An Ace in the Hole

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV)

It is a common story.  A person becomes fired up spiritually, ready to live “full out” for Jesus.  He wants to lead a Bible study.  She wants to devote her life to missions.  He is ready to put his past behind him.  She is ready to make different, better choices in her life.  Full of good intentions, they plow ahead to live life for the Lord.

To the side stands an interested observer.  Once in full control, he now stands as one shunned and irrelevant, and wholly underestimated.  He knows the drill.  He has seen it many times before and he is undeterred. He’s got an ace in the hole and it is time to play it.  

The card is different for every person but there are some common ones the devil plays.  Among young people, particularly, it is the romance card. A young woman or man is getting along well in the faith, growing closer to the Lord when the possibility of romance comes along.  There are few things more tempting than the idea of love and acceptance by a person of the opposite sex.  The focus begins, suddenly or gradually, to shift from the Lord to the romantic interest, the excitement once burning for spiritual renewal now burns for a man or woman.  

Another card the Enemy plays is the fear of rejection and loss.  Friends and family members often fear the change they see and, either subtly or directly, threaten rejection if things don’t return to “normal.”  So a once powerful desire to change direction in life retreats out of fear of being rejected. 

Still another card played is the doubt card.  Running on the emotion of a new commitment, questions begin to arise as to the genuineness of the commitment, or the wisdom of such a change, or whether it is too extreme.  Struggling with doubt slows the momentum of change and opens the possibility of totally derailing it.  

What we must realize is we are in the midst of a spiritual war where the Enemy’s avowed purpose is to destroy us. (I Peter 5:8)  We can’t attempt to live the Christian life on emotion alone.  We must be properly equipped or else we will be vulnerable to the devil’s ace in the hole, which he never hesitates to use.  

Today, realize following Jesus is serious business; in fact, it is a matter of life and death.  Never underestimate the Enemy’s ability to lead you astray.  He is always prepared to pull out his ace in the hole.  You need to be ready for it.

© Jim Musser 2013