Well, after today there is only one letter left to read. Then -( at least in my book) – there is the wrap up of sorts called “Screwtape Proposes a Toast” which I will read sometime next week…
Reading one of these a day through the month of October for me at least, has been great. We have found or been reminded, that Satan and his army of dark forces doesn’t really work in the scariness of the season. The zombies, the ghost, the goblins, the witches, the vampires, or I might say the obvious ways we could spot in a skinny minute the devils attacking. You know – ways that are so scary we would run for our lives because it would be that obvious they were coming to get us, isn’t how they roll. Instead the way they work is more subtle, behind the scenes and out of sight. They weave their lies and their temptations into the fabric of our lives hoping we don’t notice. This is the greater danger. They are very good at it, their playbook is very extensive, and they can have us long before we recognize it. What is more scary than that is the possibility they could have us and we never see it until it’s too late.
I know a lot of people get very upset about the Occultic nature of Halloween and with fervency speak out against it. I’m not saying that Halloween isn’t Occultic, but what I am saying is; if we are spending all our time speaking about the evils of that one day and negating the other 364 days of the year where the dark forces may have a hold of our minds we have missed the real fight.
Even the focus on defeating Halloween is more than likely “their” doing to get our focus off of the sin that focus blinds us too. It makes one feel superior because of a religious stand against it rather than making sure we are eradicating the sin that so easily besets us so we can be Holy as God is Holy. A strategy BTW that one of the letters addresses in this book. (Letter 7).
A powerful statement from todays reading is this one…
“…the fun is to make the man yield just when (had he but known it) relief was almost in sight.” Screwtape
This is a scary thought. How many times has our yielding to sin, our yielding our faith (in other words giving up our faith) extended our suffering? How many times have we fallen for giving up when we should have kept on just a little while longer and it would have been over? I don’t know, but I do know it’s every time we gave up, every time we yielded to the temptation to no longer trust in God in the current matter, when we gave into despair instead of holding onto hope.
So…
Never yield to temptation…
Never give up on hope…
Always hold on to the fact that God always does the right thing… always.
Never let the enemy win the war with your mind…
If he beats you down pray to God for the strength to get back up and then get back up…
and tell the dark forces…
“I can do this all day…” (Thank You – Captain America)
Because you can…
here’s why…
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