By David Ettinger
Tragic Results
In a poignant YouTube commentary several years ago, Stephen Green made some astute observations following the Paris terror attack on Nov. 13, 2015, which claimed 130 lives, 89 of them in one venue. That venue was the Le Bataclan concert hall where the band Eagles of Death Metal was playing. During the concert, three terrorists stormed the venue and opened fire.
Green, National Director of Christian Voice, a Christian Advocacy group in the United Kingdom, researched the band’s song titles and lyrics. The first verse Green mentions is: “Cause watching you suffer feels so much better to you. I’m about to lay destruction on you.” Another is, “I’m feeling power from the pit of hell.”
Green also reveals the song the band was playing when the terrorists burst in. It is “Kiss the Devil” and its opening stanza is: “Who’ll love the devil? / Who’ll sing his song? / Who will love the devil and his song? / I’ll love the devil! / I’ll sing his song!” Green termed such adoration as a “flirtation with Satan” and lamented the tragic results such flirtation yields.
The world’s flirtation with Satan is obvious; what is not so obvious is the Christian’s flirtation with Satan. Does it exist? The Bible says it does.
Sowing to the Flesh
So long as we live in the flesh, Christians will always struggle with sin. However, there is a big difference between facing temptation and embracing it. Christians too often exhibit awful judgment when engaging the culture. An occasional bad word or immoral act on the big screen is one thing. However, giving no thought to sitting through movies laced with multitudinous instances of foul language and depictions of sex is a huge problem.
The apostle Paul writes: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7).
The phrase “God cannot be mocked” infers, Do you really think God does not see this. Do you really believe your grace in Christ gives you license to act as the world acts? God requires holiness. If you fill your mind with defilement, He will discipline you.
Engaging the culture on its terms and not Christ’s is a pleasuring of the flesh, trampling the purity Christ has called you to. Sowing to – feeding – the flesh will produce fleshly acts: engage in the flesh, act in the flesh. Sowing in the flesh is flirting with Satan and you need to forsake it.
Befriending the World
In the Book of James, the author denounces the worldly behavior of believers in their dealings with one another. James condemns Christians for arguing with and suing each other. He writes: “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
To be someone’s friend is to walk hand-in-hand with her through the ups and downs of life. It is to join in spirit with that person. This is fine for one human and another, but NOT with Christians and the world.
Most instances of the word “world” in the Bible refer to this earth’s system as ordered by Satan. When we display the behavior mentioned above, we are befriending Satan, in essence telling him that his way is right.
However, James offers an antidote: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7). In telling us to “resist,” James is cutting us some slack. He understands that temptation is a part of life, but there are limits: temptation is natural, but we are not to succumb to it.
Resisting is difficult and requires great effort, but the results are profound: once Satan sees he is not making a dent in you, he will seek greener pastures. However, to give into temptation is to befriend the world and is flirting with Satan.
Unequally Yoked
How do you determine your relationships? Are your business associates godly men and women, or are they manipulative and dishonest? For the unmarried, are you seeking the godliest spouse possible, or merely the best looking and richest?
Paul addresses this issue: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Pleasing and obeying God must be foremost in the mind of Christians, which means submitting every area of your life to Him.
Your business dealings must be pure, and hence the people you partner with. Your marital relationship must be pure, and hence the person you marry. To act according to that which is pleasing to the senses is to be mired in Satan’s world system and is to flirt with Satan.
But Paul offers a way out: “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” (v. 17).
This is similar to James’ call to “resist”; a great effort is required because your foe is powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross, and with Christ working through you, you can win many a battle against Satan and His ambassadors.
Stop Your Flirting!
I believe the Lord would have you and me examine ourselves and determine whether or not we are submitting every area of life to Him. If not, we are flirting with Satan, and God wants it stopped.
May God give us wisdom as we navigate our way through this world system which seeks to derail Christians. In Christ there is great victory!
EttingerWriting.com 
Katherine
February 8, 2022
This is very insightful. In the genre of music my husband and I enjoy we have had to really sort through which bands we should listen to, often liking the “sound” of songs until we really listen to the words. (We like harder rock). I’ve also encountered this studying herbalism because so many practitioners of herbalism toy with the occult in their practice. It’s such an important topic. I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts. You continue to challenge me! Thank you.
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dettinger47
February 8, 2022
Thank you, Katherine. I’m with you. We have to be so careful what we listen to. I still love my rock from the 1970s (I’m quite a bit older than you). But with this comes caution. I have to make sure that though the melodies are great, the lyrics can be quite anti-God.
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Tom
February 8, 2022
RE: Unequally Yoked
Thanks for this thoughtful post, David. We Christians must constantly re-evaluate whether our actions and relationships are in accordance with God’s will or whether we’re making accommodations, compromises, or flat-out bad choices in our Christian walk. We need lots of prayer and discernment about what and who we choose to yoke with.
As just one example, I know of Christians who would rather walk ten miles barefoot before they would allow a drop of alcohol into their mouth, but who readily embrace propagators of works-righteousness false gospels as “brothers in Christ.”
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dettinger47
February 8, 2022
Yep, so true, Tom. For Christians, the “D” word is HUGE (discernment, of course).
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Vincent S Artale Jr
February 8, 2022
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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Lisa Beth
February 9, 2022
Very wise and important counsel, hardly preached from pulpits today. Watchman Nee’s book ‘Love Not The World” is one I read over every couple of years. He urges believers to interact with the world like they would heroin.
Good post brother, thank you!
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dettinger47
February 9, 2022
Thank you, Lisa Beth.
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seekingdivineperspective
February 16, 2022
The world is indeed flirting with Satan, and it’s getting more brazen. Just this past weekend there was a Satanists convention close to where my sister lives. A Satanic type of cirque de Soleil is showing in Florida now. We need to keep our armor on and keep praying against this stuff
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dettinger47
February 17, 2022
Definitely. Thank you.
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