Lewis and I: Satan's real goal

Lewis and I: Satan's real goal: Letter V "...the real business of undermining faith and preventing the formation of virtues." 1 Peter 5:8 "...the Devi...

Satan's real goal

Letter V

"...the real business of undermining faith and preventing the formation of virtues."

1 Peter 5:8 "...the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for anyone he can devour." 

Satan’s real goal

Satan's real goal is to undermine our faith. He will do everything he can to get us to lose our faith in God. 

Peter's original readers would have thought of those lions that other believers were being feed too, no doubt. Satan is not our friend. He is out to hurt us in anyway he can. Don't be fooled. There is a real spiritual battle going on in this world and even though Satan knows he will not ultimately win, he is trying to bring as many down as he can with him.

So how does Satan undermine your faith? Makes you doubt that you are loved and accepted by God. Makes you fearful of the future. Makes you question if God is near you. Makes you wonder if your prayers are really answered.  Makes you envy those who don’t believe in God and supposedly have a “better life.” Any of these sound familiar?

Satan is alway at work in us. Usually attacking us through our mind and heart. That is why we need the belt of Truth, helmet of Salvation, breastplate of righteousness and the shield of faith (Ephesians 6). They protect us from Satan’s ever present attacks whose aim is to undermine our faith.

So be alert. Be ready. Be prepared. Don't be lazy in your spiritual life. Are you preparing yourself by daily studying God's word? Are you praying for a God led heart for the day? Are you preparing yourself for the lies of Satan that will come your way today?

Take up your armor and be ready to fight.

Lewis and I: Desire to Pray

Lewis and I: Desire to Pray: Desire to Pray Letter IV of Screwtape letters by CS Lewis "It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into the...

Desire to Pray

Desire to Pray

Letter IV of Screwtape letters by CS Lewis

"It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out."

Interesting twist by C.S. Lewis. Most of us would most likely think that the devil is encouraging our minds with bad desires. Lewis says, instead of focusing on fueling our bad desires, keeping out of our minds the things God wants us to do, is the business of Satan. Maybe that is why prayer is so hard for so many believers. In fact, most polls find pthat even among pastors, the number one spiritual discipline that is the hardest to keep up is prayer. 

Prayer is a discipline and the devil is working hard at keeping us from it. As of this writing, the Winter Olympics are just about to get started.  Each one of those athletes from all over the world have worked hard to get to the Olympics. They didn’t decide last month to compete and then show up. They have worked hard for many years. It’s called discipline.

Spiritual disciplines are just like physical disciplines, we need to work at them. They don’t just happen. Satan works hard at keeping the desire to pray, serve, and read out of our minds and hearts. If we persist enough, he will lose. Do you want Satan to lose? Of course you do. So keep in mind, Philippians 4:8, " Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable-if there is any moral excellence and if any praise-dwell on these things."

We fail at these things because we don't feel led to do them. Spiritual disciplines are just that, disciplines. We need to work at them. Just like athletes that do a drill over and over again. When the competition starts they don’t have to stop and think about the drill, they just do it. If we wait for our feelings to get us to start praying, we will be waiting for awhile. We need to start praying. Maybe a minute a day and then add as you go, but start now. Discipline takes time and don't forget there is someone(Satan) trying to stop you in doing them.

Let me encourage this day to pray. Need something to pray about? I am sure there is more then enough things in this world alone. Don’t let Satan keep you from praying.

Lewis and I: Heavenly minded

Lewis and I: Heavenly minded: Letter III "Keeping his mind on the inner life." This is Screwtape's advice to Wo...

Heavenly minded

Letter III

"Keeping his mind on the inner life."

This is Screwtape's advice to Wormwood. It reminds me of the phrase, "Too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good." This can be a problem. You may not think so. You don't think of yourself as too heavenly minded. In fact you may think of yourself as too earthly minded. How about this? How many non Christ believing friends do you have? I mean friends, not just people you know. How often do you interact with people that don't believe the way you do? 

You go to church, go to bible study, your kids are home schooled by you or go to a Christian school, you listen to Christian radio, buy things at a Christian store, eat at Chick-fli-a. You get the picture. By the way. I must say none of these things are bad. In fact I do most of them.

The question we need to ask ourselves is how are we impacting others for Christ? If you neighbors aren't believers how are you befriending them? Is it just out of obligation or is it from the heart? We should not isolate ourselves from this world. Mark 16:15 " Go into the world..."

Also in Jesus' prayer for the disciples recorded for us in John 17, it is clear that Christ believing followers are to be in the world but not of it.  Today we are either not of this world or not in it. 

Once again it comes down to balance. How do we balance being heavenly minded with being earthly good?

Lewis and I: Emotion vs reason (Screwtape letter II)

Lewis and I: Emotion vs reason (Screwtape letter II): Letter II "Once they get through this initial dryness successfully, they become much less dependent on emotion a...

Emotion vs reason (Screwtape letter II)

Letter II

"Once they get through this initial dryness successfully, they become much less dependent on emotion and therefore much harder to tempt."

Too dependent on emotion.

In a backhanded way, Lewis tells the believer in Christ, that when you rely solely on emotion you are a easy target for Satan. There is a way of thinking that says to be super spiritual, you need to be led by the Spirit. This means the emotional, tingly feeling Spirit, not the Spirit of Truth. It's most likely a reaction to the image of the monks studying all day. Off in their monastary learning to be more holy.  Chanting Latin phrase and being somber.

We have the good news! We should be excited about this and spread it everywhere. Christian belief is all about the heart. You need to feel it. This would be the argument against being too worried about the mind.

Lewis is addressing the danger in this. It opens up one to be an easy target. The Bible actually has much to say about the mind. Unfortunately, not always seen. Mark Noll in his book, "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind," written in 1994, addresses this issue. In fact , he writes, "The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind."

Almost 20 years later John Piper wrote a book entitled, Think. C.S. Lewis also brought this up back in 1942. So why does this subject keep coming up? 

It is easier to "go with my heart" than to be like the Bereans in Acts 17 who "examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

We need to examine, think, discuss the things of God to be built up in the truth. We also need to be led by the Spirit. There needs to be a balance.

Here are a few verses to think about.

Acts 17:17 "So he(Paul) reasoned in the synagogue..."

Ephesians 3:4 "By reading this you are able to understand my insight about the mystery of the Messiah." 

So how do you have balance in this area in your life? Do you rely on emotions more than reason?

Lewis and I: Propaganda vs the church (Screwtape letter #1)

Lewis and I: Propaganda vs the church (Screwtape letter #1): Letter 1 " Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church." ...

Propaganda vs the church (Screwtape letter #1)

Letter 1

" Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church."

Propaganda vs the Church 

How do you define jargon and propaganda, which to me are similar. Well here is one attempt from Mr. Webster.

Jargon-special words that are difficult for others to understand. 

Propaganda- ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause.(Merriam Webster)

True arguments demand facts not just opinions.  When dealing with facts you eventually have to make a decision about those facts. When the church sticks to propaganda or jargon, which seem similar, it fails to capture that heart of God. The church should be the place of truth, that is God's truth. We do not need to allow jargon or propaganda rule the day. Let that be for the politicians of the day. 

In today's political world, jargon or propaganda rules the day. If you listen to one side or the other you would think the worst of the opposing side. There might be some truth to the statements but eventually the bias comes out. 

So let's stop the propaganda in the church. Stop the spin. Don't tell people everything will be okay once you have Jesus I your heart. The problem is that in saying this you most likely are talking about he eternal aspect of things. The hearer is trying to find money to pay the rent.

Some verse to ponder.

1 Thessalonians 2:5 "For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives..."

2 Timothy 2:16  "But avoid irreverent, empty speech, for this will produce an even greater measure of godlessness."

Lewis is right. People will be turned off by propaganda in due time.  It happens in the world and it will happen in the church.

Lewis and I: Thoughts from Screwtape letters

Lewis and I: Thoughts from Screwtape letters: As I start these new post about C.S.Lewis Screwtape Letters  I am enduring the one of worst cold spells here in Minnesota, USA. So it is iro...

Thoughts from Screwtape letters

As I start these new post about C.S.Lewis Screwtape Letters I am enduring the one of worst cold spells here in Minnesota, USA. So it is ironic to start to think about a book about Satan who dwells in the lake of fire. My plan is to find one or more quotes from each letter and then comment on them adding a verese or two from scripture. Hope you enjoy.

Preface

"One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them."

Which way do you lean?

At the beginning of a book on Satan, Lewis reminds us that there are two ways of thinking about Satan. We are in need of this reminder even now, some  70 plus years later.  Do we make too much of Satan or disregard him altogether? This is the reality of where we live. Some will try to find Satan under every rock, while others will ignore his everyday workings. Scripture reminds us that balance in this area is essential.

2 Corinthians 2:11 "I have done this so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes." 

Paul obviously thought that Satan was real and his schemes are real too.

James 4:7 "Therfore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you."

James, the leader of the early church, definitely believes that Satan is real. The advice that we are given here, is foundational. Yes we will be attacked by Satan, but there is a way out, submit to God.  

Wayne Grudem in Systematic Theology, reminds us that Satan's work is to "destroy every work of a God." You are a work of God and Satan wants to destroy you. Satan doesn't bother with those who are not a threat, but rather to those who have chosen to reject Satan and follow God. 

 

We need balance in our understanding of who Satan is and isn't.  There is a real spiritual battle going on. We need not give Satan more attention then he deserves yet we need to treat his attacks seriously.

What do you think?

The Real Thing vs the Fake Thing

Well I have completed what I set out to do. I have finished the Chronicles of Narnia. It was an interesting journey which resulted in having a deeper appreciation for C.S. Lewis. I will most likely amend this blog site to include other writings of C.S. Lewis too.

The Last Battle was finished today, as I waited for my son. He was getting a root canal done, so I had much time to read. What did I think about this, the final installment of the series? What relation can we find to our life today?

As you can see by the title of this post, the real verse the fake seem to stand out to me. You see, what has happened is that there is a false Narnia that has been created. Complete with a false Aslan. How did this happen? Surly not in Narnia! But alas it does. So here is my question for you, the reader. How can we know if we are living in a false Christian world or not? How do we know that we are not following a false god?

I heard a report once about counterfeit money. The question posed to these workers, whose job it was to identify the fake money, how do you do it? You would think that maybe they would find and examine the fake money. That way they would know what they are looking for. The answer however was that they study the real money for hours and hours. They get to know everything about the real money. How it looks, how it feels, how it smells, and how it folds.  In fact they never even study the fake money at all. They study the real thing.

Likewise, we need to study God and God alone. When we spend hours and hours with God we will know when we are serving false gods. It is all too easy to slide and find ourselves thinking we are serving God when in reality were are serving ourselves.

So the people (or should I say, subjects) of Narnia are fooled. In the end though the real Aslan appears and destroys the fake Narnia. It is at the end where C.S. Lewis mentions the word Shadowlands. This is another word for our world. It is a beautiful descriptive word. Shadows can only happen where darkness is. In the world to come there will be no darkness, and therefor no shadows.

Thanks for those who read my thoughts as I read through these books.

Till next.

Doug Conrad

Lewis and I: How much dark is darkness?

Lewis and I: How much dark is darkness?: Reading through the Silver Chair was interesting. I figured out why it was called Silver Chair. Not much is mentioned of this actually, but ...

How much dark is darkness?

Reading through the Silver Chair was interesting. I figured out why it was called Silver Chair. Not much is mentioned of this actually, but Prince Rilian is captured and tied down to this silver chair. Alsan breaks the spell and the prince is free. That is when we find out who the prince really is, he is the son of King Caspian. The children and the prince are trying to get out from the Underworld. This is the part of the story that made me want to put down the book actually.

Now let me explain. I wanted to put the book down because I don't like tight spaces. The idea of total darkness and being trapped underground was enough to make we want to get out quickly. I know it is just a story but it got to me. I sure they don't make a movie of it.

It got me thinking though. We talk much about Jesus being the Light of the World. We think of John chapter 1:7-9. Light is good, darkness is bad. This is the simple way of thinking about this subject. How much dark is darkness? How much light does it take to have light?

Do we really think about a world without Jesus as darkness. When reading the end of the Silver Chair, I thought about darkness. I don't like when things are pitch black. Is that how we see the world? Or do we see that everything is okay but would be better with Jesus? The Bible is clear that every human has sinned, and therefor is in darkness. Pitch black darkness. We are under the spell of the wicked witch. Without Jesus there is no light. The Bible says we were dead in our sins. It doesn't say we were half alive. It doesn't say we were okay, we just need Jesus.

So darkness is total blackness. No light anywhere.

How about light? Is it the lack of darkness? I think light shines on our darkness. It doesn't take much light to get rid of darkness. A small light or candle can do the trick.

Here is a story I heard from "Sticky Church" arthur Larry Osborne:
They were on a cave tour. The guide assured Larry that it will never get pitch black on the tour. So he convinced his wife(who doesn't like the dark) to go. Sure enough at one point the guide turns off the lights, so people can get a feel for total darkness. Larry pleads with the guide to turn the lights on as his wife is getting very nervous. With no luck there, he turns to his son and tells him to turn on his light for his watch. He turns on the light, and the darkness is gone. Larry' wife can relax. All is well, except for the other tour mates.

Why tell this story? A little light in darkness is powerful. A little light in light not so much.
When you read the Silver Chair remember the darkness that is life without Jesus.

Lewis and I: Growing faith with breakfast

Lewis and I: Growing faith with breakfast: At the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader  we come across an interesting scene. It reminds me of the end of the Gospel of John. In John&#...

Growing faith with breakfast

At the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader we come across an interesting scene. It reminds me of the end of the Gospel of John. In John's Gospel the scene is Jesus sharing breakfast with the disciples. The Disciples had been fishing and had not caught any fish. They had spent the whole night out on the water. As the sun is coming up they spot Jesus, (although they aren't sure it is him at first) and are invited to have breakfast. Jesus had already had a fire going and they fish were ready! Where did he get the fish from? Don't know. Why was Jesus there? But let's get back to Lewis's story.

So the Dawn Treader is heading to the very end of the world. They come across this land and get off the boat.  The Lamb ( as Lewis calls him) is standing on the shore ready to serve breakfast. What happens next is interesting. Lucy and Edmund are asking about the Land of Aslan. Aslan tells them that as they are now growing up they won't be able to enter Narnia like they used to. They will have to find a different way.

" You must learn to know me by that (another) name. For this was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."

Our faith must grow as we get older. We still need child like faith, but if still understand God the same way today as we did when we first believed, we are in trouble. I think this is the point that Lewis is getting at. Lucy and Edmund have seen Aslan as kids. Now they are growing up and need to see Aslan as adults.

We grow as we experience more of God in this life. I trusted in Jesus as my personal savior when I was four years old. My understanding of God has changed since then. My faith in God has grown since then.

So when Lewis says, "You must learn to know me by another name." I believe he is encouraging us to grow in our faith.  Jesus is more then just saving us from hell, as important as that is.

Question:  How have you grown since you first met Jesus?

In John's Gospel, Jesus encourages the disciples after giving them breakfast. This is the great passage of restoring Peter. Jesus encourages Peter to be the leader he goes on to be in Acts.

Our faith can never be idle, it must be growing.

Lewis and I: "Do you feel sufficient...?"

Lewis and I: "Do you feel sufficient...?": I am back to reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I took a long break, but am now back to trying to finish my goal of reading through all the b...

"Do you feel sufficient...?"

I am back to reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I took a long break, but am now back to trying to finish my goal of reading through all the books before the end of the year. I think my last entry was when I finished The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Well I did read through The Horse and His Boy and didn't find much there. Prince Caspian got interesting again. Towards the end of the book Aslan asks Prince Caspian a question, which is the main point of this entry.

Here is the question: "Do you feel yourself sufficient to take up the Kingship of Narnia?" The question is posed by Aslan to Prince Caspian. What follows is that Caspian says no, and is praised by Aslan for that answer. Aslan responds, "If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been proof that you were not."

So here is my question: Are we as followers of Christ ever to feel sufficient? Where is the line between taking pride in our ability and relying on God for our abilities? How much of the time do we think about God working through us? Must we always feel insufficient? How much is our own learning, our own skill gaining, and our own experience?

I am a songwriter. I write songs. I make up a melody, come up with chords, and think up some lyrics. Not always in that order. Now when the song is done, was it my work? Sure I was inspired by God in some fashion, but was it my work or God's work? I have heard songs written by people that use the line, "God gave me this song" and to be honest the song is not that good. So by giving credit to God for a song that is not that good in the first place, are we insulting God?

Back to Caspian. He had just won the battle. He was about to be King. It was his leadership and determination that lead the way. Yet he knew that unless Aslan was with him, he couldn't succeed.

So how do we balance these two aspects in our lives. How do we give glory to God through what we do on a daily basis?

Lewis and I: Aslan's sacrifice

Lewis and I: Aslan's sacrifice: Aslan's sacrifice near the end of Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe somehow caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting it even though I had...