Yesterday as I got back into the swing of things after two weeks of vacation, one of my break time activities was to catch up on some of my favorite bloggers whom I usually read on a daily basis.  Imagine then my shock and surprise when one of the guys announced he was stepping down as Senior Pastor because he had had an affair with his secretary.

Man this hit hard.  I first got to know this guy back in the early part of the decade through an online forum that Purpose Driven had at the time and then when I went on staff with them I got to talk with him a few times and was impressed by his passion and vision.  His church in the past few years grew to almost two thousand and from all appearances everything was great.

This morning as I was doing my devotions I was reading the story of Adam and Eve being deceived by the serpant.  The problem was the enemy was right before them and they didn’t recognize him.  If he came to us today in that form we’d recognize him and crush him…but he’s smart and wily and knows better.  Paul at one point in scripture says, “He roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”.  Again though if he came in the form of a lion we’d be prepared.

So as I was praying I asked God, “Well then what does the enemy look like”?  His repsonse was quite clear…”He looks like the thing you want most that I’ve told you you can’t have”.  For my pastor friend, satan came to him in the form of a woman.  Now realize not literally, but he desired her and despite God I’m sure many times warning him not to sleep with her or lust after her, he did it anyway.

For him satan looked like the thing he wanted most but God told him he couldn’t have.  So what does the enemy look like for you?  What thing or person are you seeking to have/get/acquire that you know God doesn’t want you to have?  For you that’s satan…Don’t be deceived!