For the past few days I’ve been reading a book by Max Lucado, “An Angel Story” of the story of Christ’s birth from the angel Gabrielle’s perspective and the battle with Satan. Before that, Dr. Myron Guiler spoke of what the angel’s reaction may have been to the news of the Savior’s plan to save mankind at the Marietta Christmas Banquet on Monday. It’s stirred my heart with wonder like the many bowls of Christmas goodies being prepared in the coming days. Including mine today, for today is Christmas at my house with my children and grandchildren. But back to the wonder… it’s also with a heavy heart that I wonder as I watch the torments of Satan and his minions to destroy the spirit of Christmas from as many angles as possible.
Isaiah 14: 12-15
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
And weaken he has. Until the November election Satan had all but made Christmas an oath in the minds of the unsaved. Businesses dare not wish a Merry Christmas for fear of a law suit. It was beyond insane in my mind. And Satan’s plan nearly worked. Year after year with gotten more Christmas intolerant. With “Winter Holiday” being the new political correct phrase and quite appropriate with the hearts of the nation growing colder and colder towards Christ. But then suddenly, almost as surprising as the election results, it was okay again to say Merry Christmas. Christmas trees were sprouting up all over the Washington D.C. scenes and I could almost hear the dreadful growl of Satan as he watched his plan unravel.
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Proverbs 16:18 says that Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. And so it does. The arrogance of the liberals still abounds but it doesn’t thwart the fact that they fell and fell hard. It also doesn’t reduce the fact that America is still very much in a state of disarray, politically, spiritually, militarily, and the list goes on. Satan has done a number on a nation that began as a very bold, Christian land. The war on Christmas and Christianity is far from over. But it’s certainly been a merrier Christmas than the past eight.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Satan’s angle has always been to win the heart of God’s people. He needs worshipped like the political left need binkies and blankies. What he continues to fail to understand is it’s all temporary. Just like his failed attempts at destroying Christmas, he has failed at destroying Christianity because God is so much more than Satan and the world understand.
But one battle that continues to rage on is the war to win families. Satan’s angle on that is working pretty well. He wins them with distraction, lack of interaction, greed, self… oh he has that wrapped up with a bow. So how do we untie it and take back the family from his grip. The opposite of what wrapped it up. The opposite of pride is humility. Humble pie is on the menu for Christmas if families want to come back together. If you made a mistake, admit it. If you’ve been hurt, forgive it. If you disagree, move past it. Just spend the time loving one another. For God is love. And that’s why we celebrate Christmas because it was the ultimate act of love, humility and a gift that surpasses every angle Satan can devise. Christ = Salvation. Satan = damnation. We win.