Obama or Satan?

I follow a guy on twitter named Dr. Russell Moore. He is a huge adoption advocate as well as the Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I have a lot of respect for him so I usually pay attention when he talks. Earlier this week in the midst of the whole Obama healthcare debate he posted the following on his twitter account:

Question: What consistently and consciously makes you more upset: that Barack Obama is president or that Satan is the god of this age?

When I read the post I have to admit it was a little hard to swallow. Now let me make it clear by saying this is not a political blog and my reaction had nothing to do with Obama. However, it was an instantaneous realization that I spend way too much of my time aggravated about politics. It's an interesting question and one that we should all probably ask ourselves. On an intellectual level the right answer is obvious, but how do our lives and our conversations answer the question for us? Take a look at your life and think about what consistently and consciously makes you more upset, Obama or Satan?

If I answer the question honestly I’d have to say I can get pretty fired up when people talk politics. There’s not a day that goes by that someone in my office doesn’t bring up Obama and his latest agenda and I have no problem chiming in with my views on this and that. Start talking to me about taxes or healthcare reform and I can give you an earful. When the president is speaking to children in elementary school while they’re in class, trust me I have an opinion. Even today everyone is talking about the Representative from South Carolina that told the president “You lie!” The St Petersburg Times said “People talked about it and blogged about it all day Thursday. It was the top story on Google News. It was the top topic on Twitter.” Our culture is saturated with politics, and unfortunately these types of conversations consume way more of my time then they should.

But Satan? When was the last time I honestly got angry over him leading college students astray. When was the last time I spent some time discussing how to reach out to people that Satan clearly has under his control? When was the last time I prayed that the Lord would bind Satan from working against the unsaved people that walk in the doors of our church every single week? To be honest I’ve become pretty accustomed to hearing how he works. Do I yawn and think of other things when my pastor talks about Satan prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour? I have to admit that over the last few weeks the political landscape of the US has consistently and consciously made me more upset then Satan being the god of this age.

During any given week most of us, myself included, can get pretty caught up in things that will mean absolutely nothing in eternity. I love my church and this audio clip is in no way a reflection of the people I worship with. However, when I was writing this I couldn't help but think of a Sunday earlier this year when our head pastor recited an Adrian Roger's quote. His point was to demonstrate how caught up we can get in needless conversations that ultimately pull us away from a kingdom focus. There is no doubt in my mind this quote could have been read in any church in America and received the same response, and I believe it shows where most people stand on the question of what gets them fired up.

I can probably count on one hand the number of times in the last five years that I’ve heard the entire congregation clap during a message. Not that they don’t get excited and shout amen because they do, and not that Pastor Ken’s sermons aren’t Spirit filled and passionate because they are; people just don’t clap during messages. I can’t explain why, we just tend to listen and nod our heads. But when a group of 3,500 people get excited it means something, and when they get excited about a political quote in church that means something too.




I was in service that day and I remember clapping right along with everyone else. I smiled, kind of puffed up my chest and started justifying my disdain for high taxes. I mean the nerve of the government for trying to take my hard earned money and give it to someone who clearly didn't try as hard in school or someone who is simply satisfied with a low paying job. It's sad, but I often try and justify that mindset before a Holy God that has given me every penny I have ever earned.

I think my pastor summed it up the best at the end of the clip when he said “Is that the kind of conversation that God wants us to have with each other?” Probably not! And in the same breath Satan being the god of this age should consistently and consciously make me more upset than Barack Obama being president.

Ephesians 6:12-13

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.