Resist, Don't Persist 

I’ve been reading the C.S, Lewis classic, The Screw Tape Letters, recently. If you’re unfamiliar, I’ll give you a brief synopsis.  Screwtape, an accomplished demon in Satan’s employ, is writing letters to his nephew, Wormwood, in an attempt help him win converts.  The book was written in 1942, but is just as applicable today as any time in Christian history. One of the letters elaborates on how to treat the “patient” (the convert-in-the-making) when he is in a trough, or rut as we would call it. Discouragement is probably the greatest of Satan’s tools.  Once he can pry into a patient’s heart, it’s a simple trip to get him to forget about God.  Bingo, another one-way ticket to

H E Double Hockey Sticks, gets printed up.  Let’s face it we’ve all been in that ticket line one time or another. The issue for us is, how do I get out?  My kindergarten granddaughter has been dealing with some changes in her life recently.  You could say she was in a trough.  She’d dissolve in tears at the thought of school, new situations, old situations, well, you name it, they all bothered her.  God laid it on my mind to talk to her about the book, and address her own sneaky demon.  I decided to call him Slimyblob.  As we chatted, we drew pictures of him, and discussed the power she had, through Jesus, to make him go.  We had a great time, and it helped!!  I even wrote an accompanying poem for her to recite next time he rears his slimy head.  I think we can all benefit from it.  I know I can! Here it is:

 

I know a little demon, Slimyblob’s his name.

He loves to scare me, everyday

It is his favorite game.

 

I asked him why he does it,

He laughed and told me, SIT!

The Big Boss makes me bug you,

If not, he’d have a fit!

 

It’s my job to make you sad,

I love to see you cry.

We demons work for Satan,

And he’s a nasty guy!

 

Don’t ever mention Jesus,

I’ll tell you he’s a phony.

You can’t trust in what he says,

It’s nothing but baloney!

 

Well, what he said it made me mad.

I know it isn’t true.

Jesus isn’t lunchmeat,

He’s loving through and through!

 

“Get back to where you came from!”

I yelled in his green face.

You have no power over me,

So, get out of my space!

 

He had to leave, that is the rule,

And all the demons know it.

Cause when I call on Jesus’ name,

He has to make a quick split!

 

Oh, he’ll be back, I know he will.

That’s what demons do.

So, I’ll be ready next time,

To remind him, God, of you!!

 

Please be emboldened and encouraged by this power and authority that Jesus left us.  So, next time you find yourself in a trough, tell him to hit the road in the name of Jesus.  Now that’s good news!!  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7