The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Text for this Sunday's sermon/conversation at The River: Ephesians 6:10-20 (NLT)

So, how do we fight the devil? I mean... he is the Prince of Darkness, right? It's his world - him and his minions (i.e., evil spirits, demons, etc.) - so how are we supposed to do battle with such a powerful enemy? Do we just ignore him so he'll go away? Do we look deep within ourselves... finding our inner warrior with which to defeat him? Do we band together and take him on with ams locked together and determination in our hearts? Do we just give up and retreat from him wherever and whenever we can? For that matter, is he even real...? Did "the devil really make me do it?" Maybe the presence of evil is real, but it is just that... a nameless, faceless foe that is more a figment of the imagination than reality? What the hell are we supposed to know about the devil? (Sorry, couldn't resist!)


I believe the answer to those questions kind of depends on what (and whom) you see as your spiritual authority. Is the Bible just another book...? That is, an ancient religious book - a literary classic - that nevertheless was written by mere men a long time ago...? Is it nothing more than a collection of stories designed by liars (or well-intentioned folks) to manipulate and control weak-minded people looking for answers to their deepest questions? Or is the Bible somehow... some way the very breath of God...? That is, more than mere information... but actually a (continuously) divine revelation from the Creator to His creation? Is God real...? And if so, could he (if he so chose) communicate with us?


I believe yes - He is real. So is His word. He has found a way to reveal his mysterious, powerful, gracious, forgiving and deeply loving self to us - a broken and disconnected creature that seeks to be fixed. But we are no mere creature. We are humans - created in God's image - and therefore, we (most of us) desperately seek the salvation of, and reconnection to the only one true God powerful enough, and willing, to make it happen.


And that same Bible - the living, breathing, dynamic revelation of the insanely personal, wholly relational and utterly illogical God who went to the ends of the earth to save us - tells us that Satan is real, and is frighteningly powerful. So powerful, in fact, that we are not capable of defeating him and his army in and of ourselves. Unlike "Johnny" in the old classic country song, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," we are not wise to try and take him on directly... because if we do we'll lose miserably. And losing to Satan is like losing to the Borg (for you Trekkies)... "resistance is futile." In the end... if we don't turn to Christ, we'll simply become absorbed into the realm of darkness - the very darkness we attempted to defeat - and become just another of the devil's minions.


Luckily though... we don't have to do all that much in this battle. Mostly it's about resisting the enemy by staying close to our commander in three primary ways. (1) Listening (for the breath of God), (2) Praying (to the Spirit of God)... and (3) Obeying the will of God. In essence, our call is to simply trust the One - the only one - who has the power to utterly and completely destroy Satan and his ilk. It takes nothing more than the faith of a child to defeat the enemy of our soul. Hmmmm... who woulda thunk it could be that simple?


Thank God.