4 minute read
Bringing His Light through My Fight
My car radio introduced me to the Christian publishing and broadcasting world. A friend had told me my current Bible study would make a good book.
Although I’d been a reader devouring books all my life, it did not occur to me to write a book. A day or two later, the car radio announced that a Christian writers conference would take place on the campus of my alma mater, Biola University. Okay, I thought, at least this event will be something I can trust. If Biola was fine with it, I could be fine with it. All I knew about what happened at a writers conference was what the radio told me and what I read in the colorful brochure that arrived a few days later.
That conference 30-some years ago launched me into the writing and broadcasting world. How exciting! Articles I wrote were being printed in popular magazines, devotions I submitted appeared in devotional publications, and books I authored started being picked up by publishing houses. I became a religious broadcaster on HSBN.tv.
But something else accompanied my inclusion in this world—a full-fledged attack from Satan, the enemy of our souls. I once heard in church that if the devil leaves us alone, we must not be making a significant impact for the Kingdom of God. And the devil does not fight fair. He and his imps will attack us as he attacked Job to keep us from effectiveness.
Job was minding his business, trying his best to serve God as we do, and he never saw the attack coming.
Satan accused Job of serving God because of God’s blessing on him. Then God allowed Satan to shoot as long as he didn’t kill Job.
So, the devil wasted no time. In one day, just for loving and serving God, Satan had a hand in four devastating tragedies for Job. Job’s oxen and donkeys were taken by raiders, his sheep and servants were burned, and more raiders took his camels and killed the servants who were watching them.
For the cruelest cut of all, the devil caused a great wind that knocked down the house where his kids were and killed all ten of them at once. Not a fair fight. This should have been enough to cause Job to stop worshiping God, but Job’s faith did not waver.
When we’re in the public eye sharing the gospel, Satan has some special weapons specifically designed to make God look bad through us. Can God trust us in the face of the enemy’s unfair onslaughts? How would we handle it if our books, articles, and devotions were “raided”? I once had a devotion stolen and placed on the internet with my son’s name changed and the attribution given to “Author Unknown.”
We must keep writing, keep broadcasting, and keep preaching, even when our most precious heartthrobs—our kids—are doing and saying stuff we never saw coming.
Even though Satan doesn’t fight fair, he cannot out-fight our God. He lost the showdown he perpetuated in Heaven that got him kicked out, and he’s been fighting God ever since. Remember First John 4:4, “My children, you are a part of God’s family. You have stood against these false preachers and had power over them. You had power over them because the One Who lives in you is stronger than the one who is in the world” (NLV).
We are fighting from victory. Our fight with our books and over the airways has already been won.
Dr. Sharon Norris Elliott says, “Live significantly!” An engaging speaker, award-winning author of 15 books, editor, agent, and licensed minister, she’s the founder and CEO of the successful AuthorizeMe® Literary Firm. www.AuthorizeMe.net
