First they must make him mad

“If the gods want to destroy a man, first they must make him mad.”

I read this quote today in a Christian historical fiction novel about the first century church. It is the quote of a fictional Ephesian philosophy teacher. But I have found it to be true to life.

To destroy us, Satan (the “gods” of this world) must first convince us that what God says about Himself is not true. Unfortunately, in our natural state, what God says about Himself often does not seem to make sense.  So it can be quite easy for Satan to fool us, if we are not cognizant of our fallen state.

Our understanding of what God tells us can be similar to our children’s understanding of what we tell them. What we tell our children to be truth often does not make sense to them. Our children must be willing to trust us, and as they become adults, they begin to see that what we espouse is true. Just as we must be willing to trust God, and as we become more like him, we are able to understand Him more – though we will never become equal to him, as our children become to us.

I know I have gotten sucked into Satan’s lies. Later, I wonder at how I was so easily tricked – seeing how crazy my thinking was in light of the true safety and sanity (though not always comfort) of God’s ways. Thank God, He has always been there to help me see my way back!

I Corinthians 1:18   For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.