“If our gospel is veiled...or hid, then it’s veiled to those who are perishing... those whose minds the god of this age has blinded...” (2 Cor. 4:3-4)

...those whose ‘minds...the god of this age has blinded.

So much...we could unpack in those two verses alone, given what we have been studying the past few days regarding our ‘minds’.

We read there of a ‘god of this age, or world’ ...who is the same ‘wicked one’ John writes about who exerts influence or sways or has power over the whole world’. (1 John 5:19)

That would be the same enemy/devil who was hurled to the earth from heaven with his minions and ‘deceives the whole world’. (Rev. 12:7-9)

Paul refers to him as the ‘prince of the air’ in Eph. 2:1-2 who held us captive through sins and trespasses as we were governed by fulfilling the ‘lusts of our flesh and the desires of the flesh and of...the mind.” (3). Hmmm...maybe that’s the reason the first thing the Spirit will begin to do in us who turn to Jesus is ‘putting to death all...the deeds and works of the flesh nature.’ (Rom. 8:13) That is, after all, what those who truly ‘belong to Christ have done’. (Gal. 5:24)

And let’s not forget the exchange Jesus had with Paul whom He was sending to the Gentiles to preach the gospel to “open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ (Acts 26:18)

Do you sense a ‘theme’ unfolding here? Connect the dots, my friends...connect the dots.

As I mentioned in closing yesterday...the ‘man behind the curtain’ who seems to be ‘pulling so many levers in this world’, is NOT George Soros...or the Chinese government or the ‘left-wing-liberal’ media that so many ‘on the right’ are convinced of. And for those of you who lean in a ‘left-ward’ direction, it’s not FOX News, Q-Anon, or any of the hard-core right-wing podcasters and YouTube gurus that have duped so many people.

Our conflict or war is NOT...with ’flesh and blood’. You can see clearly who our ‘enemy’ is in reading both Eph. 6:12 and also in Peter’s warning as to why we must remain ‘vigilant, alert and clear-minded’. (1 Pet. 5:8). We are...after all, not ‘ignorant of his schemes’. (2 Cor. 2:11)

So going back to this idea that this ‘god of this age who ...blinds the minds ...of those who are perishing...’

Do you not want to ask how exactly he does this? And for that matter, how would one even know if they were ‘blind’ or not? How do you tell a person who can’t see...that they ...’can’t see', especially if they were born blind? How would you even begin to describe a rainbow to a person who has seen and known nothing but ‘darkness’ their whole life?

We know that Jesus was anointed by God to not only ‘set the captives free’ but also to ‘open the eyes of the blind’. (Luke 4:18). We are told that all of us at one time “sat in darkness and in the shadow of death’,(Matt. 4:16; Luke 1:79) ...and that Christ came as the “Light of the world” and those who sat in this darkness saw a ‘great light’ as the ‘light had dawned’. 

John writes that this “light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”. (1:5). But Jesus would also clarify that there would be many who sat in darkness...and ‘would not come to the light because they love the darkness more.’ (John 3:19). He then explained that these were the ones whose deeds were evil and simply refuse to come to the light.” (20)

But to those who do come to the light, we are invited to walk along side of Him, as in ‘abide in Him’...as He is in the light. (1 John 1:7; John 15:1-8). That is the only way we can be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. And you might go read that last sentence again.

A few months ago, when I was back in Texas to shoot a wedding and then met up with some wonderful believers one night to share God’s word, I met an interesting gentleman who was traveling and passing through Paris. He came to the meeting and then as the Lord orchestrated it, we got to spend a good part of a day together with several brothers. He shared over coffee one morning, from his perspective, how this ‘blinding the minds’ takes place. He said it begins with ‘distractions...then leads to deception...before ending in destruction’. That, undoubtedly, had a profoundly familiar ring of truth to it. Oh, something else he mentioned in passing...was that God had impressed upon him that in the near future, there would be a number of well-known pastors who would be ‘exposed’ and be ousted from the ministry.

Friends...we live in interesting times. I sure hope you read my message from yesterday and the accompanying articles regarding that TikTok app I referenced. While I don’t have that app, I do know that recently the Lord began dealing with me, personally about this ‘device’ that is attached to our hips...that provides non-stop noise and distraction. And while I have curbed by time watching TV shows and movies in recent years, I found I could easily be ‘sucked in’ to watching these ‘reels’ or video clips that there is no shortage of. If you know, you know.

Distractions. Diversions. Anything that can hinder us from ‘setting our minds on things above, and not the earth’ (Col. 3:2) are counterproductive to our walk with Jesus. And if we are not careful, we too, can all end up ‘drifting’. (Heb. 2:1).

Do you know why so little fruit was produced in that parable Jesus told about the ‘sower who went out to sow some seed’? Many got entangled with ‘distractions’. (Luke 8:14; Mark 4:19). And if we get distracted with any number of petty things, then it makes it easy for the ‘enemy to swoop in and steal that word that was sown in to our hearts...lest we believe and are saved’. (Luke 8:12; Mark 4:15)

As much as I appreciate and use my ‘smart phone’ in a variety of ways, never have I ever witnessed the potential danger in owning such a device like I do these days. So much I could say about that but will hold off for now. But I am reminded of an illustration I heard years ago that is quite thought provoking, whether there is any truth to it or research to back it up. Perhaps you have heard this as well....

The case was made that there were two significant inventions that had a great impact on our culture and society that affected the way we interacted with one another. Years ago, before there was air conditioning, countless numbers of people would take to their front porches in the summer evenings to cool off after a hot day. It was not an uncommon sight to see neighbors sharing a cold pitcher of ice tea or lemonade as they visited together while the kids played games out front well into the evening.

But then the A/C units became widely popular, so people retreated to the coolness and comfort of their houses and did not interact with their neighbors as much anymore like they had in the past on those hot evenings.

Then came the TV sets and before you knew it, family units would all gather in the one room with all their attention captured by that screen as one ‘entertaining', yet mindless show after another competed for their minds. People most likely stopped talking and communicating as much, giving place to a separating or division.

And about this idea of 'entertaining'.  Years ago I read a short by profoundly interesting book called 'Let Me Entertain You', by Merlin Carothers. (You can still find it on Amazon). The author was addressing the issue of 'lukewarmness' in the church and I won't lie to you- it was a convicting read.  Just the defintion of the word itself was broken down explaining how it means to 'hold or divert your mind' or to 'amuse' and to 'hold your attention pleasantly'.  I was reminded of this book as I have been studying this topic on the battle for our minds, our attention, and our affections today.  He really had a few things to say about the role of television and the 'entertainment' industry today and its impact on the world. 

People always lament over how much 'filth' comes across the TV, forgetting who the 'prince of the air (waves) is. (Eph. 2:1-2)

I can recall years ago, my mom talking about one of the first blockbuster movies that came out, ‘Gone With the Wind’, and how the country was shocked to hear Clark Gable’s use of a ‘cuss’ word at the end of the movie – “Frankly Scarlett...I don’t give a ______”. Gasps could be heard in theaters to hear that so loud and clear on a movie screen in public.

Today....what are movies and TV shows and song lyrics full of?

Not long ago, I read another news story...where a woman was accused of killing her husband, but it was not in a moment of heated anger; rather it was a slow and methodical plan of poisoning his morning breakfast, over a period of months.

Friends, we have an enemy who is patient, probably more patient than many of us can be. He knows what works. He continues to take God’s people captive. (Jer. 13:17; 2 Tim. 2:26)

We are told to ‘give him no place’. (Eph. 4:27). We are exhorted to be clear minded given this enemy, the devil’s tendency to go about like a roaring lion in seek of prey to devour. (1 Pet. 5:8). He is up to no good as he comes to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. (John 10:10). And God stil weeps today as He witnesses His people who continue to be ‘destroyed for a lack of knowledge’. (Hosea 4:6)

No wonder we are exhorted to ‘wake up...for the days are evil’. (Eph. 5:8-21; Rom. 13:11-14)

P.S. - If you sense that 'veil' is over your mind as well, the quickest way to have it removed is to turn the Lord...and do it with all your heart. (2 Cor. 3:16)