The Devil's U-Boats

TODAY we are hearing much about the U-boats of the enemies of our

nation. Of course these U-boats are bent on sinking and destroying our

ships—and they are succeeding in this to an alarming extent. The old ship of

Zion is not without its enemy U-boats. The devil has been trying to sink this

old ship for nineteen hundred years, but. thanks be to God, this he cannot do.

For every U-boat of the enemy there is a depth charge! We can sink every one

of these U-boats of the devil if we know how and where to place the depth

bomb. Let us study together some of these dangerous "boats" and how the

Christian can destroy them.

Pride has caused many individual Christians to sink. "Pride goeth before

destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16:18.) The proud and

haughty are riding for a terrible fall. Many of us have seen the truth of this

proverb demonstrated over and over again. One of the things that the Lord

hates is a proud look. (Prov. 6:17.) When the Lord hates a thing, wedo well by hating the same thing. "God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace

to the humble." (1 Pet. 5:5.)

When this boat of pride gets into waters near us. we had better send down

a depth bomb and destroy it before it destroys us. Here it is: ''Humble

yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4:10.)

When one has the Lord with him, he can win over all the devices of the enemy

of our souls. Likewise without humility the devil will win over us in a walk.

Without humility we have lost our usefulness. Many who could be useful

soldiers in the army of the Lord have been overcome by pride. The really great

and influential in the church of the living God are the truly humble. And we

must not fake humility. This is the worst kind of hypocrisy. Some are proud

and boastful of their "humility."

Another dangerous U-boat is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a terrible enemy.

"For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God

taketh away his soul?" (Job 27:8.) Yes, the hypocrite may make some seeming

gains over the truly righteous, but what has he gained when the Lord taketh

away his soul? Then all he has gained, and much more, is lost because of his

hypocrisy. "An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour; but

through knowledge shall the just be delivered." (Prov. 11:9.) The hypocrite

can do untold damage with his mouth!

When the righteous see the hypocrites seemingly prospering, here is

something worth remembering: "Knowest thou not this of old, since man was

placed upon earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of

the hypocrite but for a moment?" (Job 20:4, 5.) The wicked may triumph

temporarily, but just for a short time, and the joy of the hypocrite is fleeting.

Here is another sneaking U-boat of the devil. It creeps up on unsuspecting

souls before they are aware. That is one of the great troubles with these boats

of the devil. They hit without a moment's warning. This one is called

"unbelief." Even Christians are sometimes hit by it. ''Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you

an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." (Heb. 3:12.) When

this evil heart of unbelief enters in. it causes one to depart from the living God.

While we are sailing over life's stormy sea we are never out of reach of the

devil's U-boats. We have to be prepared for an attack from any and all

quarters. This one is destroyed by faith. We can sink this depth bomb and

send unbelief to the bottom of the ocean. But how do we get this faith? "So

then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom. 10:17.)

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God

must believe that he is. and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek

him." (Heb. 11:6.)

Not all that came out of Egypt by Moses entered the promised land—in

fact, just two of the original men who left Egypt entered in. Their carcasses

fell in the wilderness. What caused them to fall? What caused them not to

enter? What will cause us to fall? What will cause us not to enter the heavenly

Canaan? Listen: "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."

(Heb. 3:19)

Here is a depth bomb for this enemy: "Therefore we ought to give the

more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we

should let them slip." (Heb. 2:1.)

Christians are being "sunk'' every day by worldliness. The devil surely hits

the mark with this in so many cases. Christians lay themselves open to attack

when they get to flirting around with worldliness. If we would obey this

Scripture, we would be in no immediate danger from this source: "And be not

conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

(Rom. 12:2.)

Christianity and worldliness will not mix. Some members of the church

try to mix them, but in the end one or the other is going to triumph. The sad

part is that so many times the worldliness in the Christian predominates and

he is overcome. "Lovenot the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the

world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust

of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,

but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he

that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (John 2:15-17.) You will note

that God says that if we love the world the love of the Father is not in us. How

sad!

What should these worldly Christians (?) do? ''Wherefore come out from

among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean

thing: and I will receive you." (2 Cor. 6:17.) Brother, if you do not or will not

come out of these worldly things, you have a mighty dark future. Before this

submarine gets you, you had better drop a depth bomb. Here it is: "Set your

affection on things above, not on things on the earth.'" (Col. 3:2.) This one

"bomb" will drive all the worldliness out of you. Just set your affection on

heavenly things, not on earthly things.

There is entirely too much evilspeaking among us. Brethren speak evil of

others without any basis for it. "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all

guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as new-born babes,

desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." (1 Pet. 2:1. 2.)

Here is a good depth charge: "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying

the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye

love one another with a pure heart fervently." (1 Pet. 1:22.) If this does not get

this devil's U-boat, send down another charge. "Speak not evil one of another,

brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother,

speaketh evil of the law. and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law. thou

are not a doer of the law. but a judge." (James 4:11.)

Here is one that is sure to get us when we are just drifting about. It is

called "indifference". "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion!'' (Amos 6:1.) This

gets so many of the members ofthe church. They are just at ease in Zion. They do not seem to be much

concerned about the lost. They go to meeting occasionally, sing a little, pray

a little, commune a little, listen to the sermon a little, give a little (not much).

Here is a bomb that might waken some up: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye

have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my

absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12.)

Do not forget that God says our salvation must be worked out, not "eased"

out. Paul said: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one

thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto

those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high

calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:13, 14.) Brethren, watch out for the

devil's U-boats!