In my last post, I talked about mass shooters and how hate affects their hearts. Once hate has infected their hearts, they can more easily be prone to commit violence. But there is another aspect to the contagion of mass shootings, a spiritual aspect that very few people mention. That is the aspect of demonic influence.

Most people believe in the existence of angels. They view them as guardians who are here to protect humans. I too believe in the existence of angels and that there are many whose purpose is to help protect humans on earth. But there is another aspect to the angelic realm. That of demons, i.e. those angels that rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven millennia ago. Their purpose is more sinister; they desire to help destroy humanity.

Scripture tells us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 You see, the devil and his minions are just looking for an opportunity to do us harm. There is a word in the Greek New Testament, skandalon, from where we get the word scandal. It means “a trap, or snare, a stumbling block or a person or thing by which one is entrapped or drawn into error or sin.” BLB Lexicon.

The devil and his demons set traps for us to fall into; traps that can destroy our lives and the lives of many of the people around us. One of the best examples in Scripture is of King David. He was walking on his roof at night, looked out and saw Bathsheba taking a bath. Although she was a married woman, he decided then and there that he must have her. He had her brought to him, slept with her and eventually had her husband killed. The trap was set for him, the skandalon, and he suffered the consequences for the rest of his natural life.

There is a spiritual war going on and it is a war for the souls of men. One doesn’t need to be a mass shooter in order to be influenced to commit evil. Any one of us can fall into a trap set before us if we are not walking circumspectly. Can you think of a time in your life when you were tempted to make a really bad decision? One that would not only hurt you but possibly your children for years to come? I know I can and it is only the grace of God that allowed me to turn away from the trap that was in my path.

We are living in perilous times and it would do us well to be on the lookout for the skandalon that have been set for us. Sometimes the traps are camouflaged and we must look carefully for them and other times they are right in front of us. We must ask God for His protection as we go about our daily lives so we do not fall into the skandalon that are waiting to do us harm.

photo courtesy of Pixabay