If you have ever seen the popular comedy Waterboy, you have got to remember Momma Boucher. Momma Boucher was a strong single parent and we can assume she was religious enough. She didn’t mention much about God, but she knew the devil and she knew him well. She also wanted to make sure that her sweet baby boy Bobby didn’t get corrupted by said devil. That is what any good Christian woman would do to protect her family. Throughout the movie, she works very hard to deter Bobby from evil things like getting an education, gaining independence from her, girls, sports, and for the most part anyone and anything that wasn’t under her control. By the end of the movie she realizes that she is just being ridiculous and she need to let her son grow up and be an independent man. All is well that ends well, Right?
I know the whole premise is insane. Her ability to find the devil in the most basic of things was exhausting, hilarious, but exhausting. Know what else is exhausting? Constantly hearing devout Christians talk about the work of the devil in literally everything they deem inconvenient or inexplicable. Far too often, when we get bad news or something doesn’t work out the way we plan, we deem it to be an attack from the enemy. Really?
Let talk through this:
- You are 30 pounds overweight.
- You don’t exercise.
- You haven’t eaten a salad without bacon or ranch dressing a day in your life.
- You add hot sauce to everything.
- You are always stressed out or hyped up about something (even when it has nothing to do with you.)
You get the unfortunate news that you have hypertension; high blood pressure, if you missed it. But the enemy, as in Satan himself, is trying to kill you He is trying to thwart God’s divine plan for you life by giving you a disease known as the silent killer. Your actions, or lack thereof had nothing to do with your current condition and diagnosis? Don’t get me wrong, this is a serious condition and should be treated as such, but that is the point, it should be TREATED, not touted as though it is something that can’t kill you and ONLY God can change. It would be great if you could just pray it away, but there is action that must be taken on our part to correct and not let the devil of poor diet and lack of exercise win.
A couple of things we all should consider when we perpetuate this idea that the devil has just as much power as God:
- How you see “the devil” will dictate how you handle “the devil”
I have encountered people who attribute, with all seriousness and sincerity, everything to an attack of the enemy or the hand of God. Something as trivial as a front parking spot on a busy shopping day is an act of God if you got it, or the devil trying to steal your joy if you don’t. Have we really come to this? God, busy with knowing and seeing all things, is concerned with where you park during Walmart’s black Friday sale. Are you prophesying by the kitchen appliances? Are you meeting the next Pope on the snack aisle? Yes I believe God can be anywhere and at any moment, He can call someone to share a testimony or cross the path of someone who needs some of Him from you, but I think there are bigger things on His agenda than your parking. Let’s face it, if parking at the back of the parking lot would deter you from doing God’s work, you have bigger, more pressing issues. It’s insane that we can see the devil in heavy traffic, but can’t see the God in the additional alone time. If I decide that every rejection is the devil trying to keep me from a destiny, I bear down and fight harder for it, but if I acknowledge that God has the power to open AND close doors, I might stop and take a moment to ask Him if I am on the path He had planned. Which one brings me closer to my God ordained destiny? Which one challenges me to go deeper in my relationship with Him? Which one allows room for God to guide me to His plan rather than trying to get Him to bless mine. I work very hard to see the God in everything because after all, that is what we teach. If we take every situation and make it an attack on our life, we are always playing defense. If we understand that there is a higher being calling most of the shots, and truly stand on “His will be done…”, we must acknowledge that the vast majority of life’s happenings are apart of His will. How you see the devil is how you handle the devil. Is he really that strong?
2. We have to decide who is more powerful
What is the strongest presence in your life? How much power have you given the enemy by simply allowing him to have a say in the things in your life that simply feel bad? We can’t from the pulpit preach about an ALL POWERFUL GOD and then one-on-one tell people that they are contending with the army of the enemy and is determined to take them out. You can’t tell me God is the most powerful being in the universe, and then tell me about Satan, the devil, having the power to take me out, to thwart God’s plan, to control every aspect of my little life because he, too, is everywhere. Are you asking me to serve the God of Abraham, or even better the God of Job? Are we serving the God that Satan had to ask for permission to do his bidding? That is the God I choose to serve. I am not willing to believe in a God that is equal to His counterpart. I believe that the devil can only do what God will allow him to do. If we believe that, why are we so consumed with satan and his mediocre poorly executed plan? We say it all the time, Satan has no knew tricks. So let’s tackle that in the church, let’s take the time to chart all of this tactics and then list every possible way to combat it. Let’s arm all God’s people with the tools they need to keep Satan in his place. He is simply a wannabe, not even close to an equal and should he treated as such.
