The Devil Made Me Do It?

The graph above was printed front page in USA-TODAY last week. No article, no comments; just the poll results. So, I’ll add the commentary. Some might say that a 4% drop in belief in the devil isn’t much (it’s actually a 6.5% drop from 62%) but extrapolate that decline out over time. In another decade we’d nearly be at the mid tipping-point with half of Americans no longer taking Satan seriously. (Two years ago a Barna Group survey claimed that only 43% of Americans believe the devil to be a “living entity” as opposed to a symbol of evil.) Contrast this change with the rise in violent crime, terrorist attacks, sexual violations, child abuse, and wars and rumors of wars around the world. Dismiss the idea of the devil and who’s left to blame? Humanity as a whole? You mean we’re not on an evolutionary ascent to greater nobility as a species?

In the original preface to his famous expose on evil, Screwtape Letters, author C. S. Lewis wrote about “the two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils . . . to disbelieve in their existence [or] . . . to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Lewis concluded that the devils “are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” On another occasion Lewis said, “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” As an exorcist confronting the devil on a daily basis, I can attest that Satan is very real and exceedingly active. Check out our YouTube Exorcism Channel (CLICK HERE) if you doubt me. Come to one of our seminars and see the reality of possession up-close and personal. Most off all, do whatever you can to get rid of Satan’s influence in your life. (Call 303-980-1511 to schedule a Personal Encounter.) Remember, the reality of the devil doesn’t depend on polls reflecting the whims of public opinion. Satan’s existence is validated by Scripture and backed up by Christ himself who faced the Evil One in the wilderness temptation.

An encouraging word:  WALKING RIGHTEOUSLY

“Who may dwell in your sanctuary?” David asks (Psalm 15:1). Good question. The sanctuary is where God is, so David is really asking, “Who can walk in God’s presence?” The next verse answers: “He who does what is righteous.” In the midst of American feel-good theology and seeker-friendly evangelism, too many avoid the call to righteous, true character that comes from internal humility and external morality. Righteousness is what God does or does not see when he looks at us. To walk righteously you’ll need to drop the fa�ade and allow others to see who God sees. Prayerfully, that will be righteousness and behaviorally consistent.