Recognizing Satan’s devious distraction tactics

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15.

Do not love the world

Satan’s goal is to separate us from God. He does this by getting us to love the world. He is called the god of this world. He blinds the unbelievers’ minds with the things of this world, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ should shine on them. (2 Corinthians 4:4.) Care for this world can even take on a pious appearance and be explained with many reasonable thoughts. Satan is quite an expert at explaining how necessary this or that is and how much one absolutely needs. In this way one’s mind and time are occupied, and God becomes more and more distant. This is how many of those who once served God fervently have fallen away.

We read about the days of Noah and the days of Lot. They ate and drank, bought and sold, planted and built, married and gave in marriage. This world had swallowed them up, and the love for God was not found. This is how it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. (Luke 17:26-30.)

This makes us realize that the love of the world is a spirit power that lays hold of people. It is a satanic spirit that drives people away from God in a “nice” way. We must fight against this spirit power with all our might, as if we fought for our lives. Those who are bound by this spirit power will be held back when the bride meets Jesus in the clouds. Pay attention, you who have become lukewarm in your zeal and are in the process of falling away. You didn’t intend to forsake God and become dull and lukewarm, but the cares of this life and an interest in this world have brought you to that point. Perhaps you had intended to earn more money so you would have more to give to God’s cause, but then you had less time for prayer, less time to seek the things that are above! This is how the god of this world has deceived many and separated them from God.

Seek those things which are above

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, not the things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-2. You cannot unite these two things. You cannot serve God and mammon. When you begin to seek both is when you begin to fall away. This is what it means to be lukewarm and half-hearted, and Jesus will spew you out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16.) The god of this world exercises authority over those who are lukewarm because they have the form of godliness, but deny its power. (2 Timothy 3:5.) We are exhorted to turn away from them. The power of godliness is revealed by having “the god of this world” under our feet and by being set free from earthly things.

Those who walk as enemies of the cross of Christ have their belly as their god and desire earthly things. Their end is destruction. This makes us realize that our life is at stake. The fact that you can justify yourself before people is not enough; but each one knows in his heart whether he loves this world or the things of the world. What matters here is that you stand before God’s face so you are not ensnared by the spirit of this world, because our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:18-20.)

Loving God is the same as not loving the world. The way of salvation, the way of life, is to seek the things that are above and not the things of the earth. This is what it means to be fervent. Then we shall meet Jesus in the clouds, when He comes with the voice of the archangel, and we shall always be together with Him.

This article has been translated from Norwegian, and was first published with the title, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” in BCC’s periodical Skjulte Skatter (Hidden Treasures) in January 1936.