How Do You Feel about the World Being Led Astray and Held Captive by Satan

“How do you feel when you think about a world of people being led astray by the devil holding them captive?”

One of my brothers in Christ recently challenged me with this question. I haven’t responded to him until now. While this post is in response to him, I wanted to write it in a public forum, that my response may be shared with the rest of you. This is an important question for Christians to answer, and responding to the question publicly is one of the best ways I know to share what we believe, as well as to grow personally.

The first thing I remember when considering this question is that being led astray by Satan is completely expected, and is very normal. In fact, everyone has been led astray by Satan at some point. We have all sinned, and because of our sin, we have all fallen short of the glory of the Holy God (Romans 3:23). What else should we expect when we consider that we’re dealing with the prince of the world (John 16:11)? Jeremiah 17:9 in the New King James Version states “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?”. John 3:19 states “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”. Once does not need to look very far into the past or present events of our world to see Satan’s hold on humanity playing out over and over and over again. How do I feel about a world of people being led astray by the devil holding them captive? I certainly don’t feel good. I think it would be amazing if it wasn’t happening. But I honestly wouldn’t expect anything less.

This is important to clarify. Our time, our effort, and our energy is limited – there is only so much feeling and so much caring that we can do. There is only so much Michael Good to go around – what can I do about an entire world?

Now, there are many instances where God has used “one man” to make a difference for the entire world. Look at Peter and the apostle Paul. Look at St. Patrick, Martin Luther, Menno Simons, or C.S. Lewis. Clearly, if I were called by God to say or do something that would change the world, it wouldn’t be the first or (almost certainly) the last time that God calls literally just one person to say or do something that would change the way Christ is understood and venerated for generations to come. However, short of a calling from God and an empowerment through His Holy Spirit, I don’t like my odds of reaching an entire world. Realistically the scope to which I am called will likely be more localized.

Realistically the Scope to Which I Am Called Will Likely Be more Localized

I live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I’ve lived in this area my whole life, and have many friends, peers and family members around me. Thus far, I have not discerned a call from God to be elsewhere – and so, until then, I presume that God has called me to be right here. I know the language, I know the culture, and I know the people. If this is where God has called me to be, then this is where my “only so much Michael Good” should be going around. And the Holy Spirit will work through me to accomplish the will of the Father in Heaven.

As it stands, I have a number of friends, peers, and family members who would fit into category of people being led astray by the devil. I have close people who I’ve heard state “God will understand” when they stand in judgment before Him. I have close people who I’ve heard state “Jesus was a really good person”, without acknowledging His sacrifice for the redemption of our sins. I have close people who I’ve heard state “God wouldn’t send anyone to hell”. I have close people who know have thought “I’m not going to church because Christians in churches are mostly posers”. I’ve had close people who I’ve heard state “What’s important at the end of the day is that you have something you believe in”. I know people who I’ve heard state “I don’t think it’s possible to know the truth about God from our perspective”.

Some of those mentioned call themselves Christians. Some of those mentioned who call themselves Christians actually really are Christians. And others call themselves unbelievers. At the time that I recall the conversations happening, all were being led astray by the devil. Many of them were being held captive. And many of them are in the same spot today that they were in when we last spoke on the subject.

Here I am, a professing Christian; here I am, a professing believer in the one true and Holy God; here I am, professing that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus is the Messiah, and that Jesus is the one and only begotten son of God. One cannot in good faith and in good knowledge honestly make such a profession without also coming to the conclusion that this is the single most important thing they do with their lives. If this is the single most important thing I do with my life, shouldn’t everything I do and say be based on and around this? And since everything I do and say is based on this, shouldn’t I tell everyone I meet about this, and shouldn’t those close to me notice something is different with me than with everyone else? I know that over time the Holy Spirit has changed me to be a better reflection of who Christ is (1st John 4:17), and though I know I will certainly never be a perfect reflection of Him, I pray that He continues to refine me into His image. Well, am I telling the people I meet about who Jesus is and about the truth recorded in the Bible? Do those close to me notice something is different about me compared to those who aren’t Christians?

You know what really does bother me? Based on what I know, many of my friends, peers, and family members are going to hell. You know how it makes me feel knowing that some of the things I do and say may be a part of their decision? You know how it makes me feel knowing that some of the things I don’t do or say may be a part of their decision? You know how I feel when I think I may inadvertently be playing into the devil leading any of you astray or holding any of you captive? You know how I feel about this? I feel completely and utterly devastated by this.

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Well then, you should ask. Dear Michael Good, I see you laughing and making jokes. I see you getting your sleep at night. How can you be content when you’re not warning me I’m going to hell every time you’re seeing me? How do you look at yourself in the mirror? How do you live with yourself?

I’ll tell you how: It is not because of me that you are saved. And it is not because of me that you may have a better understanding of who Jesus is. I, Michael Good, am not the one who saves you. And I, Michael Good, am an impulsive, reckless dolt (clever as I may be) who has no business bettering anyone’s understanding of who Jesus is or what the Bible teaches. Instead, it is because of the work God is doing in your life, and it is because of His call on you. If I am at all a part of your redemption, or if I am at all a part of you better understanding of who Jesus is or what the Bible teaches, it is not because of me, but it is because of the Holy Spirit working through me.

It Is Because of the Holy Spirit Working through Me

What do I mean when I say it is because of the Holy Spirit working through me?

All those who believe in the resurrection of Jesus and who have called on His name to be saved have the Holy Spirit living in them. This is something that unbelievers are often mystified by, something that mature believers struggle to not take for granted, and something that is most apparent and most joyfully received by new believers who often suddenly change in temperament from who they were before, sometimes in very stark and noticeable ways. A good example of what the Holy Spirit does to a Christian is to look at Peter before the Holy Spirit – the man who chopped off soldier’s ears (John 18:10) and thought it was a good idea to make tents for Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:4) and denied Christ three times (Luke 22:61) – and compare it with Peter after the Holy Spirit – the man who preached to the Jews at Pentecost, some of whom may have even been among those who crucified Jesus (Acts 2:13), called early Christians to prepare their minds for action while being sober-minded (1st Peter 1:13), and as is commonly accepted by church tradition, was himself crucified upside-down for his faith in Jesus.

It is because of the Holy Spirit that, while I am concerned about how others are hearing the words I say and seeing the actions I take while knowing that I am a Christian, I am not overly worried about either one. I know I have received the same Spirit that the disciples received in Luke 12:11-12 when Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would teach them what to say before synagogues and rulers at the moment they needed to say it. It is through the same Holy Spirit that I have my hope and confidence that I may be ready both in-season and out-of-season as Paul charges Timothy to be in 2 Timothy 4:2 to preach the word, and to reprove, rebuke, and exhort believers and unbelievers that God brings through my life. It is through this Holy Spirit that I trust that God is revealing to you what things He needs to be revealed to you through the reading of this post.

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So, how do you feel when you think about a world of people being led astray by the devil holding them captive? If it were solely up to me and my own efforts, I would feel completely overwhelmed and totally crushed. This is not a task I am equipped to accomplish. Those who know me well should readily attest to my recurring rashness, my occasional laziness, and my frequent need to ask for forgiveness. But, I feel substantially better knowing that I am an instrument in the hands of God the father, that I am following the call of Jesus the son, and that the work I have been called to do is being completed by the Holy Spirit. In this I can be ultimately at peace – I do not shy away from confessing Jesus to be the Christ, I pray the Holy Spirit continues to refine and transform me, and I know God will do the rest.