The Wiles of the Devil

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12 NKJV)

Remembering 911

This week we are remembering the 25th anniversary of the 911 terrorist attack against the world trade center, the pentagon and the attack against the capitol that was thwarted by the brave passengers of United Airlines flight 93.  People often question the existence of a good creator God.  I don’t!  But many do!.  However the events of September 11, 2001 should convince us all of the existence of the Devil (the evil one), sometimes known as Satan (the adversary).  In the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ Satan is known as the serpent of old and the dragon.  The serpent deceives and has a bite that kills.  The dragon is a frightening enemy.    The Lord says Satan is a murderer and a liar.  Paul reminds us of his “wiles” which means he can be a “crafty, seductive, trickster.”

My Question

 Do all things work together for good for those who are saved?  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  I believe there were saved or born again believers that died 25 years ago.  Yes, they died and went to heaven but to say that all things work together for good for them and their families would seem to be saying that we should all pray for calamities and untimely deaths.

Context, Context, Context

I personally believe that Romans 8:28 is taken out of context.  The subject of the chapter is the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.  And yes, all that the Holy Spirit does, works together for our good.  But we are not being honest if we tell people that the evil in this world is caused by God for our good down here on planet earth. 

I know that likely people have been convicted of their sin and have come to know the Lord as their Savior because of the terrorism of 911.  I know that the saved who died that day while trusting in the Lord for salvation are now enjoying heaven.  I know that!  But what happened on 911 was an act of pure Satanic evil.  Even though God may have used the events of that day for good, I am not going to lay the blame for the evil acts of that day at the feet of the Lord.  Instead that terrorism should be laid squarely at the feel of this one who is our adversary and our enemy.  I know God allowed it, but God working through the Holy Spirit did not cause it.  The evil things that Satan does do not work together for good to those who love the Lord and who are the called according to HIs purpose.  Some things are caused by Satan and are pure evil and 911 was one of those events.

My Rant

I believe that when we say that ALL things work together for good for those who love God, we are giving Satan a pass.  We need to remember who our real enemy is and call him out for the evil that he does.  We need to remind the unsaved of the evil nature of the one who has deceived them.   Satan wants to destroy all that is good.  The Lord wants to deliver us from His lies and His evil.  We all should ask ourselves, who are we believing today?

That’s my rant for this week!

Bruce Collins

Meditation for the week of September 6, 2026

If you would like further conversation about the issues in these meditations, contact me at collinsbd@yahoo.com and I will try to accommodate you with a virtual Bible Study.