My Advice For Satan

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. [1 John 4:16-18]

Do you think you’re controlled by fear?

I’ve recently encountered a couple of suggestions for Satan. Writers emphasized the negative impacts of some behavior or issue by stating, “If I were Satan, I’d try to get everyone to …” The implication is that if the enemy could get at this one particular piece of us, everything else would collapse.

It’s an interesting notion. What’s the one place you’d attack if you wanted to do the most damage to the most people at a really fundamental level?

Tough choice—we’re pretty vulnerable and fragile, lots of weaknesses to exploit. Satan is an expert, and I’m not a fan of unsolicited advice anyway.

MY ADVICE

But if he asked, I’d suggest prompting us to react to fear.

He doesn’t really need to create fear. We’re surrounded by real and imagined threats, and there’s no shortage of people who’ll highlight and exploit them. The boogeyman is everywhere. The enemy’s only job is to whisper that we must react immediately to fear.

Politics and political media thrive on fear. “You’re either with us or against us” is the rally cry as we demonize and condemn those who disagree. They’re obviously intent on destroying the ideals we hold dear. We must crush them at all costs.

A lot of religious energy focuses on fear, especially when it’s mixed with political or theological ideology. We’re told to fear the enemy, fear hell, and especially to fear anyone who sees things differently. Listening to much of the rhetoric, you’d conclude that Jesus hadn’t already won the battle and God can’t withstand questions or challenges.

Personal and professional interactions invite fearful reaction. In an uncertain economy, the competitor, the colleague, the boss—all of them become threats to financial security. Loved ones hold the keys to emotional security, so we control or withdraw to protect our hearts.

In a time of great peril, Franklin Roosevelt exhorted, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Fear is our most powerful emotion. Unchecked fear trumps faith and overcomes love. Important to note—the real problem isn’t fear, but unchecked fear that controls choices, attitudes, and behaviors.

COURAGE

Lots of people think courage is the absence of fear. But if you’re not afraid, why would you need courage? Courage means doing what’s right in the face of fear.

When we help others confront their fear and hold fast to truth, we give them courage—that’s encourage. When we prey on their fear, emphasize the threat, and spur them to act in response to fear, we remove courage—that’s discourage.

Fear tells us to forego principles for immediate results. Fear directs us to destroy the boogeyman at all costs, even if it means violating our most cherished values. That’s discourage.

And here’s the truth: perfect love drives out fear.

My understanding of this truth might be this paraphrase: perfect love drives out the need to react in fear.

John is not telling us we can’t experience the feeling of fear. Jesus certainly experienced fear as He faced the cross.

Love enables us to face the fear, to not be controlled by it. Love supplies the motivation to hold to eternal principles when fear tells us otherwise.

Love encourages.

The next time someone pushes you to react in fear, ask yourself if their words encourage or discourage.

If they suggest compromising eternal principles for some immediate result, they’re leading you to react in fear. That’s discourage.

If they direct your attention to Jesus’ simple message of unconditional love and respect, if they prompt you to cling to eternal principles in the face of temptation, they’re guiding you to do truth despite fear.

That’s encourage.

What voices of discouragement do you hear?