The Devil Made Me Do It

Every religious faith on earth seems to have a tradition of belief in some form of “devil.” Such a creature is the ultimate personification of evil. Most intellectuals of the 21st Century seem to agree that such beliefs are amusing throwbacks to a primitive past in which people invented “The Devil” to explain why evil exists. Does the Devil Really Make You Do It? This raises another question: Is there really such a thing as “evil,” or do bad things just happen because of unwise, unfortunate, or thoughtless choices made by basically good people? A related concept which is widely rejected by science today is the idea that mental illness is caused by the influence of the devil and his assistants, sometimes referred to as demons, evil spirits, or unclean spirits. What about events which don’t involve human perpetrators at all? Is it possible that at least some of them are caused or triggered by evil entities? What is the truth behind these questions? Is there actually a real, thinking evil being working behind the scenes or is that concept simply a baseless legend, inherited residue from primitive ancestral roots? This article is premised on the assumption that readers are at least somewhat receptive to a Christian perspective. 3 Things the Bible States About Evil 1. In reference to the Devil Jesus stated, He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars. (John 8:44 HCSB) 2. In reference to demon “possession” Jesus said, “When an unclean spirit comes out of a man ...” and He went on to add specific details (Luke 11:24 HCSB). Clearly, Jesus didn’t consider “unclean spirits” to be fictitious remnants of unfounded legend! 3. Tthe great Apostle Paul wrote, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” (Ephesians 6:11-12) 3 Things Christians Should Do If these things are true what is a 21st century Christian to do? Should we watch for “a demon behind every bush?” Are we to be obsessed with such entities, study them, talk about them, to the point that we gain a reputation for being “demon obsessed?” NO! In fact, we should guard against such error. The Christian must recognize that some doctrines have been completely rejected by modern society. 1. Watch What You Say: Believers must be discrete about what we discuss, how we discuss it, and with whom we discuss it, yet we must not fail to understand events from God’s perspective, as revealed in scripture. To openly discuss them with unbelievers places us in the situation which our Lord warned against in Matthew 7:6, “Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them with their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.” (We should note that in that society, the term “dogs” was understood to refer to unbelievers.”) 2. Study What Scripture Tells Us: What about true believers who don’t quite know what to believe about such controversial topics? The Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV). Daily devotionals are a great way to study scripture. 3. Be Wise Not Foolish:Only a few verses before Paul’s warning about the nature of our warfare, he had written, Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk — not as unwise people but as wise — making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17 HCSB) Although those days were evil, the 21st Century may be even more so. The true believer must never let his or her guard down, and must never fail to study the Bible and pray for daily guidance.