One rarely knows evil when one sees it, not truly in the beginning anyway......
This week I was plagued by nightmares, evil demonic nightmares filled with putrid scenes so disgusting that I don't want to revisit them, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt when I awoke that these dreams were a demonic attack.
What did I do? I prayed, and I prayed and I got on my knees beside my bed and I prayed for supernatural Godly protection over my sleep.
But evil doesn't always come dressed in a red outfit with horns and a pitchfork. Our enemy prowls looking for an opportunity to attack us, and a lot of the time he attacks us through our desires.
"Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 AMP)
I received a text to meet up with a man that I had met through an online dating service. As a fifty-something single woman of course my hopes were high. Perhaps this was the one I thought as I hurriedly got ready for our date.
The dinner went well, conversation flew by and it seemed relaxed enough. I wasn't nervous like normal. And he was pretty good looking, but, I overlooked a few things. The much too long hug as a greeting, the role reversal joke on the text. The invitation to come to his place tonight, again overlooked.
After the date, he walked me to my car and hugged me again, a little too hard and a little too long. I drove off in a great mood thinking things were great.
Then his texts began.
"Do you think I could tempt you...?" the first text began.
The rest of the texts went downhill VERY quickly and became so explicit they made me sick to my stomach.
I quickly blocked him on every platform that we were on. Then I started thinking. I had mentioned where I lived, I mentioned where my son worked. Innocent things, but what if this man were really evil and wanted to hurt me??
I felt violated, verbally raped, I felt objectified, I felt raw and dirty. My thoughts then went to humanity as they often do. Are there any "nice" guys left out there? Had this man thought this out from the beginning? Had he planned to groom me with dinner, then plan how he could take advantage of me? Why are we in this horrible world God, please take us home!
As a sexual assault survivor, this encounter made me even warier. Do I even want to date anyone again? How can I trust people, how can I recognize evil when I see it?
The U.S. Secret Service has a pretty tough job (other than protecting heads of state). A large part of their job is to keep people from counterfeiting American money. The way they learn how to recognize fake money is not by studying fakes, but by studying the real thing. The only way we can recognize evil is to become so familiar with good that evil will stand out like that proverbial red-suited devil of Saturday morning cartoons.
How can we protect ourselves from evil? That is a very good question, but the following Proverb has some great advice. I am going to stay in God's word and press on to the mark with the hope that I can finish the race set before me.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil."(Proverbs 4:23-27)
I don't want to become cynical about humanity, I still believe in good. But, moving forward I will be much more careful, and I will stay rooted and grounded in God's word so that I can recognize evil better next time.
Much love and God bless you!