If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him I John 2:15
Blizzards often completely paralyze the activities of city and country areas, and cause death to those caught without warm shelter or food. Many people in the United States have died from blizzards. In 1940, when I was a little girl living in Oklahoma, 144 people froze to death when a cold Arctic front swept across the Mid-west. In 1958, there were 171 deaths in the Northeast; also, in the same area 100 died in 1996. New York lost 400 people to a blizzard in 1988. In 1993, 200 died in the Eastern part of our country. That is records of some of the worst blizzards in the U. S. But Europe records loosing 1000 as the result of only one blizzard.
A blizzard occurs when masses of cold, polar air move out of the arctic regions and into the Temperate Zone. When these air masses meet moist warm air masses coming from the tropics, a cold front forms, separating the two kinds of air masses. Heavy snow falls along the cold front. High winds blow around the low-pressure area where the two air masses meet.
It seems to me that a spiritual blizzard is blowing across the Church. The chilling spirits of Satan have moved into the temperate regions of Christendom and are paralyzing many. Revelation 20:7-9 tells us, “Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth... and compassed the camp of the saints....” Also chapter 9, tell us that the bottomless pit was opened and spirits come out that were commanded to hurt all men which had not the seal of God in their foreheads. These prophecies of the end time are surely being fulfilled. Millions of seductive spirits are swarming across the land chilling down those who were once on fire for God. God said, “So then because thou art lukewarm, ...I will spew thee out of my mouth,” (Revelation 3:16). I wonder how many will be spewed out and eventually die in this awful spiritual blizzard? Then what will happen to the children of those who have cooled off or died?
Many people have lost their lives in blizzards because they did not suspect its force or the direction from which it was coming. The World Book Encyclopedia states that weather forecasters can usually tell when a blizzard is coming. But occasionally blizzards change direction and strike cities unaware because only the most skilled forecasters can see all the changes that may occur in a blizzard’s path.
This spiritual blizzard is the same. There is a subtle, intangible, spiritually evil force behind those things that cause the cooling off. The impact of that spiritual force is far greater than we suspect. And Satan is shrewd. He changes his tactics often so that only those who are the most skillful in spiritual warfare can detect the attack. From the history of the church, we know Satan has deceived even those who were skilled in spiritual warfare. Lord help us to be watchful and seeking God to know when and how Satan is working.
The subtle power of this blizzard is similar to a magnet or suction. Like quick sand, it will take us under while we’re struggling against it. Have you not seen someone struggle and struggle to get loose from coveting material things, but eventually, a power stronger than they pulled them under? They become victims, working long hours, neglecting their spiritual man. Satan will storm us with different things, pleasure, doubts, unforgiveness, the cares of life, etc. Cares of this life seem to be the most dangerous. Material things are necessary; our very existence demands their attention. But Jesus told us “seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, (let it be top priority) and all these things will be added to you,” (Matthew 6:24-34). Also Jesus teaches that, He feeds the birds of the air, and that we worth much more that they. Yet to judge by our anxieties, it seems that God cares for the birds but not us.
Jesus warns in Luke 17:26-30 that as it was in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot so shall it be in the days when the Son of man is revealed. What was happening then? They were eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, and building. What are we doing today? One would think that since food and shelter are more easily obtain than in years passed, we would be more carefree about them. But we are not. Our conversation shows that the devil’s snow flakes of materialism are flurrying through our minds. Our conversations are about: What we eat? What we wear? Where we are living, and what we are driving.
“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,” (Matthew. 12:34). Listen the next time you are in a group of Christians. What are the conversations about? The mouths are talking about what is in their hearts. What then is on the hearts? Jesus said, “after all these things do the Gentiles seek:” By our conversations and by how we spend our time and energy, will our children judge us to be Gentiles (unbelievers), or spiritual Christians?
The force of Satan’s blizzard is blasting every heart. He forces himself into our hearts through the desires of the flesh that are not sinful. Food and shelter are not sin. But Satan through his demonic power is using these things to lure us into loving the world more than we love God. I John 2:15-16, says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust (desires) of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Oh, that parents who love only legitimate things of the world could only see the damage it does to their children. What are luxuries to us will be necessities to our sons and daughters. A blizzard of sinless desires will blind them. Will they be able to survive the awful storm and come out loving God with all their heart?
During storms of physical persecution Christians go all sorts of pressures, yet they stay true to God. But the pressures of materialism are so different that it is hard to distinguish when “things” are a blessing from God and when they are a cruse. Planting and building, buying and selling are perfectly legitimate and even beneficial, but the power behind them presses upon men today until they lose their directions and become unbalanced. Notice how Christians are feverishly making business deals? They are hurrying here and there doing business and talking on the phone in every place, and all hours of the day and night. Their affections are buried by materialism and their spirits so lean they fall under the lightest pressures.
Men talk about being caught in the rat race. And for what is the race? Is it not to accumulate the world’s goods? Isn’t it to enjoy as much of the world as possible? If we want to enjoy the world its because we love the world. For, who wants to enjoy what he does not love? In the good old days, when it was really hard to make ends meet; a man would work at one vocation and spend his evenings at home with his family. Today fathers are working two jobs, or both mother and father are working, leaving little time for teaching God’s Word to their children. Some entrepreneurs have their fingers in several business speculations. They are caught up in a marketing maelstrom that is whirling them madly around like a rat on a treadmill.
Can we not see that this is not God‘s plan for his people? God says, “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God,” (Colossians 3:2-3). Are our children convinced that we are dead to the things of the world? At which do they see our eyes sparkle? (Is it when we hear God’s Word or when we’re gotten something at a terrific bargain or earned extra money?)
A storm has formed under the direction of Satan and has moved out over the world. Let us say, “No” to collecting more “things” and take shelter under God’s Word. That is the only way to protect our families and ourselves. It is the only way to avoid being paralyzed by Satan’s blizzard.
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