Alright now. Don’t do anything you are going to regret. Just put down the gun and everything is going to be okay.

So goes a scene in just about every crime drama that has ever aired. The bottom line? Crime fighting is extremely dangerous until you disarm the bad guys. Give law enforcement officials a criminal without weapons and they’ll have an easy time of things. Arm a criminal with an arsenal and dozens of well trained, heavily armed SWAT members will surround that man’s house for hours until some type of resolution is achieved.

photo credit: West Midlands Police via photopin cc

If I were the devil (And I am so very thankful that I am not!), I would see Christians as the bad guys—enemy soldiers who present a dangerous threat to my dark domain. But I wouldn’t be bothered by all Christians. Those preoccupied with the things of this world would present minimal threats so, other than getting some glee through occasional harassment, I would mostly ignore them.

The “chumps” who actively serve the King, however, would be a different story. To effectively deal with these misguided souls I would do everything within my power to divide (and conquer), distract, pacify, and corrupt. I would undermine their belief that they can make a difference in this world so that they retreat into their “holy huddles” holding on for dear life until His supposed second coming.

Above all, I would seek to disarm them, making every available effort to con the fools into voluntarily laying down their weapons. What demented pleasure I find in being able to kill, steal, and destroy with little or no opposition!

Since I lack the power to overpower Christians (Fortunately for me, most of them don’t know this.), I would resort to those tried and true methods that I’ve utilized ever since I’ve been on this horrid planet—stealth and deception. And, just as I did in the beginning, I would cause them to doubt who He is and all that He says.

Yes, indeed, disarming those mindless robots  would provide the most promise for my diabolical efforts. No corporate prayer, minimal individual prayer, and self-centered prayer requests—filled with doubt, of course—must be the order of the day.

Then, of all importance, I would minimize the dangerous work of that dreadful Holy Spirit. If I can get them to ignore His existence and keep them blind to His potential power in their lives, I will be able to kill, steal, and destroy with ease. Better still, I’ll be able to divide their ranks  if I can convince some unsuspecting creatures that His work is actually my work.

Yep, those are just a few of the things that I would do if I were the devil. Oh, wait! It looks as though he has already done them.

Effective service to God is not reserved for those elite few who deliver eloquent speeches and carry themselves with charisma, which, to us, carries a connotation far from the original meaning of the word. We see charisma as a certain type of charm or dynamic personality. Charisma in the New Testament referred to grace gifts given freely by God to bless and empower His people.

Through the often mysterious empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the great God of the Universe is able to do awesome things through average—and even below average—people. Let’s not allow ourselves to be disarmed by intelligent sounding arguments!

banner photo credit: Waiting For The Word via photopin cc