You know, the devil and some spiritual leaders are in cahoots, though perhaps, the leaders may not know it. Let me show you ways they cooperate:
1.The devil is driven to possess as many of God's people as he can. That is the same drive many spirituals leaders and groups have. For them, it is all about getting more of God's people in the door. "Just get'm in the door...we don't care if they know God, worship God, hear God, love God....just get'm in the door". What an awful thing to lead someone to an altar but not lead them to a relationship with God.
2. The devil wants everything God has, except God himself. Many are the churches of today that have every thing - money, prestige, blessings, respect and not a sign of God. In fact, if God (the Holy Ghost) shows up, He and those who carry His presence, will be ejected. Worse, in one way or another God and those radical charismatics will be blamed for all the troubles and divisions in the church that might follow. The sudden manifestation of God will split churches. People, and the devil, want His stuff....but not Him. Really, who is to blame here?
3. The devil will not worship, but he will receive worship. I have known far too many pastors, even in so called "spirit-filled" churches, who would not enter in to the worship of God by their congregation. Some will just wait in another room until it is over and then make a grand entrance. I knew one fellow who did this, and when he would make his entrance, the congregation would all stand and shout "WOW". You know how long I would stay in such a church? 1/2 of of 1 second! (Or, how ever long it took me to find the door). I would rather be, and would stay longer, in a church that handled rattlesnakes. Both are worthless, but at least snake handlers would provide better entertainment. Anybody I call "pastor" or leader, better be seen worshiping or I ain't a gonna follow!
4. The devil will not allow worship and do his best to prevent it. By a huge majority, the commands to praise, give thanks, worship, rejoice, sing, dance, etc., outnumber all other commands in the Bible. Yet, in far too many churches you would not even know those commands were in the Bible. Many Christians seem to have no awareness of their existence or the slightest thought of obeying them. A man is at a sorry stage of decline when he measures his spirituality by what he does not do rather than by what he does do. "So, you don't murder? But, do you obey the over 1000 commands to praise God?" Think of the churches you might go to, next Sunday, wherein you got happy, shouted, danced a little, rejoiced with unspeakable joy, even praised God in tongues, all Biblical commands. How many would throw you out to the sidewalk for your disruptive behavior?
5. The devil keeps the focus on man From the garden to now, the devil has labored hard to keep the focus of man, on man, and not on God. And, all he really has to do to accomplish this is flip the commands....put loving your brother (command #2) above loving God (command #1). Now, him having done that, we are witnessing people loving people with all their being. It looks so good, so admirable but it is awful. They've got no time to love God - they are too busy loving their neighbor. Plus, if they should slip up and radically express their love of God, with even half their being, it might offend that neighbor, so that is the end of that. You are to love man, as you love yourself and you better not love yourself with all your heart, soul, mind, and body. That is selfish, humanistic and sick. But, you are to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and body. That is pure and divine. About all the devil has to do to keep God in the shadows and away from His people is just to keep the focus on the people.
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