The Labour Spokesman
Each day of our lives we are faced with just how tough it is to maintain our constant connection with our Heavenly Father. We find ourselves under constant attack by the spiritual agents of evil. Given the times in which we live, many are inclined to the view that there is really no such thing as ‘the devil.’ It has been written that the greatest trick which Satan has ever played was ‘to convince the world that he doesn’t exist,’ but the scriptures say otherwise. Indeed, in The Gospel according to St John, Chapter 8 Verse 44, Jesus Himself admonishes certain unbelievers: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth: because truth is not in him.”
St Augustine taught that ‘the devil often transforms himself into an angel to tempt us.’ As human beings we are engaged in a spiritual conflict, a spiritual ‘war.’ We have to be strong to resist Satan. St James taught: ‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ Let us all use this season of Lent to strengthen ourselves and regain our closeness with God. Through self-denial, acts of penitence, and renewal of our faith we can achieve that goal.