February 03, 2012

Addressee

I hate it when I send out an email that, rather than going to the intended recipient, goes to someone else.  Normally what I’ve written is not damaging, but once in awhile my tongue-in-cheek comments can feel more like foot-in-mouth. When I pray I sometimes wonder if I don’t inadvertently blind copy Satan. For instance if I tell the Lord about my financial worries is Satan privy to the prayer and does he think, ‘Well OK now…if she’s worried about finances let’s see what I can to help her add to those worries.’ Maybe I need to start using the caveat, CONFIDENTIAL – For the Lord’s Ears Only.

3 comments:

Steve Corey said...

Gail;

-----I have my doubts about Satan’s being privy to my thoughts and prayers. I can’t honestly say that Scripture states only God knows the thoughts of every heart. But I’m rather sure I’ve never seen anything in the Bible indicating that Satan does. Or, for that matter, I don’t think I’ve seen anything that says he can even know any thoughts of any hearts simply at his own will. From the tawdry events of Job’s experience we find Satan running around on the earth, poking and prodding people like they’re a bunch of baking turkeys. And Paul says he prowls around looking for whom he can devour. Evidently he isn’t able to just sit back and know us, what we are, and what we are thinking. I think he has to interact with his subjects in order to probe their minds. And I doubt that he has omnipresence like God does such that he could interact with anyone or everyone all at one time. I presume, though, he and his demons are incredibly intelligent. And I figure there are probably a sufficient number of them that every living human may have at least one demon observing his every motion, action, and response, sifting him like flour, discovering his motives and ambitions, his tastes and drives, his cravings and susceptibilities, and influencing him accordingly. (If you want to see a really good movie along these lines, watch “The Presence”. It got me all mistied up at the thought of God‘s angels protecting us against demonic effects from the spiritual dimension.)
-----But how much can we accurately say about the spiritual realms? Communication in this physical universe takes any number of different forms which all have one degree or more of controllability. Although communicating through another person’s ears requires sending your message in sound vibrations which spread out in all directions, the delivery can still be controlled to a specific person by getting closer and speaking quieter. And writing is even more controllable. If we are given the ability to control a message to a specific target in this physical world, then is there not something about the spiritual world which would also be available to the same will of confidentiality? We know that all knowledge there does not become general property because Jesus said in His letter to the Church at Pergamum that those who persevere will receive a new name which only the one receiving it will know. That is a certain indication of privacy in the heavenly places. So I also presume that if a thought be willfully directed to the Lord in privacy, it may get there privately.
-----But again, I doubt the demons are limited by the physical properties of this world. If they wish to look inside my head, I think they would be able to observe the patterns of the electrical activity there. And with their intelligence I think they could quickly decipher which patterns meant which ideas. Oh my! Now if you see me running around wearing a lead skull-cap, you will know why!

Love you all,
Steve Corey

Christian Ear said...

Steve,
Any thoughts on public prayers, prayer request spoken aloud?
Eaves dropping?
Gail

Steve Corey said...

Yah. Fair game.