Sometimes it’s hard to tell when we have believed a lie from the devil and when our own deceitful hearts have tricked us. Of course, Scripture warns us not to excuse ourselves by blaming others for our own misdeeds (see Jas. 1:13-14). But there is no question that the devil “is a liar, and the father of it” (Jn. 8:44), and, with 6000 years of experience, his skills of deception are finely honed.
One of the deceiver’s nefarious specialties is stated in 2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Anyone involved in evangelism hears the lies that he uses, over and over again. “You’re too young; there’s plenty of time to be saved.” “You’re too bad; God doesn’t want someone like you.” “You’re not perfect but you’re better than many people; think of all the good things you have done. God can’t ask for any more than that.” The lies are so predictable, but the devil keeps using them because they work.
The apostle also warns that we can be accomplices in keeping people from Christ. Instead of “veiling” the minds of those who do not believe, we can veil the gospel. “But if our gospel be hid (veiled), it is hid to them that are lost” (4:3). And it is just at this point that the devil feeds a lie to God’s people. “There’s no use witnessing today,” he says. “No one is interested in hearing about your God, or trusting in your Jesus.”
I had just returned to the U.S. after twenty-four days in Japan, and was shortly leaving for three weeks in the U.K. I saw no sense in adjusting my body clock twice. So I decided for the few days at home I would rise at 2:30 each morning. In this way I would be ready for a 7:30 am wake-up call when I arrived in Scotland.
Heading for the Uplook office the first morning in Grand Rapids, I stopped at a 24-hour pancake restaurant. It was just 3 am when I entered. Not surprisingly, I had the place to myself. The waitress, a young lady named Michelle, asked if I worked the night shift. I briefly explained to her my Japan/Scotland schedule.
“Do you travel for business?” she inquired.
“Yes,” I replied, “but in my business I don’t sell things; I give them away.” With a startled look, she asked, “Are you a missionary?”
“Good guess! What do you know about missionaries?”
She grew pensive. “Nothing at all, really. My parents were so busy we never went to church. I’ve never owned a Bible. But I know that I need God in my life.” She asked if I minded if she sat down at the table to talk. For thirty minutes we had an uninterrupted conversation about the things of God. I promised to bring her a Bible. She said she would be working there two days later.
When I arrived again at 3 am as I had promised, Michelle was delighted to receive her Bible, surprised that I had returned. But she already had a customer, and so another waitress named Kellee came to serve me.
“Michelle has been telling me what you told her the other day,” she said. “May I ask you a question? How do you know when you should speak to someone about God?”
I was taken aback by the question, and began giving her a convoluted explanation of the leading of God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. But I could see from her face that I had completely missed the mark.
After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Well, I was wondering because you were in here some time ago, and I served you, and you never spoke to me about God.”
The comment wasn’t meant to sting, but I can still feel the smart. I know that regularly I cross paths with people who want to hear about the Lord. If my feet are “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15), the Lord will use me. God help me not to veil the gospel!
Written by J. B. Nicholson Jr