I mentioned a few weeks ago, in my silly celebrity look-alike post, that I have the kind of face that reminds people of “someone” or “someone’s” sister. Today a (moderated) commenter noted that in the recent pic I posted I look like “Glinda, the good witch.” They also admonished me with several exclamation points, “she may be good but she’s still a witch!”

And I thought that picture just made me look tired.

With October only a day away and witches of all sorts (there is no such thing as a “good” witch) popping up in all the retail outlets in anticipation of our nation’s most PC holiday, Halloween, I thought I would give a reminder of whose world this is and how Christians ought to respond to the pagan and occult influences which are proliferating in our culture.

When we experience certain trials, it’s not uncommon for Christians to attribute them to the orchestrations of Satan (or his minions, which is more likely). This is a reasonable assumption as Satan and his demonic followers are committed to shipwrecking the faith of God’s people and overturning God’s kingdom. Sadly, though, it is also not uncommon for Christians to believe that Satan and his demonic followers are capable of succeeding in this fool’s errand. It’s a fool’s errand, because Satan and his demonic followers were definitively defeated at the cross. On Golgotha (”the place of the skull”), Jesus crushed the serpent’s head. There is some venom left in that slithering snake (having seen the demise of a few rattlers we know that the snake may wriggle and bite, even after you smash him to smithereens), but he lost and his wound is so great that he is incapable of ever winning the battle.

I’ve been reading through the book of Matthew to my children during our morning time (and our Bible reading then is very similar to Cindy’s, with lots of pausing for discussion), and we have noticed the many references to demon-possessed people whom our Lord healed. Think of what the world must have been like before “the Light shined in the darkness.” BC was a time when paganism was rampant and wickedness flourished everywhere, even (perhaps especially) in the place where God’s chosen people dwelt. No real justice, no order, no safety, no appeal to righteous authority. Think of Herod the king ordering the slaughter of the innocent babies and the soldiers breaking into homes and butchering those little ones, in Israel, the one place where righteousness ought to have been found.

There is still sin in the world, but there is also hope because of what our Lord has done for us. Where His Word is preached and true believers are found, the darkness retreats before the Light. But the light must not be hidden under a bushel, and the salt must keep its saltiness. Just glancing at the headlines this week, we see evil acts being done, particularly in places where God’s influence has been deliberately removed (i.e., public schools). There is no neutrality: Jesus said that we are either for Him or against Him. Christians need to remember that when we are complicit in relegating God to the safe Sunday corner, Satan will happily move in to occupy the empty places and we have aided and abetted the enemy.

But we do not need to fear the enemy, just be on the alert against him. He is dangerous, but he is also constrained by our sovereign God who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11). If you need encouragement and confidence regarding this, listen to this sermon by Pastor Joe Morecraft, “Where Are Demons Today?”

I also highly recommend this article by Greg Bahnsen, “The Person, Work, and Present Status of Satan” (catchy title, isn’t it?) It’s lengthy, but an excellent refutation of the false doctrine that Satan is “in control” of anything in any way, shape, or form. He’s up to no good, but he’s not God. He’s a loser.

The following lengthy paragraphs are taken from that article, to hopefully encourage you to read the entire thing, but please be sure to note the emphasis on God’s sovereign will being performed and that our great God will not only thwart Satan’s plans but He uses the devil’s evil intentions to bring about His good purposes: think of Joseph’s slavery in Egypt, or the interaction with Pharoah when he refused to let the Israelites leave, or Samson’s captivity and blinding which brought about the destruction of the Philistines, or David being pursued by Saul and the psalms he wrote during that time. OR, think about the suffering and death of our Lord which accomplished the ultimate defeat of death and Satan.

Let’s skip Halloween and go straight to Christmas: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”

The “prince of this world” and “god of this age,” therefore, “blinds the minds of the unbelieving” (II Cor. 4:4), committing them to the realm of unconverted darkness, ensnaring them, fathering their rebellious thoughts and deeds, and even making them adhere to the synagogue, worship, and doctrine of Satan and his demons in the name of light and righteousness. He transforms God’s good creation and the men who have been created as God’s image into refuse; he makes waste of the unbelieving world. He is, then, not the powerful authority over the created realm in this era (as “prince of this world” and “god of this age” have so often been taken); he is merely the leader of a destroyed humanity, a godless generation, a kingdom of unethical darkness and spiritual death. He is, in short, “Beelzebul” (cf. Matt. 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15). By a play on words, the Jews of Christ’s day had changed “Beelzebub” (a title for Satan taken from the Philistine god by that name, “lord of the flies;” cf. II Kings 1:2ff.) into “Beelzebul” that is, “baal zebel” or “lord of dung.” In utter contempt for the work of Satan, people came to call him the “dung-god.” While God created all things good and delightful, Satan has set out to rework creation into that which is wicked and despicable. The fitting emblem, then, for that over which he is god is dung. He is the prince of darkness, despair, deceit, and death. His destructive work in the children of disobedience warrants calling him “prince of this world” and “god of this age.” But those labels are best interpreted by concluding that Satan is simply Beelzebul, the dung-god. He is legitimate leader over only refuse and waste. When Paul was delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Col. 1: 13), he came to consider all things which are outside of Christ and His dominion as loss and dung (Phil. 3:8). That realm which is outside of Christ is “this world” or “this age,” and the captain of that obnoxious realm is Satan.

The Christian strategy against the destructive work of Satan in his personal or ecclesiastical life, then, first of all includes resisting the devil (James 4:7). Because Satan will quickly latch onto any opportunity to turn good actions and attitudes into evil deeds (e.g., transforming righteous anger into sinful wrath), the Christian must not compromise but resist. Thus Paul commands, “neither give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:27). In his fight with the adversary the believer is assured that he shall conquer. But because Satan’s methods are crafty and deceptive, the Christian must utilize the armor of God-all of it. To a city full of demonology, Ephesus, Paul writes that the Christian struggle is not with flesh and blood but with demonic influences. Although Satan has many fiery arrows to shoot at us, and although his methods are crafty, the believer is protected from them by the shield of faith (Eph. 6:11-12, 16). Using faith’s shield is the second element in the Christian’s strategy. Peter, who before had been induced by Satan to deny the Lord, commands us to withstand Satan “steadfast in the faith” (I Peter 5:9). Revelation 12:9-11 shows that the devil is overcome by faithful testimony, even when it entails going to one’s death. The third element in the Christian’s strategy against the personal attacks of Satan is prayer. Christ gave us a way of escape by teaching us that we should pray for divine protection which cannot fail. In the Lord’s Prayer we are instructed to pray, “Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13).

The sovereignty of God is displayed in the fact that He uses the destructive work of Satan to further His own ends. Paul was sent a messenger from Satan, a thorn in the flesh, who buffeted him and thereby prevented him from being exalted overmuch (II Cor. 12:7). This “stake for the flesh” could have been a non-physical burden to bear, but more likely it was a bodily infirmity (cf. Gal. 4:13-14). A Satanic messenger would, if working spiritually upon Paul, seem to further rather than curtail pride (cf. I Tim. 3:6; James 4:6-7); and consequently an unavoidable and aggravating bodily affliction would seem more effective in restraining runaway self-exaltation. But whatever kind of buffeting this messenger from Satan represented, it was used by God (just as in the case of Job) for His servant’s good (cf. Heb. 12:10). Against his contrary intents, God utilized Satan’s work for the cause of sanctification. Another illustration of the same principle is found in the case of church discipline at the point of excommunication. When one in the church is guilty of unrepentant immorality, Paul commands that he be “delivered unto Satan” (I Cor. 5:5), that is, placed in the realm of Satan or excommunicated from the church (cf. I Cor. 5:2, 13). He is to be regarded as unsaved and under the power of darkness. The purpose for which he is abandoned to the devil, however, limits or restrains Satan’s work. It is not for ultimate punishment but eventual restoration, “that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” Deliverance unto Satan, then, aims at remedying the sinful situation which has arisen in the life of him who is excommunicated (I Tim. 1:20). Whatever the effect of Satan’s “destruction of the flesh” is in these cases (whether producing revulsion from the taste of sin. e.g., Luke 15:13-19, or inflicting bodily harm, cf, Acts 5: 1-11; 13:9-11; II Cor. 10:8, 12:7; 13:10: esp. I Cor. 11 :30), we again see that God uses Satan’s work for promoting rather than destroying the cause of His kingdom.

We see, then, that Satan is the Christian’s adversary, always tempting him to apostasy and moral inconsistency. Satan works hard to pervert righteousness into wickedness by deceiving the believer in various ways. However. even though Satan slanders the people of God and attempts to trip them up, it ultimately serves the purposes of God in refining, sanctifying, and reclaiming His chosen people. The Christian is not ignorant of Satan’s plots, and thus he can gain personal victory over him by resistance, faith, and prayer. Although the devil does not leave us alone, the believer’s perspective on Satan is that of triumphing over him and his devices. Satan is under God’s control, depends upon Him for permission to carry out his work, serves the ends of God’s kingdom, and is defeated by God’s people as they wear the whole armor of God. The adversary must be taken seriously, but not feared.

Dear friends,

I got this in an email today from Lisa W. This family lives in northern California and needs urgent prayer. Please help them by sending your petitions to the Lord on their behalf.

Dear Friends,

Normally I don’t send out prayer requests that aren’t directly for our family, but this is an extreme emergency. A young couple in our church who are our dear friends need prayer right now. Travis Payton didn’t make it to church Sunday because he had a bad headache. Monday his wife Lori called to tell us she had to take him to the ER because he was in such extreme pain and throwing up. The doctors did a Cat Scan, couldn’t find anything, and put him on pain killers for a migraine. He had never had a migraine before.

Wednesday during dinner, Lori called us frantic, and had just called 911. Travis did not know who he was, where he was, or who she was. Randy went right over and drove Lori to the hospital while Travis went in the ambulance. They did a Cat Scan again and found that
his brain is very swollen, but as of now they have no idea what is wrong. We almost lost him that night as he began seizing severely; they were finally able to get a tube down so he could breathe and do an MRI and a spinal tap, but they still have found no cause. He is heavily sedated and in ICU at this time as they try to figure out what is wrong. Please pray for this young couple who love the Lord. Travis was just beginning his last year of seminary and desires to become a pastor. They have two small children, Micah 18 months and Isaiah, 3 years old. Lori is 8 months pregnant, so please also pray for her health and that of little Hannah Joy during this extreme time of stress.

update:

I spent a few hours yesterday (Thursday) at the hospital. Travis’s fever is down to around 100.5 and some of the brain swelling has gone down. All the tests they have done so far have come back normal baffling the doctors. They have ruled out bacterial meningitis. The only abnormal thing was very low sodium counts, but they have since brought those back to normal. At this point, they are leaning towards either West Nile Virus or the adult chicken pox virus, or even the low levels of sodium could’ve caused all of this At this point they don’t know what the long- term prognosis is; they are most concerned right now about potential brain damage from the swelling and the very high fevers he had Wednesday night and Thurs. morning. If it is West Nile, it can take up to two weeks before he regains consciousness if he does. He is still in a coma on complete life support in ICU.

Please continue to pray for this family. Travis’s parents and sister are flying into Sacramento today from Alabama. Please pray for their safety also. Also please continue to pray for Lori. She has five weeks to go until delivering Hannah Joy. We are all working very hard to get her to eat and rest, but as you can imagine she is very dazed and in shock right now.

Sincerely,
Lisa W. on behalf
of the Payton family
Travis, Lori, Isaiah (3), Micah (18 months) Hannah Joy (due in 5 weeks)

I have been moaning and groaning much too much, and it’s time for me to (SMACK! Thanks, I needed that!) count my blessings rather than focus on my woes. I need to set a better example for all those watching eyes (just counting my children, nine pairs equals 18 peepers peeping at my reaction to trials and tribulations, and that doesn’t count the furry kid). So to be fair and balanced I should admit that after eight dental checkups last week there wasn’t a single cavity. What do I have to complain about?

Yesterday we had three doctor visits for various physical problems, and we learned:

*Steve’s broken ankle is knitting together nicely, and he only needs to wear a walking boot, not a cast.
*Middle mini muffin, who had been restricted from her favorite activitiy, piano playing, due to pain in her wrists and numbness in her hands, probably has a mild case of tendonitis, something which is easily dealt with. She is back to filling the house with music.
*Youngest mini muffin, who had been experiencing nightly vertigo after going to bed, may have an inner ear issue, and she is doing better, as well.

Now that I know my dear ones are mending, I am feeling a bit better, too. Funny how that works. I think I need to work on obeying the verse in Philippians 4 which exhorts us to “be anxious for nothing.” Kristen wrote a lovely post about this last year, reminding of some of those things which cause anxiety. The solution, of course, is drawing near to God and praying for His help, which, of course, reminds us that those trials are for our benefit because they hopefully prod us to step back from our self-absorption and do just that.

Worry can be quite draining, though, and I am undergoing therapy while I recuperate: yarn therapy. I am eternally grateful to my dear friend Laura for teaching me to knit (and if I can learn to do it after 40, anyone can learn), and while Steve’s broken bone knits together, I am knitting my nerves back together with some quiet time with size 6 needles and cotton yarn. I found a website with scads of warshrag patterns, and I’m now praying that I don’t need to knit one of each before my therapy is complete .

I’m not superstitious (unlike my Irish grandpa, about whom I have a good Friday the 13th story to share in a couple weeks), but I am Irish, so this warshrag (green with shamrocks, look in right-hand column) is the first one I decided to work on. In honor of my blonde girl with Irish roots, Gracie (who apparently is missing her wisdom teeth according to the X-rays, a fact from which we will be sure to get a lot of mileage and good-natured fun), I leave you with this Irish blessing:

May God give you…
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

I keep saying that I’m going to say ‘no’ to everything in order to catch my breath, but everything keeps catching up with me and forcing me to say ‘yes.’ This was supposed to be a quiet week, just seven dentist appointments scheduled over two days. Oh, and one afternoon of demonstrating outdoor pioneer cooking in Coloma. I made an entire meal over an open fire using cast iron cookware (churned butter, applesauce, chicken fricassee, corn muffins, and gingerbread scones, and hand-ground coffee, since you asked), wearing a corset, an 1850s dress, and a heavy wool apron. I hope you’re impressed .

I won’t enumerate every detail of all the bumps in the road our family has had this week, but the highlight (or low point) was when Steve broke his ankle. At first, he was told after his X-ray that it was just a bad sprain. So he gingerly walked on it for two days. Then the clinic called back and told him that the radiologist looked at the X-ray (who in the world looked at it before, pray tell?) and found that it was a fracture—stay off it and come in for a splint.

Times like these are good for breaking out the hymnal and the Book of Psalms (we’re not quite to the point where we desperately need Job). Times like these are part of the heat of the battle, but also part of being in the refiner’s fire. We certainly need the refining. May we learn the lessons we need to learn and become the people the Lord wants us to become.

I also broke out the George Macdonald, a man whose theology was a reactionary Arminianism to his strict Scottish Presbyterian roots, but who, like that Roman Catholic Chesterton, had quite a lot of spiritual wisdom and was eminently quotable. He sometimes comforts me in difficult moments with his insights, and I found the following quotes in a book of his quotes, gathered by C.S. Lewis. I share them with you since my well is dry while I’m busy pouring out my strength during a time of small but wearying trials. Prayers appreciated.

The Root of All Rebellion
It is because we are not near enough to Thee to partake of thy liberty that we want a liberty of our own different from Thine.

Two Silly Young Women
They had a feeling, or a feeling had them, till another feeling came and took its place. When a feeling was there, they felt as if it would never go; when it was gone they felt as if it had never been; when it returned, they felt as if it had never gone.

Here’s the man who can quote the first chapter of his favorite childhood book, Treasure Island, with the man who imagined Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver. Could that have anything to do with Buried Treasure?