The sport utility vehicles in Tanzania, East Africa are not the typical SUV. Some of them look like what you find in America, but they are more powerful—designed to deal with the rugged terrain.
While working there, one SUV in particular caught my eye. On the back of the vehicle was a colorful wheel cover. It was actually a work of art. It was called, “Satan’s Submarines.” On it was the picture of a boat floating on the ocean. On the boat was the word “church.” In the water, under the boat were several submarines. On each submarine was a word. The words included indifference, worldliness, materialism, etc.
I was immediately impressed with this wheel cover and thought, “Man that would make a great sermon.” For the purpose of this essay, let’s use the idea of “Satan’s Submarines” as a springboard for our study.
Anxiety is One of Satan’s Submarines
“And what does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow, brother, of its sorrow; but, ah! It empties today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil, it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. It does not bless tomorrow, and it robs today. For every day has its own burden. God gives us power to bear all the arrows of his making; but he does not give us the power to bear the sorrows of our own making, which the anticipation of sorrow most assuredly is.”
Jesus said, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (Mt. 6:27). Worry does nothing for the Christian. I heard somewhere that worry is a lot like a rocking chair—it gives you something to do, but you never go anywhere.
Anxiety is one of Satan’s submarines, and it robs Christians of productivity.
Indifference is One of Satan’s Submarines
From a study of biblical history we learn that after some seventy years of Jerusalem captivity, Judah returned in three stages. The first group was led back to Jerusalem by Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They then rebuilt and dedicated the temple. The second group was led by Ezra. It was marked by a great revival among the people—the revival was led by Haggai and Zechariah. The third group was led by Nehemiah. It was under Nehemiah’s leadership that the walls were rebuilt.
As you study the background material to the utter devastation of the city walls, you can’t help but be impressed with the fact that those walls were rebuilt in just fifty-two short days (Neh. 6:15). How did they do it? Nehemiah provides the answer: “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work” (Neh. 4:6).
Though the people as a whole were characterized by great zeal, there were still others who were indifferent. Some were pictured as lazy, and others were just plain negative (Neh. 4:5,10). They needed a healthy dose of James 1:25: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
Indifference is one of Satan’s submarines, and it robs Christians of diligent service.
Confusion is One of Satan’s Submarines
I like the illustration about the teacher who received a note from one of her students. It read, “Dear teacher, please excuse Harriet for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it on Monday, we thought it was Sunday.”
The religious world tries to confuse the masses. I think they are following the advice of H. Truman when he said, “If you can’t convince them, then confuse them.” “Followers of this philosophy would say, “One church is as good as another” “Your way of salvation is o.k. as long as mine is.” “You’re o.k., I’m o.k.,” they say. “You can believe it that way, and I can believe it my way.”
Here’s the problem, God says, “[I’m] not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33). God says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6). God says: there is one body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, and God (Eph. 4:4-6).
Confusion is one of Satan’s submarines, and it robs Christians of salvation.
Time is One of Satan’s Submarines
I read somewhere that “we are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end.” That’s a work of the devil. He wants to catch us griping about our time while causing us to forget that one day, all time will end.
When the devil can’t convince us that there is no God, or that there is no plan for man, or that one plan is just as good as another, his next option is to convince us that we have all the time in the world to obey God—the problem is, we are believing that lie! May God help us to “number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). May He help us to redeem the time (Eph. 5:16).
Time is one of Satan’s submarines, and it robs Christians of daily service.
While working there, one SUV in particular caught my eye. On the back of the vehicle was a colorful wheel cover. It was actually a work of art. It was called, “Satan’s Submarines.” On it was the picture of a boat floating on the ocean. On the boat was the word “church.” In the water, under the boat were several submarines. On each submarine was a word. The words included indifference, worldliness, materialism, etc.
I was immediately impressed with this wheel cover and thought, “Man that would make a great sermon.” For the purpose of this essay, let’s use the idea of “Satan’s Submarines” as a springboard for our study.
Anxiety is One of Satan’s Submarines
“And what does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow, brother, of its sorrow; but, ah! It empties today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil, it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. It does not bless tomorrow, and it robs today. For every day has its own burden. God gives us power to bear all the arrows of his making; but he does not give us the power to bear the sorrows of our own making, which the anticipation of sorrow most assuredly is.”
Jesus said, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (Mt. 6:27). Worry does nothing for the Christian. I heard somewhere that worry is a lot like a rocking chair—it gives you something to do, but you never go anywhere.
Anxiety is one of Satan’s submarines, and it robs Christians of productivity.
Indifference is One of Satan’s Submarines
From a study of biblical history we learn that after some seventy years of Jerusalem captivity, Judah returned in three stages. The first group was led back to Jerusalem by Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They then rebuilt and dedicated the temple. The second group was led by Ezra. It was marked by a great revival among the people—the revival was led by Haggai and Zechariah. The third group was led by Nehemiah. It was under Nehemiah’s leadership that the walls were rebuilt.
As you study the background material to the utter devastation of the city walls, you can’t help but be impressed with the fact that those walls were rebuilt in just fifty-two short days (Neh. 6:15). How did they do it? Nehemiah provides the answer: “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work” (Neh. 4:6).
Though the people as a whole were characterized by great zeal, there were still others who were indifferent. Some were pictured as lazy, and others were just plain negative (Neh. 4:5,10). They needed a healthy dose of James 1:25: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
Indifference is one of Satan’s submarines, and it robs Christians of diligent service.
Confusion is One of Satan’s Submarines
I like the illustration about the teacher who received a note from one of her students. It read, “Dear teacher, please excuse Harriet for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it on Monday, we thought it was Sunday.”
The religious world tries to confuse the masses. I think they are following the advice of H. Truman when he said, “If you can’t convince them, then confuse them.” “Followers of this philosophy would say, “One church is as good as another” “Your way of salvation is o.k. as long as mine is.” “You’re o.k., I’m o.k.,” they say. “You can believe it that way, and I can believe it my way.”
Here’s the problem, God says, “[I’m] not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33). God says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6). God says: there is one body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, and God (Eph. 4:4-6).
Confusion is one of Satan’s submarines, and it robs Christians of salvation.
Time is One of Satan’s Submarines
I read somewhere that “we are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end.” That’s a work of the devil. He wants to catch us griping about our time while causing us to forget that one day, all time will end.
When the devil can’t convince us that there is no God, or that there is no plan for man, or that one plan is just as good as another, his next option is to convince us that we have all the time in the world to obey God—the problem is, we are believing that lie! May God help us to “number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). May He help us to redeem the time (Eph. 5:16).
Time is one of Satan’s submarines, and it robs Christians of daily service.