The Devil's Favorite Reality Show

Recently, I wasn't behaving in a way that was a good witness to anyone in my home, to my friends, or for God. As I was praying about it, I suddenly realized that when we're separated from God through our own sins, we can become the devil's FAVORITE reality show! 

When we're out of control, the devil likes to walk in and lead us down a primrose path where we really hurt people. People we'll never be able to witness to again with any credibility whatsoever. Not only that, we ruin it for anyone else in the future who tries to witness to the person(s) you've offended.

When we have unconfessed sin, it separates us from God. When we're in that state, the devil can sift us like wheat and believe me, he's laughing all the way to the stage of our terminal "Melt Down!" We have to learn who our enemy is, how he operates and then have a plan of attack to overcome him.

I remember going into service one Sunday, greeting other church goers. One woman I knew from bible study class, didn't say hello back to me. I thought, "Well, I never! Why was she so dismissive to me?" I sat through the entire service thinking about that and how I would NEVER do that to someone else. The devil was having his day in the sun that day! It should've dawned on me, "That's not like her. I hope everything is ok. I am going to pray for her this week." That's the thought I should've had but alas, was still just a babe in the woods, so I didn't even think about it! I just began judging her!

Some of us blame God for our circumstances and how unhappy it has made us without ever thinking, "How did I get here?" Some of us blame our families, boss, you name it, but we never look in the mirror to discover who the real culprit "might" really be. God gives us a choice in every situation. We get to pick and choose how we behave, how we talk, who we trust, etc. The devil? This is his world. We live on his turf! He gets the first crack at us and sometimes, he wins!

I was thinking about this and suddenly had a vision. I could see him, the "prince of darkness," in his fine linen suit, dark features, prince like, but dark, with a shiny black crown of onyx on his head. His legs were thrown sideways over the arm of his big shiny black Lazy Boy, there in hell. He was leaning back in uproarious laughter as he ate his popcorn and began flipping channels through billions of people's lives. He was laughing at me, at us, at every Christian that he's ever had in his cross hairs and was able to cause us to slip and sin against God. He goes at us until he can discombobulate us into an outburst, a curse word, taking God's name in vain, being angry, etc. Thus the scriptures say of him, "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy." (John 10:10).

When we don't follow Christ's commands and live for the Lord like we're suppossed to, we give a foothold to the devil and his demons. They come in steathily, with subtle thoughts to make us doubt ourselves, doubt God, doubt everything. We're to take "all thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5). When we don't do so, we have failed to use the fail safe promised by God in His word. The New Testament says He will always provide "a way of escape" (1 Corinthians 10:13), from any and all temptations. 

I love using that way of "escape," and telling the devil to go away in "Jesus" name! He thinks he's slick, but Jesus provides me a way out by showing me that those thoughts don't match Philippians 4:8, and I immediately dump them in the trash!

My mess is just one of billions of the devil's favorite reality shows. Now, I'm not picking on anyone, because the bible says "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).

While we're still on earth, we can pray for forgiveness of all sin, even stuff we can't remember and Jesus will forgive us. (1 John 1:9)

He loves us and wants to have a closer relationship with us. He wants us to fight the devil so that He can tell him, "Satan? Bite the Dust!"