One of Satan’s Most Effective and Insidious Weapons
Most of us have heard the old saying that informs us that “laughter is the best medicine.”
A long time ago, a very wise man was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words:
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Prov. 17:22)
Those who know me know that I love to laugh. I love to be around people who laugh. I love to make people laugh.
Somebody like me needs to exercise caution. The reason is that, like everything else that Satan touches, he can turn what could be a good thing into something not so good. In fact, laughter can be a very evil thing.
I started thinking about this when a portion of an old situation comedy “popped up” on my computer recently. I’m not sure that I had seen this particular episode, but I did sometimes watch the series itself “back in the day.” For some reason, this relatively short clip caused me to do some thinking about what was presented as comedy. Of course, there was the “canned laughter” that was used to encourage laughter on the part of those watching.
I am not exaggerating when I say that God’s standards for morality and decency, especially in the area of human sexuality, were being laughed at. Along with that, the character who made an admittedly poor attempt to defend those standards came across as the real buffoon and totally out of touch with reality. I certainly am not trying to be sacrilegious, but I wonder if there could be the possibility that, as the audience roared with laughter, the Lord could have been shedding a tear.
What I do know is that what was the subject of “harmless laughter” in the 1970’s is now, not only accepted, but openly promoted. In fact, those who do not “get with the program” are the subjects of threats, intimidation, and, in some cases, violence. Some politicians have had to decide whether to remain true to the positions they once held or jettison those positions. Even some religious groups now openly accept, endorse, and promote what God’s word clearly condemns.
Is anybody besides me old enough to remember when people laughed uproariously at things that did not contain four-letter words? Do you ever find yourself remembering comedians and comedy shows of days gone by and thinking or saying something like: “Why do people today think that a person has to be dirty to be funny?”
Have you ever seen laughter used to intimidate? Maybe it is the child at school who doesn’t quite fit in or the adult who doesn’t conform in some way. Maybe the person being intimidated doesn’t dress like everybody else. Maybe it is an accent. Maybe the issue is skin color. It could be any number of things. Laughter has intimidated far too many people to conform to a particular belief, a lifestyle, and/or a philosophy that leads them toward eternal separation from God.
There is another type of laughter that is very closely associated with the type that is used to intimidate. In my mind, however, there is a slight difference. Laughter is often used to ridicule people. Again the laughter can be due to things like clothing, accent, skin color, or any number of other things. The result of this type of laughter could also be conformity. Another possibility, though, is that the person or people who are the objects of the laughter could choose isolation instead of conformity. That, in turn, could lead to some very, very dark places.
Sadly, in many circles what passes for “entertainment” does not merely ridicule God’s standards or His people. We are way past that point. We are now at the point where God, Himself, in the minds of many, is no longer our Creator. He is certainly not to be obeyed and approached with reverence. Instead, He is just another object of ridicule, sarcasm, and laughter.
I am thankful for laughter. It can be a great blessing from God. At the same time, I need to be aware of the fact that laughter can be one of Satan’ most insidious and effective tools —
and that is no joke.
AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
