The devil has many tools in his toolbox. Many are well-known and easy to detect. However, there are also tools that satan likes to use that are not so easy to detect, and that could be the most effective ones he uses.
A long time ago, I watched a sermon by Pastor Ron Becton from the First Church Nashville, a Pentecostal church.
That sermon has stayed with me all that time, and I decided to write that sermon here in my own words.
The Famous TV and Radio Anchor
There was a very famous, well-known, and respected person who had TV shows, radio interviews, and a great social media following.
He had interviewed many famous people, including movie stars, musicians, politicians, and all kinds of royalty and celebrities.
However, after many years, he was running out of people to interview, and his audience began to watch his shows less and less.
Just when he was about to give up on his show and move his career into a new direction, his phone rang.
He answered, and the person on the other side asked him if he wanted to do one more interview with one of the most famous people in the world.
Sceptic as he was, he asked who they thought that would be then. Since he had already interviewed almost all of the famous people.
The Devil
The person on the other side said, it is me, the devil!
At first there was a shock, but after that he realized that this could be the biggest interview he ever did, and would be the crown on his career.
So, he accepted that invitation to do the interview, and the devil told him to meet him in hell. That was, of course, a shock, but the devil promised him not to keep him there and let him go back after the interview.
The Interview
At the time of the appointment, the devil took him to the first level of hell. There they had the first part of the interview, and although the anchor was happy with how it went, he wanted more.
He had answers on most of the questions he had prepared for this interview, but he needed a big one to wow his audience.
The Big Question
The anchor had to ask the main question he was preparing for, and he did.
“What is the most powerful weapon in your arsenal?”
The devil answered him that he could show him his ultimate weapons, but they had to go deeper down in hell.
The anchor agreed, and they went to the second level of hell. Here, the devil opened a door and showed what was in there.
War and weapons of mass destruction were the contents. However, said the devil, they are working well; it is not my most effective weapon. We need to go one more level down.
At level 3, the devil opened the door and showed drugs, alcohol, and other addictive substances. However, he said again that they are also working, but they are still not my most effective weapon. We need to go one more level down.
At level 4, the devil opened the door and showed an almost dark room with only one box in it. The anchor was surprised and asked what was on the box.
The devil took him deeper into the room and opened the box. What he showed the anchor totally surprised him.
The Wedge
The devil showed him a box full of wedges. All basic wedges that are used for many purposes, especially in construction.
The anchor looked surprised and told the devil that he did not understand how a wedge could be more effective than war, drugs, and all the other things he showed him before.
The Devil’s Answer
The devil’s answer was so shocking and still so simple that the TV anchor realized that this was really the most effective weapon that the devil has in his arsenal.
Here is the devil’s answer.
As soon as I see a little crack between people, I will jam that little wedge in there. After that, I have several lower-ranked devils that will keep hammering that wedge deeper.
I use it all the time when I see a little crack between a husband and wife, a father and his children, a mother and her children, or between brothers and sisters. Actually, in any situation I see, I use my wedge.
Not just in family, but in work situations and (my favorite) in the churches.
The devil’s favorite tool is division. satan seeks to separate what God has joined together.
The Solution
Let me be honest, I don’t have the solution for the devil’s use of a wedge to divide us.
The only thing we possibly can do is watch ourselves and not give the devil a chance to use his wedge.
Try not to get upset when people hurt your feelings or disagree with you. Realize that we all are different and react differently to situations.
Division doesn’t stop at politics, families, or communities. We can see it in Christianity too. Christians who share a belief in Jesus Christ have divided themselves into churches, denominations, and groups over the centuries.
Some of those disagreements are important, but I sometimes wonder how much our division distracts us from what we have in common.
I wrote more about those shared beliefs and the different branches of the faith in my article about what Christianity is and how it developed.
I even think that these wedges are the reason behind all the different denominations we have. We all believe in the same God. We all believe in his Son Jesus and in the Holy Ghost, but still we are in many ways divided.
The devil and his wedges were able to divide us into different church denominations.
I am not a pastor or preacher, so all I can do is pray, read the Bible, and seek help in the Scriptures.
I know it is a daily struggle for all of us, including me, to see what the devil is trying to do and to fight that battle.
Eddie van Aken
I am Eddie van Aken. I’m still learning about faith, health, family, purpose, and life itself.
A Faithful Life is where I share some of those lessons, experiences, and questions as I continue my journey.