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God's Power Overcomes Human Insight |
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Unfortunately we are tempted to emphasize human insights - or our own intellectual capacities to overcome the evil one within. But more often than not Satan overcomes our humanism by disguising himself as an angel of light. That is why we have problems recognizing this pernicious activity in our souls. But the Apostle Paul as well as early Friends were able to overcome evil by relying on God and Christ for spiritual understanding. No wonder Paul, recognizing the light of Jesus within Him, was moved to write this passage from his letter to the Ephesians 6:11-12: "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." But Paul and early Friends did not minimize Satan's power. He understood that if we accept God's light and truth, our Lord would crush the power of Satan. God in his mercy affords us the armor of peace and justice, when we demonstrate our faithfulness by prayerfully waiting on Him. And Friends knew this experimentally. For when they worshipped together, they felt Jesus' power overcoming evil instilling them with God's peace and love along with the propensity to forgive. Yet Fox and others waited on the Lord for long periods giving God our willingness to be patient as the Lord functions inwardly. Early Friends were willing to worship for hours before they were satisfied that they received God's armaments. Many of us Christ-centered Friends have expressed the necessity to wait on the Lord for long periods encouraging God to afford us the armor to resist the evil one. Yes, we need to be patient in our worship for God to overcome. As a result of Jesus' inspiration when we witness, it is the Lord who directs our activity. He overcomes our propensity to rely on human power and intellect. He gives us His Light and peace that can pervade our souls.
Arthur Berk |