May 2003

Look around you and you will see Satan's empire flourishing on the right hand and on the left. His rule spans continents and oceans; his subjects are as numerous as the sands of the sea. Oh, how we need to be sure we are not counted among them, for even in Christ's own territory, the visible church, Satan has planted his subjects. To discover your heart's true allegiance, study the following guidelines.

FIRST, find out whose subject you are. You recall that Christ had His saints in Nero's court; well, the devil has his servants in the outer court of Christianity. If you claim to belong to Christ, you must prove it by something stronger than an outward conformity to His ordinances.

When a king's subjects go as merchants to live in a foreign country, he expects them to learn the language and observe the national customs insofar as possible. This does not undermine their allegiance to him; on the contrary, it makes them the more valuable as his subjects. Similarly, Satan does not care if you stand in the courtyard of the visible church and learn the language of the saints gathered there. He can yield to this and be no loser. In fact, he can often be served all the better by a hypocrite who offers a show of piety to the church, but saves back his heart for the devil.

Christ and Satan create a spiritual dichotomy which you cannot ignore. It divides the whole world. You belong to one camp, and only to one. Christ will allow no equal, and neither will Satan; therefore, you cannot side with both. The test of your allegiance is really quite simple. You are the subject of the one you crown in your heart - not the one you flatter with your tongue.

To know if Christ is really your Prince, answer these questions:

1. How did your prince come to the throne? You are Satan's subject by birth, just like the rest of the human race. It stands to reason that Satan would not voluntarily resign his place in your heart. And you know you cannot resist his power by your own efforts. Only Christ by His Holy Spirit can bring a change of government to your heart. Have you ever heard a voice from heaven calling out to you as it did to Paul, prostrating you at God's feet and turning you about-face toward heaven? Has Christ come to you like the angel to Peter in prison, wrenching the chains of darkness from your mind and conscience, making you obedient? If so, you may claim to have your freedom.

But if in all this I seem to speak a strange language, and you know no such work to have been done upon your spirit, then I fear you are still in the old prison. Do you suppose for a moment that an invading nation could overthrow a government and the citizens not know? Can one king be dethroned and another crowned in your soul, and you hear no scuffle at all? When Christ is crowned, the joyous celebration at His coronation will resound throughout your whole being. When He comes to you and wrests your spirit from Satan, you will know it. You must say, like the man sent by Jesus to wash in the pool of Siloam, "Whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25). Are you able to say it is thus with you?

2. Whose law do you obey? The laws of the prince of darkness and the Prince of peace are as contrary as their natures - one a law of sin (Rom. 8:2), and the other a law of holiness (Rom. 7:12). Unless sin has already blinded you so that you can no longer discern between the holy and the profane, you should have no problem resolving this issue. When Satan comes to tempt you, observe your behavior. How do you respond to his enticements? Do you stand fast on the ordinances of God and refuse to be swayed? Or does your soul embrace the temptation as a bosom friend, glad for an excuse to entertain it? If so, you are under the power of Satan! In the words of Paul, "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are?" (Rom. 6:16).

3. Where do you go for protection? Who has your confidence? A good prince is eager to protect his subjects. He expects them to trust him with their safety. Obedient subjects therefore commit state matters to the wisdom of their prince and his council. When wronged, they appeal for justice; when guilty, they submit to the penalty of the law and bear their proper punishment.

Do you trust the wisdom of God to deal justly with you? An impenitent man is afraid to trust himself to God's care. He knows what a thorough housecleaning his soul needs, but he likes the filth and wants to keep it. So he locks the doors and windows to all that is pure and righteous, and spreads a lusty feast for his own sinful nature to devour in private. Now the same fear that drives the wicked man away from God, encourages the gracious one to throw open his heart to the Spirit's knock. He welcomes the prospect of a cleansed soul and understands that the purging God sends is to get rid of carnal refuse and make room for added blessings.

Serving God is what makes life worthwhile. It gives us a great opportunity to prove our gratitude to Him for redeeming us from Satan's power and translating us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Check your heart. If you find that a transfer of title has indeed been made out to Christ, praise God that you are a citizen of heaven and not of hell. Mark the day of your spiritual birth on the calendar of your heart and call for a celebration! It is your marriage day: "I have espoused you to one husband......Christ," Paul told the Corinthians (2 Cor. 11:2). This same Christ has given you the promise of eternal life.

Dear saint, remind yourself often of the change that God has made in you. Satan will tempt you to doubt the wisdom of choosing Christ as your sovereign, so nail God's promises on the upper doorpost of your heart. They will keep your soul in quarantine; Satan will run from them as from the plague. And don't let time erode the memory of the smoky hole where Satan kept you in the bondage of sin, or he may entice you back with his old lies and broken promises. Compare this horror to the taste of heaven you have already received and know that your greatest joy on earth is but a whiff of all that heaven holds.

Compiled from "The Christian in Complete Armour", Vol. 1, by William Gurnall (a 17th Century Puritan)