Insidious

Something to think about.

Insidious 

¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (KJV)
 

Part of this verse talks about the desire of the Devil to destroy lives. OH!!! We are not supposed to acknowledge his existence less we become the laughing-stock of contemporary society. Within and without the church, we are not supposed to mention his existence. Supposedly because we lack concrete proof or we will look like a religious extremist. Some have regulated the Devil to the realm of myths. He has become an impotent folklore a boogie man of nonexistence.  

In our churches we seldom hear him mentioned and if so just in passing. He is ignored or marginalized within the church. Within the church, it has become taboo to address him head-on. Some say we should not give him undo recognition. That he is powerless against us and recognizing him only creates his unwanted influence. We have taken the position if we ignore him he will go away. The church as a whole has become reticent to address him for fear of ridicule from a society which proclaims he does not exist. 

A society which is facing more than a few crises. From the continual murder of unborn children. To the staggering amount of fatherless children to government corruption to unending wars. A world gripped by fanatical extremism, sex slavery, mass murders, serial rapist, serial murders, starvation, and disease. Everywhere you turn there is a stripping away from what makes us human. We are shocked and horrified by the unending ability of the imagination of man to perpetuate evil upon each other. Without a reasonable explanation, we experience these things and attribute it to anything other than to the father of lies the Devil himself.
  
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." The devil is so successful at this he has removed himself from the equation. The absolute insidiousness of it is we don't even believe he exists. Since we no longer allow him to be a part of our vocabulary all of the causes of the crises we face must then be man-made. We within us without apparent reason live the evil that is perpetrated on our fellow man. We are inherently evil. The Devil's success is in convincing us he does not exist. Even though the evidence of his existence can be found in the destroyed lives of our brothers, sister, and throughout society.  The world is destroying itself, and the only explanation we are given is we are the sole cause.  Wake up!!