If Satan can’t push us into unbelief, blatant rebellion , or complacency, he’ll push us into harshness.  He might prefer theological liberalism, feminism, immorality, and dishonesty, or to see us complacently drifting along, doing nothing for the Lord.

But if he can’t get that, because we are too zealous, too committed, too firm in belief, he’ll tempt us to be proud of our rightness and zeal.  The result, invariably, is to twist us into messengers of a harsh and compassionless Gospel which is no Gospel at all, and can even lead to cruelty and oppression, all in the name of “being right.”

Either way will do for Satan.  Anything to get us away from truly honouring our Lord, anything to keep us from giving out a true Gospel message of purity, truth, compassion, and mercy.

Fred Phelps just died, so some may think of him.  But probably every one of…