Dr. Dan Hayden •
Have you ever been slandered – someone said something evil about you that wasn’t true, and influenced others against you? NOT a nice experience, is it? Whole reputations have been ruined by one incident of slander.
In Ephesians 6:11 we are told, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Now did you know that the word for “devil” here means “slanderer”? Actually, it’s the word diabolos, which means “false accuser” or “slanderer.” It’s a word that refers to a traducer – one who lowers the reputation of others by defaming and maligning them.
Well, that’s exactly what the devil does. The Bible says he is the “father of lies,” (John 8:44 NAS) and according to Revelation 12:10, he delights in accusing the brethren. NOT someone you want for a friend! Yet thousands will court his favor as they celebrate Halloween.
There is a growing movement of Satanists in America who will actually worship the devil. But, the majority of people will just think he is a rather cute character with horns and a pointed tail, dressed in that red outfit and holding a pitchfork. They’ll delight in devilish tricks and ghoulish behavior, and they’ll throw in a witch or two, or an occasional haunted house. It’s all great fun…. until you realize, of course, that for Satan, it’s not fun and games. It’s all part of his strategy of deception: make things fun, and people will think it’s innocent. But, you know what? It’s NOT! And if you speak out against Halloween or don’t participate, the devil will slander you as a “puritan bigot,” or a “religious fanatic.” It’s all in a day’s work for him because he is diabolos – the slanderer.
So, you better have on the armor of God today – diabolos is lurking in the shadows. ■