Influencers Weekly Devotional

The Great Divider by Bryan Craig

"Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.'" Matthew 12:25

Many refer to Satan as "The Great Deceiver," for Jesus Himself called him "the Father of Lies." I think another title could be ascribed to him, "The Great Divider." It seems to me that he works double-time trying to divide us. He must have been paying attention when Jesus said the words above. Division causes destruction, and after all, we know our enemy is out to steal, kill and destroy. If he can divide us, he has accomplished his intended purpose. I see 4 major areas where Satan is working against men to cause division. First, and foremost, he wants to divide us from the Father. As we know from John 15 and in The Journey, Jesus said if we abide in Him, we will bear fruit, but apart from Him, we can do nothing. If Satan can keep us from abiding with the Lord, we will be ineffective. Do you ever wonder why it sometimes seems so difficult to get up in the morning and spend time in the Word? Or think about the heavy resistance you feel at times when you are trying to get the family to church? Or how many times do you feel unworthy to approach the Father or do anything for Him? You feel defeated and thus, you don't spend time with God. He seems far away. As you know, sin separates us from God, and so, we are very capable of separating ourselves from God. However, I can assure you the Enemy is working hard to keep you from the Father. Second, Satan wants to divide us from our spouses. Marriage is highly esteemed by God. When Jesus talks about His relationship to the body of Christ, He refers to Himself as the Bridegroom and us as His Bride. This is another affirmation to the kind of intimate relationship God desires with us. If God hates divorce, Satan hates marriage. I believe Satan knows how beautiful a Christ-centered marriage can be, where two people are serving one another and glorifying God in the process. He despises this picture of God and His people, united forever in Heaven. So, he builds wedges between couples. This happens in mostly subtle ways through misunderstandings, annoyances, pride and selfishness. It just so happens that opposites attract. We find a spouse that fills in the voids in our life, so they sometimes act completely different from us. Satan seizes that by twisting it into resentment and disgust. Once the intimacy is broken, the door opens for all other kinds of temptations which lead to infidelity. The wedge can become so strong and the household can become so chaotic, people throw in the towel. This happens every day, among believers and unbelievers alike. I believe Satan is involved in this every step of the way. The third division Satan causes is a divide between Fathers and their children. Scripture talks much about the importance of training up our children so that as they grow up, they will be rooted in God. It is no accident that God refers to Himself as our Father. He is the ultimate picture of a loving Daddy. Children clamor for their earthly Father's love and approval and blessing. The Father's blessing was important from the beginning of creation. God intends for Fathers to represent Him to children. Fathers are to be strong and trustworthy, but also loving and full of grace. Children determine their view of God by what they see in their Fathers. Satan knows all this, so he will divide men from God or from their wives which disrupts the family unit. Or he will just get men so busy handling all the responsibilities of life that they are not available to their children. This division can be so damaging to kids that they will turn away from God and toward all kinds of evil. Lastly, the Enemy divides us from other believers. It has been stated before that God is our Father, and He has adopted all of us believers, which makes us all family. He intends us to live together in peace and unity. Satan tries hard to keep us from the fellowship of believers. He will try to tempt us to inflict harm to one another through disagreements or harsh words or miscommunications. When we get hurt, our next temptation is to withdraw from the community. If Satan can isolate us, we are much weaker. Just like the wolf who attacks the sheep that has become separated from the flock, Satan can much more easily overtake us when we're alone. Jesus Himself was more vulnerable when He was alone. We see this played out all the time, especially in church or among churches. Satan is always trying to pit us against each other, turning everything into some sort of competition. When that happens, we all lose. So, where is the hope? Jesus did not leave us alone. He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us until we rejoin Jesus in Heaven. Think about the power of the Holy Spirit. He is "The Great Uniter." He works against Satan's schemes, as Jesus intercedes on our behalf with the Father. The Holy Spirit rewards us as we get still and seek the Lord in His Word. He pours His fruit into our lives. He offers forgiveness for our sins, and He instills worthiness into our spirit. He helps us love our wives like Christ loves us. He helps us offer them the same forgiveness we have received from Him. He shows us how when we put aside our selfish desires and serve our spouse, we find a unity and satisfaction in our marriage that is truly beautiful. He helps us bless our children with our love and with our time. He helps us show them the grace they so desperately need. Lastly, he helps us to love others, so that we show that we are His disciples. We become peacemakers, taking the lead in reconciliation. When we see Satan trying to cause dissension, we nip it in the bud with love and understanding. We don't operate on our own agendas, defending our own causes, but we look for opportunities to serve side by side with all types of believers. We trust the Holy Spirit and His agenda, for He is always working to build unity. And He is all about completing the work Jesus began. Jesus knew of Satan's schemes to divide, and His prayer for us sums up His desires: "I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me." John 17:20-23 "Lord, we love You. Please help us be aware of the devil's schemes in our lives to divide us from you, from our spouses and children and from other believers. Please help us yield to Your Spirit so that we can overcome Satan's temptations and his attacks. Guide us in the way everlasting. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen." Download file