Damage the Enemy Causes Within the Church
The heart inside mankind is so sinful that it forgets the many ways God blesses. If not careful, the sinful nature dwelling inside will cause humanity to forget the promises of God. Sometimes, this forgetfulness happens so quickly. For the children of Israel, it only took three days. That’s right—3 Days!
Imagine for a moment, that God’s provision for the exodus of His children from the bondage of Egypt occurred on a Sunday morning. Then came Monday, and the Red Sea was behind them, the sand was brown before them, their feet were tired and they were thirsty.
Consider God’s provision of the manna sent daily, falling from heaven to fill His children’s hunger, raining down six days straight. Then, sense the monotony of the journey, the difficulty of the terrain, and the hardships of life that began to settle into their hearts.
Perhaps it was the outsiders who were mingled in among the children of Israel that were the instigators of their complaining.
“Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth,
(Exodus 12: 37-38 NASB)
about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children.
A mixed multitude also went up with them,
along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.”
The outsiders, “a mixed multitude” traveled with God’s people as they fled Egypt. Have we asked: Who were these outsiders?
- Maybe they were other slaves to the Egyptians who saw the Israelites escape as a quick way out too.
- Maybe they were people living in Egypt who experienced the plagues sent by God, who were afraid to stay, fearing even more judgment/plagues might be coming.
- Maybe they were servants in Egypt who saw the opportunity to run away while so many were burying their dead.
- Maybe they were people who had good intentions but who had no faith in God.
Whoever this group of people were, they left Egypt when God’s people left during Passover, and they also experienced the miracle at the Red Sea, crossing over with the Israelites. However, time has passed, days, months, and even a full year since their time at Mount Sinai, and now complaints begin to be heard among the people.
“The rabble who were among them had greedy desires;
(Numbers 11: 4-6 NASB)
and also the sons of Israel wept again and said,
“Who will give us meat to eat?
We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt,
the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic,
but now our appetite is gone.
There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”
- Do we ever look at all the LORD has provided and complain about what we do not have?
- Do we ever listen to the unbelievers surrounding us, and begin to grumble against the God who gave us freedom from our bondage?
- Do we ever experience only the goodness of God and wish for something different, something more?
- Do we ever look back to our past life (before Jesus) and see with rose-colored glasses, seeing what we want to see but not seeing the ugliness of our life within the devil’s hold?
If believers are not careful, we can act just as the children of Israel. We can listen to those among us, who do not belong to God, and we can allow the attitude of selfishness and sinfulness to spread like wildfire.
The apostle John was clear when he spoke about those who infiltrate our church bodies, who stir up believers and cause division where only unity should exist.
“Children, it is the last hour;
(The 1st Letter of John 2: 18-19 NASB)
and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared;
from this we know that it is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of us;
for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us;
but they went out,
so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
- We must allow the body to crave that which is good.
- We must no longer desire the things of this world.
- We must do the work the Lord has commissioned His children to do.
- We must depend on the Father to provide for our needs and allow Him to reign at the center of our hearts.
- We must turn deaf ears to the “mixed multitude,” and not allow them to cause us to turn our worship of God into a circus or into unholiness.
- We must remember: Wherever God plants His children, the devil enters and plants his lies, that which counterfeit.
God’s provision for salvation, the exodus of His children from the bondage of Satan’s lies, comes to those who believe. Then the devil begins his attack, whispering to a person’s being, reminding him of all the supposed “good” things one has left behind when he chose to follow Christ.
God’s provision of relationship we have received, the manna from heaven, the bread of life, falls daily upon us and fills us completely. Then the devil begins his sly ways of deceit, whispering that it’s no fun to live as a believer, as a Jesus follower. The devil tells us that life before Christ was better, and he even tells us that we can never be satisfied with just the Lord. Satan says, “We need more.”
Perhaps today it is the outsiders who are mingled in among the children of God, who sit in the pews beside us but who are not like us because they do not really know Jesus as their Savior. May we commit ourselves to pray for them, the outsiders filling our church-houses and who still belong to the enemy. As they attend each Sunday, checking off their church box, hoping their church membership will be enough, may we pray against the work of Satan, which causes the most damage within the church.
- Church, let us not allow these outsiders, these intruders, those who “act” like God’s people but who really are not, to convince us not to follow the ONE WHO WE KNOW WE ARE TO SEEK.
- Church, let us wake up and see the way Satan attempts to destroy us from within our congregation.
- Church, let us see the damage the enemy causes within the church.
- Church, let us pray, let us testify, and let us reach out to them in God’s love. &
- Church, let us hold fast to the TRUTH of our LORD.