As they broadcast their messages to the world, both God and the devil draw from the same messenger pool - the human race. We humans are free moral agents, and because we hold and share ideas, we are, whether we like it or not, messengers. Following is a look at how these two opposing messages are communicated.

Proclaiming God's Message:
The Church is God's prophetic voice in the earth. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Church distills the truths of Scripture into principles, values, teachings, and wisdom. The Church then prophetically proclaims God's Word. Proclamations are made through pulpit messages, Bible studies, old-time tent revival meetings, street-corner preaching, one-on-one conversations, Christian concerts, tracts, books, the airwaves, and all sorts of media. As God's people proclaim His message, they deliver hope, comfort, direction - and even, on occasion, judgment - into the stream and flow of the cultures of this world.

Whether directly from Scripture or through God's messengers in the Church, the end result of the gospel message is new life in Christ. When proclaimed, the Word of God transforms us - changes us from glory to glory (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Proclaiming the Devil's Message:
But God's enemy speaks with a prophetic voice as well. Jesus called the devil a liar, and the father of lies (John 8:44). Satan's word speaks death, chaos, fear, discouragement, and confusion into our world. His mission is to keep us estranged from God. His primary methodology is deception.

The devil avails himself of every means possible to achieve his mission. To get out his false prophetic message, the devil, like God, also employs messengers. Very few of the devil's messengers consciously cooperate with him. The nature of deception is such that those who are deceived actually believe that they understand the truth. Because he disguises himself so adeptly as an angel of light, we are sometimes unable to distinguish God's truth from the devil's lies. Thus, cooperation with the the devil's purposes almost always occurs unwittingly.

What about you? Are you familiar enough with Scripture to distinguish God's message from the devil's message? Can you discern truth from error? Did you realize that every time you open your mouth to deliver a message, you are being prophetic? What prophetic message are you sending today?

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How can messages subdue us unless they have power? When God sends His servants out to deliver His message, we are to recognize a chain of command. The same applies for the devil and his messengers. Next week's article, Officially Speaking will explore this theme more fully.

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GroundWorks is an imprint of Reconciliation Press. The name has been chosen to reflect the biblical idea of roots and foundations in Christian life and culture. As you read these weekly articles, look for words and imagery in the text that illustrate these themes.

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