The Enemy Within!

Chaplain Len Patterson

The Enemy Within!

For over a hundred and forty years, there has been a concerted effort by the "Union" to destroy our Southern heritage and the deny the honor due our noble Confederate forefathers. Today, the Sons of Confederate Veterans are engaged in a battle to stave off the lies, misconceptions, and the pure ignorance of those who seek to discredit those brave Confederates who fought with such determination to defend our homeland against an illegal invasion. Of course, there are those who oppose us and the truth of our Cause. We have many enemies, and we are well aware of those about us who work against our efforts. But, we also have an enemy who has infiltrated our ranks. We must recognize this worst of all enemies and remove him from amongst us, or surely our Cause will be lost.

We are admonished to, "Never underestimate the power of our enemy." But, to do this we must first recognize our enemy. The enemy within our ranks that is causing the most harm to our just and worthy Cause, is the Devil. The Bible says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Pet. 5:8) The devil is the enemy of all truth, and he is an enemy within our Confederation. The devil's primary method of operation, whether it's a church, a country, or our Cause, is to create strife, dissension, and division. Whenever you hear of members finding fault with, or criticizing other members, or nit-picking, and complaining about what other members do, don't do, think, or say, you can be sure the devil is at work to create discord among us, and disable our efforts to serve the Charge. There's another old admonishment, "The devil's going to get you if you don't watch out."

The fact that the devil is attacking the SCV is not a cause for sadness, but joy and excitement. A pastor friend went to a Pastor's Conference, and as a speaker was reminding the visiting ministers about the wiles of the devil, another pastor leaned over to my friend and said, "The Devil don't bother me." To this my friend replied, "I'd hate to think I was so useless that the devil wasn't worried about what I was doing." The devil is worried about the Sons of Confederate Veterans and he's on the attack. So, we must be doing something right. But, we must not let the devil have his way in the SCV.

The Scripture tells us how to deal with the devil. In James 4:7, we are told to, "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." My prayer this morning is for every member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans to submit themselves to God, that He may bless our work, and resist the efforts of the enemy within. May we be in one accord, and united in one Cause. Because, our Confederate forefathers are counting on us. For Jesus' sake, Amen.