Satan's Useful Idiots

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour~ 1^st Peter 5:8

Recently I had a conversation with a friend who was in need of some advice. She was having some relational problems in her family that had stemmed from a misunderstanding over some poorly spoken words. She was making efforts to repair the relationship but had discovered that a third party (a professed Christian) had gotten involved in the situation, repeating some things that had been said in confidence as well as exaggerating some other things that were said to the point of dishonesty. This person’s actions were literally tearing the family apart and making it nearly impossible for my friend to get things worked out.

She was understandably exasperated with the situation, partially due to the obvious but also because she felt that the third party who had gotten mixed up in the mess had no idea exactly how much trouble they were causing with their careless actions. At one point when the conversation devolved into a bit of a rant, she made a statement that was so funny and insightful that I had to ask permission to share it because it was so perceptive. She said: “I feel like this person is one of Satan’s useful idiots”. 

A “useful idiot” is a slang term sometimes used in place of “unwitting accomplice.” An unwitting accomplice is a person who participates in a crime unintentionally—usually because the criminal tricked them into participating in the crime. Sometimes the unwitting accomplice is duped into believing that they are actually doing a good deed as they help the criminal break the law.

My friends’ statement was insightful because of the way that the Bible describes the devil.  Job depicts Satan as roaming the earth looking for trouble and 1^st Peter 5:8 describes Satan as one who prowls around looking for someone to devour. Ephesians 6:11 and John 10:10 can be summed up by saying that the devil is constantly scheming up ways to wreck havoc on the lives of all people, especially God’s people.

Two things occurred to me as I was thinking about my friend’s situation; first, the devil’s ambition is enormous. I can see how it would be helpful to recruit some useful idiots, people whom unwittingly help the enemy to stir up trouble.  

My second thought was more disturbing: How many times have I been a useful idiot? I wondered how often I had played the part of the third party in my friend’s predicament, stirring the pot and inadvertently helping the devil create pain and chaos.

My friends story demonstrates it’s not just unbelievers who unwittingly do the devils work. Christians can at times be guilty of helping the enemy steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). There are at least five ways Christians can act as unwitting accomplices to the devils schemes.  

When we fail to get all the facts~ Proverbs 14:15

Unfortunately, it’s easy to fall into the trap of supposing that all of our assumptions concerning people and situations are accurate. The truth is that things are rarely the way they appear and there are two sides to every story.  We become unwitting accomplices to the devil’s schemes when we believe everything we hear or make assumptions based on first impressions or limited understanding of situations. Wise people look beyond first impressions and go to the source to ask questions when a person’s character or deportment is in doubt. Most of the time people are waiting for an opportunity to tell their side of things.  According to Proverbs 14:15 it is a sign of simple-mindedness to believe everything you hear or take everything at face value.  

When we involve ourselves in situations that are none of our concern~ Proverbs 26:17

There is nothing wrong with listening to a hurting friend or giving counsel to someone who is seeking it. We cross a line when we allow ourselves to become a middleman between quarreling parties. It is never okay to repeat something we were told in confidence and quarreling parties should always be encouraged to work things out between themselves or with a pastor or counselor. Be wary of any “friend” who is a little too eager to involve themselves in your private family affairs; they are most likely one of Satan’s useful idiots. The writer of Proverbs observes that most relational issues take care of themselves as long as third parties stay out of the way (Proverbs 26:20-22).

When we refuse to forgive~ Hebrews 12:15

Lack of forgiveness, if allowed to fester, leads to bitterness. When bitterness takes root in our hearts it colors the way we see the world and if not dealt with can become a corrupting and defiling influence in our lives that negatively affects those that we love. We all have influence over someone; when we hang on to bitterness or unforgiveness we end up unwittingly spreading corruption rather than life and grace in our interactions with those we influence.

When we indulge in prideful thinking~ Proverbs 13:10

The enemy knows that the best way to recruit a useful idiot is to encourage pride because pride blinds us to reality and is at the root of most other sins including blasphemy (1^st Kings 19:22), slander (Psalms 31:18), violence (Psalm 73:6), strife (Proverbs 13:10), stubbornness (Jeremiah 13:7) and scheming (Psalm 10:2). Prideful thinking is easy to spot in others but hard to see in ourselves, because pride is by its very nature self-deceptive (Obadiah 1:3). One clue that we may be stuck in a prideful mindset is unwillingness to admit wrongdoing or justifying our actions because of what somebody else did or didn’t do (i.e. I lied but they cheated so their cheating makes my lie acceptable).

When we spread dissension~ Proverbs 6:16-19

Proverbs 6:19, tells us that on the list of things that God hates is the spread of dissension. Dissension is an ugly thing that is spread by subtly or blatantly planting seeds of dissatisfaction in someone’s mind about a situation or relationship. Those who spread dissension like to point out problems without offering solutions, cast blame and repeat things that were told to them in confidence. As Christians it is our responsibility to be forces of good in every situation or relationship we find ourselves. God calls us to be problem solvers and reconcilers not faultfinders or troublemakers.

No follower of Jesus wants to be a tool of the devil. I am convinced that the key to avoiding the trap of becoming an unwitting accomplice in Satan’s schemes is self-examination and honest appraisal of the dynamics of whatever situation we find ourselves in. After honest evaluation we may decide that the best thing is to graciously remove ourselves from the situation and commit to prayer for all involved.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people