Unity...of the worst kind

Unity is a good thing, right?  Of course it is!!  In the very last prayer that Jesus prayed, he asked the Father, "That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me."  With His last breath, He prayed that we would be in unity.  It's that important.

But Satan tries to imitate everything God does--to confuse us, tempt us, and destroy us.  He especially hates unity!  He knows the power of it.  In fact, wasn't that his first act--to destroy the unity of heaven?  He took 1/3 of the angels with him when he fell.  

Several of us were talking this weekend about how Satan has attacked our marriages.  He's come and whispered lies in our ears--to both the husband and the wife.  Did you know that when you're thinking your worst thoughts about your husband, he's probably thinking his worst thoughts about you? Satan is trying to bring you into unity with his lies for your destruction!  He doesn't know who will take the bait, so he feeds you both the lie.  

In fact, Satan doesn't stop with a marriage, he wants to destroy the family and the church.  He's full of lies and is constantly barraging us with them.  We have got to learn to stop and examine the thoughts coming into our minds--most of them are not are own.  Satan speaks to us in first person singular.  ("I can't do anything" as opposed to "Becky, you can't do anything.")  We'd know it was him if he addressed us using our name.  So he lies and makes us think it's our own thoughts.  That's why we're to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  (II Cor. 10:5)  Do you even realize how many thoughts are running through your mind each day that are not your own?  Satan wants to bring us into unity with him.  But that's the unity of the worst kind!  It leads to death.

He knows how powerful unity is.  Do we?  Do we know how powerful unity is?  I've seen glimpses of it.  And I contend the world hasn't seen through one married couple how powerful unity truly is.  Oh how I want to get there!  I want to experience complete unity.  I want to come in agreement with Jesus' last prayer.  We're living in the day when we're all concerned about our own rights instead of the good of each other.  

God, transform us!  Help us to live in a world which lives contrary to You.  Grace us with Your unity.  Help us to work hard at it!  Quicken our spirits so we are aware of the thoughts Satan plants in our minds.  Let us put up barricades against them.  Help us to grace our spouse and to love them sacrificially.  Build up our marriages--protect them.  Let us glorify You with our lives...our love...our unity.  Let the world know and be convinced through our unity that You sent Jesus.  In Jesus' name, Amen.