CHRISTIAN SENSE
BY TOM SMIKOSKI
A publication devoted to making sense out of the twenty-first century.
DEVIL MADE ME DO IT
By: TOM SMIKOSKI
"The devil made me do it" is an expression we seldom hear any more. It was an expression we used when we did something bad, knew it was bad, knew we shouldn't do it, but did it anyway. It was sort of a cop-out. The first person to try to blame something on the devil was Eve in the garden.
You don't hear this expression much anymore, not because we don't use cop-outs, but because many people don't believe in the devil. The devil is no longer an evil spirit. The devil is now a Halloween costume, or maybe a school mascot who is cheered when he runs onto a basketball court. But certainly he is no longer an evil spirit.. The only time we think of him as evil is when we think of movies like the "Exorcist", but that doesn't make him real. It puts him in the same fictional class as Freddy Kruger, or other horrible characters.
Yet the Devil is real. He does exist. And yes, he does cause us to do things we would not ordinarily do. Just look at the news. His presence is manifest on the daily news. Students shooting other students in school. Mothers killing their own children. Terrorists flying planes into buildings. The Devil took part in each and every one of these evil acts. After all, he is the cause of all evil. The Bible tells us that he is like a roaring lion seeking who he can kill and destroy.
I'm not saying that he held a gun to the heads of these people and forced them to do those evil things. He cannot "make" us do something against our will. But he can influence our will and nudge us into doing the evil we do. He can only do this when we allow him to become a part of our lives. When we follow him rather than the will of God. After all, we are like sheep easily led astray.
I remember a story which helps illustrate how easily sheep can be led. A flock of sheep were grazing. One sheep lifted up his head and started walking toward another clump of grass. A second sheep saw him and started to follow. A third sheep spotted the two and immediately fell into line. Before long all the sheep were following the unsuspecting leader. When he turned his head and saw the line forming, he too, walked toward the end and fell into place. Now the entire flock was walking in a circle, each thinking the one in front was the leader. I have been told that these sheep can actually keep walking until they drop.
We are like these sheep. There is a multibillion dollar advertising industry which proves it. We are influenced by what we see and hear. And what we see and hear is not always good. Television, movies, music and computers bombard us daily with evil thoughts, principles and ideas. We get led astray little by little, until we can no longer see the Shepherd. We follow the wolf in sheep's clothing and before long we fall into his trap and are devoured. It is at this point that he can manipulate us into doing whatever he wants.
We must look to the Good Shepherd. Only by following Him can we remain free from the devil's influence. And we must help our fellow sheep by bringing them back to where they belong. Pray for guidance and strength. God does provide but only when we ask.
TOM SMIKOSKI
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