Story: It is said that demons were sent to win souls away from God. One by one they were questioned by the demon-in-charge on the strategy each would use. One said that he would convince the world that there is no hell--and he is successful in his missionary work. Many souls are lost. A second demon said that he would convince the world that there is no heaven. Again, he is successful in winning souls away from God. A third said that he would convince the world that there is no hurry. And he is the most successful of all in winning souls away from God.

The evil one causes confusion within us, anxiety, distress, uncertainty. There is an inner struggle: a part of us wants to respond and a part of us fights a response. "I cannot even understand my own actions. I do not do what I want to do but what I hate....The desire to do right is there but not the power. What happens is that I do, not the good I will to do, but the evil I do not intend....What a wretched man I am! Who can free me from this body under the power of death?" Rom. 7:15ff

Remember the words of Jesus, quoting Isaiah? "Listen as you will, you shall not understand, look intently as you will, you shall not see. Sluggish indeed is this people's heart. They have scarcely heard with their ears, they have firmly closed their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back to me, and I should heal them." Mt. 13:14-15

The attitude we need to have is that of the servants who are prepared to receive the Master on his return. "Be like men awaiting their master's return from a wedding, so that when he arrives and knocks, you will open for him without delay. It will go well with those servants whom the master finds wide-awake on his return. I tell you, he will put on an apron, seat them at table, and proceed to wait on them. Should he happen to come at midnight or before sunrise and find them prepared, it will go well with them." Lk. 12:36-38 We are called to be faithful servants.(To be continued)