Growing up in Dallas, the buckle of the Bible belt, I’ve heard all kinds of things about the state of our nation. I’ve heard everything from it’s going to Hell in a hand-basket with Obama leading the way (and Clinton before him), to us desperately needing to fight back about redefining marriage, to people really not caring what happens politically as long as it doesn’t bother them. Perhaps the most daunting statement is that Satan is trying to destroy America. There’s just one problem with that.
At least he doesn’t care about destroying America as a nation. He doesn’t even care about stripping away the conservative values of the 1950’s. Satan’s goal isn’t to remove the freedom we’ve come to take for granted in America. It’s just not. Satan has one goal, and that’s to destroy the lives of Christians and subvert the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, he may use politics and value systems and “alternative lifestyles” as tools of the trade, but that’s all they are.
Satan will readily give us conservative value systems as long as that remains our focus. He’ll give us health and wealth and even help us land our dream job and dream family as long as our focus stays on those things in this life and he gets to drag our soul to Hell in the next life. We know this because that old dragon offered Jesus all the kingdoms in the world if Jesus would just worship him. He offered Jesus a Satanic solution to His problems, a way of ruling and reigning without going through the cross. And that’s exactly what the Devil’s doing to us now.
I firmly believe that we need Christian politicians and lawyers and in other fields to help stand in the gap for the weak, the poor, and the marginalized. I don’t mean to minimize that at all. But what we’ve got to see here is that everything that seems to attack our “Christian way of life” is a distraction so he can make a much more subtle attack where it counts. He’s throwing his left hand out so we focus on that while he gets ready to clock us and blindside us with his right hand.
Ephesians 6:12 ESV
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Satan’s goal is to distract us from the real war. He wants us focused on politics and social issues and freedoms and equal rights. He wants us focused on anything other than preaching and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives AND with our lips. The serpent’s end game is to rob us of our joy in this life and destroy our lives for all eternity. His goal is to throw us off our game, to distract us from living out the great commission.
Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
In America we have so taken for granted the freedoms we’ve had and the conservative values that Christianity produces that we’ve come to think that’s what Christianity is, and that’s what we should fight to maintain, when that isn’t Christianity. It’s just not. Yes, we should indeed seek to be salt, the preservative that maintains that which is good and right and holds back darkness. But we primarily affect culture by making disciples, not by being political lobbyists.
We have to be wise. We have to make the best use of the time, because the days are evil indeed. We can debate the will of God all day long when it comes to nuanced Theological issues, but His overall will for the Christian is simple: make disciples. Spending time and energy on anything at the expense of making disciples is foolish, and it’s sinful. We need to repent. We need to fight the fight that matters, and it’s not on Capitol Hill. It’s in our prayer closet and at the local coffee shop.
