“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11, NIV)
Way back in the Garden of Eden, Eve wanted what she wanted! God had told her and Adam that they could eat of any tree in the garden … except for one. And Eve decided she wanted more. Satan came and enticed her; he convinced her that she wanted the fruit of that tree and the knowledge that he promised would come with it. She wanted more than what God had already given her.
Unfortunately, we are all in the same boat. Most of us want more. More of whatever we don’t have. More stuff, more prestige, more opportunity, more power, more influence. You name it; we want more of it, if we’re honest. And because of that desire for more, we concentrate on how we can meet our own desires and needs and give little thought to our eternal destinies or the eternal destinies of others. But you know what? God wants to change the propensity we have to focus on ourselves into a focus on his desires and goals. Because when we focus on ourselves, we are willing to consume our time and talent and treasure on the immediate rather than invest it in the eternal.
The Bible tells us in Genesis 1–3 that God created a beautiful and perfect world. He created Adam and Eve in his image to inhabit his perfect world with the express purpose of having fellowship with him. And his creative design was for Adam and Eve to administer responsible stewardship over his creation.
Unfortunately, a fallen angel, named Lucifer, entered God’s creation to entice mankind to disobey God, thereby introducing sin into God’s perfect creation. We often refer to Lucifer as “Satan.” Peter describes him in the New Testament in this way, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV). I like to refer to Satan as the Chief Consumerlator. A consumerlator is anyone or anything that steals an opportunity to converterlate time, talent, or treasure into something of eternal value. Satan’s express purpose is always to steal, kill, and destroy that which is good. He will use whatever means possible to get us to use our resources on those things that are perishable. He wants us consuming our resources rather than converterlating them!
However, the Word of God gives us the hope, power, and guidance we need to make our way through this complex world. “The Lord says, ‘I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you’” (Psalm 32:8, NCV). The Bible provides the direction we need to make wise choices in this difficult world.
In Ephesians 6 we read, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth … the breastplate of righteousness, … your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace … take up the shield of faith … the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (verses 12–17, NIV). The Christian life is all about advancing for the purpose of accomplishing God’s will on this earth. We invade the darkness with the light of the gospel, going into all the world with all of the means God has given us. Retreat is not an option. We are in a battle, taking new ground. We are to use our time, talent, and treasure to make a difference for the kingdom. We must be bold. We must be empowered by the Spirit.
What does the Chief Consumerlator most often use in your life to distract you from God’s purposes?
Converterlators stand against Satan’s schemes with all of God’s armor.