A Timely Warning by Brother Andrew

Satan tries to neutralize Christians by sowing seeds of dissention, accusation, anger, mistrust or bitterness among the brethren. This breaks the bond of loving unity and keeps Christians distracted and unable to organize for a counterattack. In other words, if the enemy can get us fighting among ourselves, we won’t be able to fight him.

Churches and Christian organizations are not, as a rule, destroyed by opposition from outside. In fact, attack from the outside usually cements relationships and draws believers together, mobilizing them for battle. Satan has learned that the best way to attack groups of believers is to work from the inside. He disguises himself as an angel of light or sends his messengers as “servants of righteousness” to create confusion and mistrust, often working on just one or two individuals to begin with. Then, slowly, he stirs up bitterness, anger, envy—all the nasty attitudes that isolate us and keep our eyes off the Lord.

I have heard countless stories of prayer groups and Bible studies that have been destroyed by these means—usually just when the group is on the brink of a tremendous breakthrough. How does this happen?

In one fairly typical case I heard about, a new couple came into a Bible study and prayer group that had been meeting together for several years. Ron and Carla (we’ll call them) seemed somehow more “spiritually qualified” for leadership than any who were already involved—partly because of their vast knowledge of Scripture, partly because they seemed to have special insights and gifts to provide the kind of leadership and direction the group thought they needed, and partly because of the sheer force of their personalities.

So they quickly became the unofficial leaders. Ron and Carla flashed lots of "spiritual credit cards" - stories of miraculously answered prayers, prophetic dreams, visions and direct "words from the Lord" that suggested to the group that soon they were going to have a powerful impact on their community for the Lord.

Very soon, however, members of the group began to get calls and visits from Carla and Ron. The purpose of these visits was always the same: to hint—very gently at first—that certain other members were hindering the progress of the group. These members, Ron and Carla suggested, were not on the same high spiritual plane as the rest of the group because they did not accept the agenda God had clearly given the group through the couple. The group was better off, therefore, without these members.

After a long and agonizing struggle, several members of the group began to discern what was happening. They met together, prayed, and confronted Carla and Ron with what they had been doing. Naturally, the couple counterattacked, accusing those who had confronted them of being un-Christian and out of tune with the Holy Spirit. Over a period of several weeks the group struggled to continue, but eventually—sadly—they decided simply to disband. Too much distrust had been sown and too many members hurt too badly to continue. Ron and Carla went off (presumably to join another prayer group) claiming that they had been the victims of demonic attack.

Tragically, they didn’t know how right they were. Satan’s “messengers” are always his victims. He hates them as much as he hates us—and they suffer in their own ways even more than we do.

From And God Changed His Mind, by Brother Andrew, p. 132.

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