Dear Grandkids,
Have you ever heard of the Devil’s Triangle?
Wikipedia says, “The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is an urban legend focused on a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.”
Urban legend or not some weird things have happened in this geographic area over the years. For instance, 77 years ago today, on December 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers comprising Flight 19 took off from the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station in Florida on a routine three-hour training mission. After having completed their objective, Flight 19 was scheduled to take them due east for an additional 67 miles, then turn north for 73 miles, and back to the air station after that, totaling a distance of 120 miles. They never returned. A search and rescue aircraft was sent out to try to find them. It was also never heard from again. A total of 27 men lost their lives as a part of this urban legend. (Source: This Day in History)
Whether there is in fact a geographical Devil’s Triangle remains to be seen. But I have no doubt that there is a spiritual Devil’s Triangle that many men and women have been sucked into and have lost their lives as a result. maybe you can remember these as the 3 “D”s of the Devil’s Triangle:
Discouragement of the Saints – The devil has a plethora of schemes up his sleeve to try to discourage believers. It might be “unanswered” prayer. Or losing a job. Or strained relationships. Or health concerns. Or any number of other things that the enemy of our souls might use to keep us from courageously resting in the Lord and finding our satisfaction solely in Him and NOT in the things of this world.
Doubting the Word of God – This has been a favorite ploy of Satan’s from the very beginning. In Genesis 3:1 he says to Eve, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'” Just by asking the question the way that he did he made Eve second guess what she knew the Lord had indeed said. God’s Word is under serious attack these days and the devil is taking advantage of the secularization of our society to create widespread doubt in the minds of believers.
Destroying the Church – According to Scripture, the Church is the Bride of Christ. What better way to destroy the people of God than to destroy His Bride. And the devil has been doing everything he can to make this happen. Moral failures among pastors, denominational strife, hypocrisy among the faithful, elevation of good works over the preaching of the gospel, fascination with the health and wealth gospel, a prevalence of very subtle false teaching, the adoption of a-biblical sexual ethics, and on and on. Through all of this, however,( as well as the recent pandemic), the Church is being purified and prepared for the Bridegroom to be presented “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27)
One of the best ways to avoid the Devil’s Triangle is simply to be aware that there is a Devil’s Triangle. And spiritually speaking, it is NOT urban legend. It is in fact quite deadly.
My encouragement to you is what Paul said to his friends in 2 Corinthians 2:1. That you “would not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs.”
Never forget that you are very loved,
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