Me and my Sr. Pastor were talking today and he said something that I thought was profound. It all started because I have just started to read Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and I am completely freaked out! If you have read the book, you know what I mean. Satan is whacked out! Anyways, my Pastor starts using a baseball analogy to describe Satan and i’m like OK this actually makes sense (i’m not the smartest guy, but I try). So he goes on to say that Satan is like a good pitcher. If a pitcher is good then he has read the book on you. Just like a good pitcher knows what you can/cannot hit, he knows what makes you fall, he knows what makes you take your eyes off of God, and ultimately he knows what really pisses you off! I gave it some thought and this is so true. When I went up to the plate in college pitchers didnt throw me a whole lot of fastballs because I was a fastball hitting guy. They threw me a steady diet of sliders away and change-ups down because they knew I would chase them (way too much btw). And Satan does the same thing. He doesnt tempt me with the slots down the road (gambling is legal in DE?) because he knows I’m gonna hit that one out of the park, thats a no-brainer. He doesnt tempt me to grab a 12 pack while I’m at the gas station becuase he knows I’m gonna hit that one in the gap. But the crazy thing is…he knows what the slider away and the change-up down is in my life and thats what he throws to me! EVERYTIME! He doesn’t mess with the stuff that I am already having victory in, he throws me the stuff where he knows I struggle.

Think about the implications of this in your life. If Satan’s read the book on you where does he know where to hit you? He doesnt just shoot from the hip or hope he tempts you right. He knows exactly what to do to trip you up and get your eyes off of Jesus! So examine where you are and what you hit best. This may seem kind of obvious but it was obvious in college that I couldnt hit the slider away and change-up down and I could never really seem to do anything about it! I’m not saying we can’t overcome things that Satan tries to put in our lives but we may never, in this life, have COMPLETE victory. There is a difference! Overcoming and victory are two different things…maybe that will be my next blog! Anyways, think about what you struggle with and know that Satan is already working there! Men and women of God let’s get into the batting cages of life and work on the pitches we can’t hit!