S a t a n is a d e c e i v e r . He uses personality problems to snare unsuspecting Christians out of service, blight their testimonies, and deface their lives. He operates from our blind side, and his most deadly weapons are deception and our ignorance. Our own personality weak nesses may not be clearly understood by us, but they are plain to Satan. He sees us much as we really are. It is through these weaknesses that he finds an easy oppor tunity to oppress us. Satan has a rerqarkable intelligence too. He is able to conceal himself so cleverly in our daily circumstances that we are quite unaware of his presence. We are in clined to Overlook him completely. This also gives him a great advantage, but we have this relieving consola tion: God is greater than Satan. His Word declares, “ Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4). We Christians have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, and we need not be defeated by the devil. We can be aware of “his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11) and have the victory by putting on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11-18). Let us study some of the more frequently used psy chological snares that Satan uses. I. THE SNARE OF UNCERTAINTY Some people have a deep-seated feeling of uncertainty in their personalities which prevents them from resting on the promises of God. They always seem to be grasping for something sure, but they don’t know quite what it is. Mrs. Evans was like this. “ I pray for forgiveness,” she said, “ but why is it that I don’t really feel forgiven?” Mrs. Evans had been an active Christian since the age of twelve when she was converted. In recent years, how ever, it seemed more and more evident to her that she
couldn’t do anything right, and when she prayed for a closer walk with God, nothing happened. “God doesn’t seem to answer my prayers as He does for others,” she complained. “ I guess He doesn’t care for me, or I don’t have enough faith, or something! I can’t continue teaching others when I feel so out of touch myself.” There are many people like Mrs. Evans. Some are trying to carry on in spite of their secret feelings, and others are dropping out of service and withdrawing to themselves. They not only misunderstand their own con dition, but they are misunderstood by others who try to encourage them. What is the cause of this problem? One is the gen eral deterioration of love in the home. Our society is producing a certain inverted type of personality which finds it most difficult to respond to the usual Gospel em phases' of “ take it to the Lord,” “ pray it through,” “ give God a chance,” and “ only believe more.” Advice which tells a person to do something reduces him to feelings of utter failure and unresolved guilt. This is because he never feels he does enough to measure up to what God expects of him. In the subconscious is an underlying problem subtly planted there, and unintentionally too, by unloving par ents. It is a lack of a sense of belonging. In striving for approval from his parents, a child may feel that he never quite succeeds; he never feels assured that he has measured up to what his parents desired. He really is never assured of their love. This leaves him more and more with the feeling of being “ on the outside looking in.” He seldom feels as if he is a vital and enjoyable part of the family group, and most of the time he thinks he is to blame. “ If I were only better, or did more, or something . . .”
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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