Jesus Is My Homeboy Pt. 2

One of the dangerous places that the "needy Jesus" theology leads to is ignorance of a very real enemy.  A soft Gospel focuses on the individual and not Christ, the created and not the Creator.  A very real and present spiritual enemy does not have much room in the "needy Jesus" theologian's life.  It just doesn't fit.  From experience, I know.

Let's be clear, our focus and our attention should be on Christ, not on the forces of the enemy.  To focus on the enemy is just an inversion of the "needy Jesus" theology.  Where one focuses on the individual the other focuses on the enemy.  Neither one focuses on the only thing worthy of devotion, Christ. 

But to ignore the spiritual battle that rages around us is so dangerous.  I'm convinced one of the most effective tools of the enemy on the Western world is to convince us that he does not exist. 

There is an amazing passage in Luke where Jesus gives us a glimpse into this spiritual battle:

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."     (Luke 22:31-32)