Satan has a tackle box full of lures within which he has a lure, a lust, a temptation, a draw, an enticement, a deception or suggestion that is tailored to every human personality on earth! He is without peer in the world of the spirit or this physical world in his ability to deceive and capture the minds of men. He is a master at his craft and has had thousands of years to perfect his act. Without Jesus Christ serving as your High Priest and the Holy Spirit empowering you, you are no match for Satan. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, can attest to that fact. (See I Kings Chapter 11).
The Roman Catholic Church is an excellent example of how Satan moves behind the scenes to thwart the will and plan of God. This is evident to the spiritually astute observer in the use of the Roman Catholic Missal used each and every Sunday when Roman Catholics come together to worship. The missal follows the “liturgical” year and that exact same missal can be found in use at every mass, in every Roman Catholic church or cathedral around the world. The missal is a small pamphlet that prescribes beforehand what scriptures are to be read and the subject of the sermon that will be delivered that Sunday by the priest. A priest in Paducah, Kentucky will cite the same scriptures and speak on the same subject as a priest in Boise, Idaho, Sacramento, California or Macon, Georgia. The Holy Spirit and God’s truth are hindered marvelously among the Roman Catholic congregations. Satan’s cleverness is never more apparent to the true spiritual mind. I give Satan his due. He is very good at what he does. His greatest deceptions are never seen for what they truly are.
And, if you think Satan has no such hindering power, think again. “But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire, wherefore we would have come unto you, EVEN I PAUL, once and again, BUT SATAN HINDERED US.” (I Thessalonians 2:17-18). Yes, the mighty apostle Paul was hindered by Satan from getting to the Thessalonian congregation again and again! (I can’t begin to number the times Satan has hindered me from getting God’s truth into the minds of those walking in darkness). Don’t limit God, but don’t under estimate Satan either.
A Roman Catholic congregation might be desperately in need of hearing God’s truth concerning a certain doctrine or belief, yet their priest is bound to reading totally unrelated scriptures and speaking on a more mundane subject. Potential suicides in a congregation might need to hear God’s word that fully addresses their need and problem while the priest reads scriptures speaking about tithing and his message is geared to his flock giving more sacrificially.
Know your enemy, friend. Know your enemy.
Christ’s Aged Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley