make* me do anything,
especially now that I am a Christian.
Oh, he can influence. He can nag
and whisper sinful ideas in my ear, but
does not *make* me. And that got me to
thinking about Judas Iscariot – the man who betrayed Jesus for 30 silver
coins. What motivated him to do such a
thing? What happened to him? Was he ever really a follower of Jesus in the
first place?
John the Apostle seems to imply that
Judas never was a believer, which means he was an open target. Without the Spirit protecting him, his heart
was open to being used by Satan.
18 “I am not saying these
things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the
Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’ 19 I
tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I Am
the Messiah. 20 I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my
messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father
who sent me.” 21 Now
Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you
will betray me!” 22 The
disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. 23 The
disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. 24 Simon
Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s he talking about?” 25 So
that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus responded, “It is the
one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he
gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. 27 When Judas had
eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do
what you’re going to do.” 28 None of the others at the table
knew what Jesus meant. 29 Since Judas was their treasurer, some
thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money
to the poor. 30 So Judas left at once, going out into the night (John 13:18-30).
John says that Satan “entered”
Judas, implying that Satan took possession of the man to accomplish his dirty
work. He was a “Wolf in the Fold.” This concerns me. You see, Judas worked closely with Jesus.
Paired with Simon the Zealot, the two traveled around Israel preaching
that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, command by Jesus to “heal the sick,
raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons” (see Matthew 10:5-8). Yet even though Judas would experience all
these things, he would betray Jesus in the end.
Satan took control of this man who walked with Jesus, and I can’t help
but wonder if the same thing could happen to you
or to me.
The good news is that Satan cannot
take control of a Christian. As Born
Again Christians, there is a new nature within us. God’s Holy Spirit fills us and dwells within
us, keeping Satan from possessing us.
However, that does not stop the Devil from influencing us – whispering
to our sinful nature and luring us away from God – which makes me wonder if my
decisions and actions have been guided by the Spirit of God or if my mind has
been influenced by Satan.
Some things are easy to
discern. Lying is clearly wrong. Sex outside of marriage is wrong. These issues are spelled out quite clearly in
scripture. However, some life decisions
are not so easy. For example, at what
point should I remove a loved one from life support? Where is the line between Grace and
Punishment for someone who has wronged me?
How should I vote in Church related issues and even political related matters? Guidance for decisions
like these is not clearly spelled out in scripture. So we have to trust the leading of the Spirit
to make the right decision. But how do we know when we are following the
Spirit or are being influenced by Satan?
No one wants to be the “Wolf in the Fold” – the one who is being
manipulated by Satan. Each of us wants to
make decisions that follow the will of God.
How do we do that?
In my own life, I have found that
James 3:17-18 provides some guidance when faced with making decisions. James writes, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure.
It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others.
It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always
sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of
peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.”
Where things are clearly spelled
out in Scripture, we follow the Lord’s
teaching. But, when we’re not clear on
how to respond or how to act or what to say, James gives us some sound
advice. He points out that “jealousy and
selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual,
and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and
evil of every kind” (James 3:15-17).
So my advice to you is to spend some time thinking through your
decision. What effect will it have on
your relationship with God and on your Christian witness? Does your decision bring peace to a stressful situation, or will it make matters
worse? Have you considered the feelings
of others, or is this truly a selfish decision on your part? Do you see what James is trying to say here? A choice or a decision guided by the Spirit
will maintain your holiness and purity.
The Spirit will guide you in ways that demonstrate mercy toward
others. On the other hand, the Devil
will influence you to selfishly disregard others and your relationship with
God. He will pressure you to put your
needs ahead of others.
Although the Bible clearly teaches
that a person filled with God’s Holy Spirit cannot be possessed by the Devil
(Luke 11:21-22), a Christian is still open to Satan’s influence. A Christian who prays and reads their Bible
is not immune from Satan’s influence.
This is why the Lord teaches us to pray, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver
us from evil” (Matthew 5:13).
Paul instructs us to wield the “Shield of Faith” to protect us from the
flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). Peter warns believers to “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the
devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour”
(1 Peter 5:8).
Throughout the New Testament,
believers are warned to stay alert. Believers must be on their guard. Satan is looking for some unsuspecting victim
to tear down what the Lord is trying to build up. This is why a believer must maintain a steady
defense – why they must be strong in their faith. A believer who is not alert just might become
the unsuspecting pawn of Satan.
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