Thursday, May 11, 2017
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The first time I heard someone talking about an invisible airplane, my reaction was, "I don't think so." But, in a sense, there is such a thing. Not exactly an airplane that people can't see-but it's an airplane radar can't see. It's called the "Stealth" bomber. Of course, if a bomber is headed for you, you want to know it. And radar has always been what alerted defenders to that bomber. But the "Stealth" is able to come in under the range of radar-and invade air space undetected-and do damage it might never have been able to do if it had been detected. Nobody realizes they're in danger until it's too late.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Stealth Bombers In Your Air Space."
There's a reason the Bible talks about not being unaware of Satan's schemes. It's important to be aware of how he attacks, in Paul's words, "in order that Satan might not outwit us" (2 Corinthians 2:11). Too many people, just like you and me, have ended up standing in the bombed out wreckage of what used to be and wondering how did I ever get this far? How did Satan ever get this far?
Your enemy wants to get sinful feelings and values embedded in your heart-and then, when he's got you softened up and your guard's down, he'll bring in the temptation bomb to sink you. Now, if you can see him coming, you're not going to let him in…thus, the stealth bombers of sin.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Peter 1:14 and verses that follow. "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." God says He bought you out of sin, so He's expecting you to be uncompromising in your personal holiness; not to have any "roped off" areas of your life where you lower your guard and let something less than holy things in. But the front line of the battle isn't over doing sinful things, it's over desires-thinking about or developing a tolerance for sin, even the desire for sinful things.
That's why 1 Peter 2:11 commands us to "abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul." Wow! What is Satan's best way to get wrong thoughts and tolerances into your life? By coming in under the radar in a way that you'll never notice, right?
Here are some of his stealth bombers. Sin in a way that gets you laughing. Some of the most popular, clever humor on TV carries with it ideas and lifestyles that are totally against what God wants. Another stealth bomber-sin promoted by cool celebrities and beautiful people. Again, this person is a significant person in our culture, right? And we let their ungodly ideas come sneaking into our heart. Satan has sin's stealth bombers throughout the media. If something happens in a popular TV show or a movie or a song, we let it fly right into our heart without a thought.
The enemy of your soul knows better than to attack frontally-he starts by just imperceptibly softening you up on things like divorce, sexual sin, lust, living together, drinking, and the dark side of the supernatural. If the package sin comes in is funny or popular or catchy, we tend to let something into our life we would never otherwise allow if it were presented blatantly. It's corrosive sin in a seemingly harmless disguise.
So it's easy to see why Peter ends his letter by telling us to keep our radar on-and to not let anything sneak in under it. He says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Or like a stealth bomber-coming in beneath your defenses-to deliver a bomb that can damage so many things you care about.