In our recent daily meditations, we have explored the unseen realm that intersects with Earth. This spiritual realm is the battleground where God's angelic beings face Satan's evil angels and demons. The fight is for control over the Earth and all humanity. There is a war taking place for your very soul. Satan aims to keep people unaware of this battle, because his plans can proceed unchecked if people do not realize his schemes. Therefore, he tries to keep you unaware of the spiritual realm, including heaven and hell.
The author, C.S. Lewis, wrote a fictional book, "The Screwtape Letters." It focuses on Christian theological issues, primarily temptation and resistance to evil. In this imaginative story, Lewis writes in the first person as a senior demon named Screwtape, who is tasked with training a junior demon named Wormwood to prevent men and women from finding Christ. If they fail and the person does come to Christ, the trainee demon's job is to hinder the Christian's efforts to make an impact in opposing Satan's kingdom. In the preface of his book, Lewis explains his thesis, stating:
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which people can fall about the demons. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist and a magician with the same delight.”[1]
On page thirty-one, Uncle Screwtape writes to the junior demon Wormwood:
“I wonder you should ask me whether it is essential to keep the patient [the person that the demon seeks to destroy] ignorant of your existence. That question, at least for the present phase of the struggle, has been answered by the high command. Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. Of course, this has not always been so. We are faced with a cruel dilemma. When people disbelieve in our existence, we lose all the pleasing results of direct terrorism, and we make no magicians.
On the other hand, when they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and skeptics…I do not think you will have much difficulty keeping the patient in the dark. The fact that "devils" are predominantly comic figures in the modern imagination will help you. If any faint suspicion of your existence begins to arise in his mind, suggest to him a picture of something in red tights, and persuade him that since he cannot believe in that (it is an old textbook method of confusing them), he, therefore, cannot believe in you.”[2]
Satan aims to prevent unbelievers from hearing and ultimately accepting God's Word by believing the gospel. For those who have trusted Christ for salvation, Satan's tactic is to keep us unaware of God's power and authority within us to overcome all the enemy's power (Mark 16:17-18). The Scriptures refer to Satan as the God of this age.
The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).
The enemy has many strategies to keep people blinded to the gospel and God's power in believers to impact this world. Our actions show whom we choose to listen to and obey, Satan or the Lord. If we continue to listen to the enemy's voice, with his doubts and unbelief, we will not live fruitful lives for God on this Earth. Keith Thomas
This shortened meditation is from The War Against Satan and Demons series. The study is 1. The Hidden World Beyond Our Reality
[1] The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, Published by HarperSanFrancisco, Zondervan Publishing House. Page IX
[2] Ibid, Page 31.