Eve of Old Year's Eve

As we make our decent to this third-to-last step before the year closes, we are illuminated Advent Lights of our Lord, ever ready and alert to ensure, as we freely spread the Gospel Light to all, we ourselves do not fall prey to the deceiver, who will not give in so easily to defeats. Satan knows what is fake and what is truth in you because He knows what is of him and what is of God.

Don’t get confused or muddled up with this now. It is because the devil knows truth, in the same way he knows Scripture that he can distort truth and bring pure lies to you. Sadly, but most tellingly, he is only able to deceive us if we are not walking in the Light of Jesus. Don’t for a moment think that he will not bring lies to you. He will come with what has the perfect show, feel and engagement of truth, but it lacks the Spirit and heart of God. Hey! If he tried it on Jesus, God’s Begotten Son, who are you and who am I? 

Be ever walking in Jesus! It is when we stand elated, full of excitement and let our guards down, that he pounces and captures us. Here’s an example. It was a fun sport’s day and we were playing cricket. Our team was losing as we are dropping catches left right and centre. Happily, one of the team was able to catch a sky-ball and she was so elated, she held the ball, showing everyone and saying with glee, I caught the ball, I caught the ball. Her actions brought stern, scolding shouts at her to throw the ball and hit the stumps. You see, hitting the stumps would mean scoring two outs. There would be the out, through the caught ball and the out through the thrown ball, hitting the stumps.

What is the point of this? What can we learn from this? We are like that team member, elated with how we have been dealt with in luminous ways. For example, we have received new, reinforced learning that our Lord is with us, in His Living Word. Having caught it in mind, soul and spirit, we have victoriously and convincingly defeated the opponent called doubt. However, before we apply this same word to the enemy on the move, called complacency, trying to score on us, we just stay in one position feeling good about our scored achievement.

Believer, do not be in any way fooled or think that because you have just come out of a time of illuminations, a time of strengthening that the deceive will not use this as a time of getting you to dim your lights. Remember, time is running out on him for this year, where you, the Lord’s freshly lit light, is concerned. The deceiver wants the victory of going before God and boasting that he has got you and made you crash many lights - lights of truth, strength, hope and trust – to end the year carrying tinges of doubt, pangs of anxiety, flashes of disbelief and more.

It is precisely because you are standing in the Light of Victory, in a Saviour born to you; because you are holding firm to Israel’s Consolation; because you have a story to tell, that the devil cannot stand by and not release his magical tricks upon you. Yes, I say magical, because he is not coming with any scare tactics, but seductive whisperings, in attractive, well light garments, which can easily trap you and make you yield to him. I will not even doubt that because he sees how much you have changed, how you no longer delight in his ways, and teachings, how you have turned your back on him and now look fully to Jesus, who is the Light of the world, that he will not seek you in such a way.

What I mean is that he is the master of camouflage and it will take nothing for him to present himself to you in glowing, dazzlingly attractive colours. We must ever be aware of what we have been told about him by Peter, who was deeply sifted by him. Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11: 14b. 

Beware! You, hold many illuminations to you, but do not ever forget that you need to take down all others fake and false lights, which will come to snuff out the Light of God’s truth from you.