How the enemy wins ............. Parables 738

November 27, 2001

Stephen King was starting his morning’s writing when he heard the news on television, Tuesday, September 11th. He said, “I can’t do this.”

King admits he has no illusions about the everlasting significance of his novels. That is one reason he felt it was not crucial to continue writing that day. Yet he went up to his office, blocked out the television his wife watched downstairs, and went to work. He explained that he continues to write because “if everybody continues working, they (the terrorists) don’t win.”

King is one of thousands who express this sentiment. If fear prevents anyone from their responsibilities, not only do the terrorists “win” but in many other ways, we lose.

At the same time, I don’t think anyone has been able to carry on normally since September 11th. Who can say this atrocity has had no impact on their lives? Some try. I’ve met a few people for whom nothing matters but their own personal agenda. They’ve shut their minds to the photographs and daily news. They concentrate entirely on their own goals and plans. It seems to me, at least in their case, that the terrorists may have gained some ground.

Terrorism is a tool of the heartless; people without concern for anyone or anything that stands in the way of their goals, even innocent bystanders. In several instances, they claim to do their violent acts in the name of God and that He will reward them for their zeal and tenacity. Even people who know very little about God doubt that He is delighted by destruction. Those who know more understand that God is perfect goodness. Jesus both said so and demonstrated it.

In contrast, Jesus said that the devil is “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him . . . he is a liar and the father of lies.” Satan is the opposite of God and rejects goodness. Although God sometimes deals harshly with evil people, His goal is to protect and uphold truth and righteousness. He redeems people from sin and enables them to live in goodness and peace.

On the other hand, Satan’s purpose is delusion and ruining lives. He instigates destructive acts. He does not want anyone to honor and obey God, to know truth, to be good, or to have a legitimate claim to eternal life. To reach his evil goals, he convinces many that they are serving God when they are actually serving him. The apostle Paul was a case in point. Before he met Christ, he was killing Christians and thinking he was doing God a favor. In His mercy, God opened Paul’s eyes so that he knew the truth and decided to follow it.

God says that the heart of man is deceitful to begin with. Paul realized that is true. He knew that everyone seeks their own way. When the lies of Satan are thrown into the mix, the human heart is not only deceived but can become extremely destructive.

Judas is another example. He was a selfish man. He spent three years as a disciple of Jesus Christ but that was not enough to change his heart. The Bible says he carried the money bag but dipped into it whenever he wanted some for himself. Later, “Satan entered his heart” and Judas betrayed Jesus by selling information to those who wanted to kill Him. When Judas realized what he had done, he was still under satanic thinking. Instead of confessing his sin and asking forgiveness (God’s way) he believed the Liar, listened to the devil’s lie, and destroyed himself. The trauma of a horrid event did not change this man.

If the trauma of September 11 does not change us, what does that imply? Tragedy ought to make us more compassionate and act on behalf of others, but if we harden our hearts and go our merry way, then the terrorists have won. They have pushed us into their same heartlessness and unconcern for anyone but ourselves.