Matthew Maher
I have been listening to the sermons of Matthew Maher (author of Discerning the Devil’s Playbook) since about 2020. He preaches at a church a couple of hours away, so there was no way our family could go to listen in person. But a friend who had gone to his church a few times recommended him. He was one of the few voices bold and consistent enough to speak truth to a world full of fear. I was so thankful to have his grounding words, assuring me that yes, the world may have lost its mind, but the LORD is still in control.
Beyond his incredible, on-point preaching (I send links to his sermons frequently to anyone who has questions about what is going on in this world) he has an amazing testimony. I would highly recommend listening to it HERE.
Discerning the Devil’s Playbook
So when I saw that he had written a short book, I knew right away it had to be on the MHM booklist. It’s very short, but packed with clarity and truth. And he does not mince words.
I love that in the preamble, there is this fantastic quote:
“Indeed, the safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts…”
C.S. Lewis
How true is that? And that “gentle slope” seems to be the one that so many are on. We have been lulled to sleep or ambivalence. We think eventually, the pendulum will swing back. However, rather than the pendulum swinging back to where it was, the pendulum keeps moving us further and further away from where we first were. And now, what was thought to be a nudge in one direction or another has been a giant push. And there seems to be little hope of going back.
But the first step in fighting back is realizing we’re in a fight, whether we asked for it or not. This book tells us how the Enemy is fighting us. And his objective is to send us down that gentle slope that feels so good and harmless, but will direct us straight to hell.
Four plays
The four plays put in place by our Enemy according to Maher are (pages 2-5):
- Contradict the Truth
- Control the News or Narrative
- Create Conflict to Groups and Nations
- Convert the Youth
Can you even believe how accurate this list is? And it’s all currently being done or already has been done.
I can’t stress enough how helpful this little booklet is. At a time when confusion is promoted or sewn everywhere, it’s so refreshing to hear truth.
This truly has nothing to do with what side of the political aisle you fall on. That is not the point! The point is to always align ourselves to biblical truth. So in order to know truth, we study the Scriptures to better understand the world we live in.
I love how Maher puts it: This is not about making America great, but about making the LORD great in America (page 40).
Will we?
Are we willing to do that? To make the LORD great in America? Because if we sincerely do, it will cost us something. It may even cost us a lot. But even if it costs us everything, it’s worth it. Minimally, we can hold our heads up high and tell our children and grandchildren we weren’t complacent. We refused to live by lies. But most importantly, it’s worth it because the LORD is beyond worth it, in the most mind boggling, beautiful way.
I hope you pick this little booklet up and share it with your family and neighbors. It’s a rallying cry to those who know what time it is. We are called to pierce the darkness with the truth and grace of Christ. I pray we honor God with our obedience and boldness for Him.
