31

I was going to put "Halloween" as the title to today's blog, cuz it is, but I just couldn't bring myself to write it at the top.  Just because.  So '31' it is.

It's all ghosty and demon-y and ghoulish today for a lot of people.  There's a house up the street decorated to the nines with spider webs and white sheets and creepy-crawling type things hanging all over.  It isn't exactly HGTV, but it gets a lot of attention.  You probably have one of those in your neighborhood.  It'll draw a lot of little Supermans and mini-Miley Cyrus' tonight.

For Hollywood, the idea of demons and hauntings and ghosts is a favorite topic.  How many Friday the 13ths did they make, after all?  If you Google it, it's like Friday the 13th Infinity.  But it's pretty much the same movie over and over with different pretty girls getting slashed and clever characters like Truck Driver and Boy in Camping Circle and Extra Counselor.  Plus, the Jason character now is like the grandson of the original Jason.

What Hollywood likes to do, and what a lot of us seem to want to believe, is when it comes to things demonic and evil versus the things of a good God, sometimes the bad guys win and sometimes the good Guy wins.

Biblically, that isn't even close.

Sure, the demon world has power.  They can flex a little bit, but only in ways that God allows.

Remember Job in the Old Testament?  Classic.

Satan comes to present Himself before God.  In military talk, if you present yourself to someone, you're under their authority.  You're there being inspected in some way or another.  So when Satan presents to God, you know which one of them is in authority, don't you?

Very important.

God:  'How about that Job, huh?'
Satan:  'Yeah.  Your favorite.  Rich.  Tons of great kids.  King Midas when it comes to touching things.  But take that away and you'll see.  He'll curse You, Your majesty.'
God:  'Let's see.  But don't touch him personally.'

So Satan does.  Takes his stuff.  Takes his kids.  Everything Job owns.  Destroyed.  The only thing Satan leaves untouched is Job's wife, which is not a blessing, if you're feeling me.

Her advice in the middle of all this is: 'Blame it on God, you moron.'
Job:  'Thank you, honey.  It's such a joy coming home to you every night.'

But Job hangs tough.  In the middle of it all he says, 'Blessed be the name of the Lord.'

So Satan takes another stab at it - round two with God.

God:  'Hey. What's that I hear?  Is that Job worshipping Me even though he has nothing but a harpie for a wife left?  Yes, I believe it is.'
Satan:  'Sure, but let me take his health and he'll be cursing the living daylights out of You.'
God:  'You can take his health, but don't kill him.'

In all of that, the evil one is restrained by God.  Controlled.  He has no real power but what is allowed him by God, the Father.

The great news is that Job ends up loving God more and living a deeper, fuller life than he ever would have had God not allowed Satan to wound him.

And in your struggle against the forces of darkness, on day 31 or whenever, know that Christ is in authority.  You have nothing to fear.

And '31' can rock because of that.

And be blessed.