Putting a Face to the Tempter in a Season of Wandering
My all-time favorite author is C.S. Lewis. Both his fiction and nonfiction are so captivating and full of wisdom. I love his space trilogy, and of course, the Chronicles of Narnia are—chef’s kiss. But my absolute favorite book of his is The Screwtape Letters. When I first heard about The Screwtape Letters, I was in my early 20s in a period of wandering and soul-searching (as most 20-somethings do).
Soul Searching
During my early 20s, I had gotten caught up in my identity and who I was supposed to be in the world. If I remember correctly, I was working at Hastings Entertainment (RIP) at the time, and I remember being confronted with so many different worldviews for the first time outside high school.
Nearly everyone I worked with came from different beliefs and ideologies. It was a confusing time in my life as a young adult trying to discern what was right, what was moral, what was ethical, what aligned with God’s Word, and so on.
I had heard about The Screwtape Letters years before, when I was in middle school or high school, but I didn’t know much about it other than it was supposedly about demons—a topic I was a little leery of delving into. While working at Hastings, I came across the book again and decided to actually check it out. I already knew I liked C.S. Lewis’ other works, so I was sure I would enjoy this one. I’m so glad I decided to give it a read!
If you’ve never read The Screwtape Letters, first of all, you should, and secondly, it’s about an experienced “tempter” named Screwtape, writing letters to his nephew, Wormwood, who is an inexperienced “tempter” tasked with the corruption of a man known as “the Patient.” It’s a satirical view on the constant struggle between following the Lord and dealing with this earthly world we live in, full of temptations.
We Are Not Alone In This World
As I began reading it, it helped me register that (although this is fictional), we are not alone in this world. The battles we face on a daily basis are not just earthly battles, but supernatural, spiritual battles. The enemy does not want us to seek after Jesus; he wants to take as many of us down with him. This helped me realize that I was being targeted, not just tempted. Putting a “face” to the enemy helped me realize that there are other powers at hand in my world that do not want what is good for me.
To this day, I reflect on how that book impacted the way I see temptation and my relationship with God. I take comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit is with me 24 hours a day. The devil and his minions are not omniscient or omnipresent, and are not with me all the time, but the times I do feel temptation lurking, I can rely on the Holy Spirit to carry me through because He is always with me.
If you are in a season of constant temptation, take heart that you are not alone, and remember it’s because the enemy does not want you to have true life in eternity with our Lord and Savior. Lean on the Holy Spirit and remember that He will carry you through life’s ups and downs.
