The Word for Writers

Rousing the Troops

by Terry Barlow
12/28/20
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I thought I overheard the devil's pep talk, as he tried to rouse his demons. The gyst of what he said in so many words and in so many ways was this: "Ah, the church in the West, it talks a lot ABOUT prayer, but by and large when it comes to actually doing it, they can't pray themselves out of a wet paper bag! Hah!! And until they prove they can pray their way out of a wet paper bag, we can save our dry paper bags. We're going to be needing them anyway." "For what, sir?" One of the boldest demons asked. "I'll tell you for what," the devil replied, peering directly into the face of that bold demon. "For hiding away forever all the joy and the peace we're going to steal from them." And he began to cackle and cackle with a spinechilling contagious ("infectious" might be even more accurate owing to its root "infection") cackle that set the whole demonic assembly into a frenzied fiendish uproar. But, true to form, the devil, who is also the father of lies, was lying and exaggerating again. He and his hordes could not possibly steal peace and joy from any of God's people forever, they could only make it seem that way.