What You Must Know
Have you ever played the “Telephone Game?” You might have played it as a child. One person would whisper something into someone's ear, and they would turn and whisper the sentence to the next person and so on and so on. By the time the message had passed through a dozen people it never sounded the same. It was a funny game when we were kids.
It’s not so funny as an adult. It’s especially not funny in the Church.
Of course, we don’t actually play the game in church, Satan does. He uses versions of the telephone game—like gossip, slander, judgmental attitudes, and unforgiveness—to try to hinder peoples’ assignments, and to take them out prematurely. And it works.
Yes, Satan has been defeated. He’s under our feet. But that isn’t going to stop him from trying. Think about it. If you and I were going head to head and you had an atomic bomb and I had a firecracker, I would know my chances. So I’d have to change tactics, right? That’s what Satan does. He uses intimidation and underground resistance, and he comes at us from the inside out. He doesn’t knock on your door and say, “Hey! It’s me.” He operates in darkness.
Matthew 12:25 says, “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.”
The enemy knows this. So he baits you. He baits you to come outside of your love walk. He baits you with offense. Offense is the most effective way the enemy pulls us out of the Kingdom.
He doesn’t have to tempt us to murder someone. He doesn’t have to tempt us to steal. He just has to divide us, and get us outside of love in our marriages, our families, our friendships, and our church and he’s got us outside of God’s legal jurisdiction.
And, he’s going to keep trying. He’s going to set up schemes and people to pull you out of love, and he’s going to try to use you to offend others. He’s after your unity and your oneness. Divide and conquer. That’s his greatest weapon.
In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, Paul is teaching about the Lord’s Supper. He’s telling Christians that some of them are sick, weak, and have died. WHY? They had a covenant of healing! They had the apostles still alive! They had Paul coaching them! Why were they sick and dying?
Let me just be plain about this; the problem was division. They weren’t walking in love. It was all about them. There was jealousy and envy. Someone likely thought they were better. Many people get sick and never understand why. This is why! The enemy uses these tactics to divide us and gain access to our lives.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul tells us that we’re all one body, and there should be no division. We have to understand that we’re ONE BODY. We’re a unit. We’re His body working together for the Kingdom.
The Bible says to “mark” those people that are being used by the enemy to cause division. God will deal with people severely if they are causing division because they are breaking the unity of His body. He will make it known.
So don’t let the enemy gain access. Work at preventing divisions in your life. Examine yourself. Recognize the body. Stop talking to those friends who, when you get off the phone with them, you feel like you need a bath. Be very careful. Let the Holy Spirit discipline you. Ask God to help you to be quick to forgive. Overlook all offenses. Believe the best in people. Then, you’ll really see the Kingdom of God operating in your life.
