The man in the black suit
The everything skit.
The link should be right below, so you can copy it and go watch it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA
That’s what I’m still digesting.
I saw it for the first time at the beginning of this month when our squad was given the amazing opportunity to rent out the plaza in the center of town, on a Saturday night, and put on skits, dances, share testimonies and the gospel message.
Finally, it all went down.
This girl is dancing with Jesus. It is beautiful. With no words, just swift movements, he begins showing her things, the stars, birds, beauty.
And then Satan steps in and begins dancing with her. Dressed in all black. With movements just as swift. He stole her from Jesus.
Then lust steps in to dance. And Satan steps to the side blocking Jesus from His daughter.
Then lust steps aside and greed comes along. She begins running after money.
Then alcohol starts dancing with her. She tries to pull away but can’t give up her need for these things.
Then vanity. A model walks by, showing her all that she is missing, all that she isn’t. Telling her all these lies.
These all are blocking Jesus from his daughter.
Then Satan comes and hands her a knife and whispers some lies into her ear and shows her what to do. She does it, but then throws the knife to the side.
Satan then forces a gun into her hand a points it at her head. Shaking, confused and weary she stands there.
Until she throws the gun to the side, and begins running back to Jesus. Satan and all his minions; lust, greed, alcohol, and vanity throw her back. Anything to keep her from Jesus.
She keeps fighting. She keeps running towards Jesus only to get thrown down every time. Until she can’t get up. Then, Jesus breaks through and stands behind her and takes all of their blows. He knocks them back and helps his daughter up.
They dance once and forever more.
Now, I’ve been watching practices, our squad doing it at schools, everything for weeks now, but it was during this final performance that I realized that I was still letting Satan put my own obstacles in between me and God.
Those obstacles are different now than they were 4 years ago, so how would I notice when the man in the black suit pushed God out of the way and mimics all of God’s moves, and then lets other things cut in?
Like how subtly self-image has started dancing with me again.
How fear and doubt have tag-teamed and are trying to mosh pit with me.
Stubbornness stepped up in a bold way.
Satan has recruited self-worth to take the lead in this dance, to whisper lies to me about my self-worth in friendships, in roles I play in daily things, the way I share my faith, so many things.
This whole shin dig that we did was for this community, yet it impacted me so greatly.
I have been dancing with the man in the black suit. I have been dancing with the devil.
And the thing is… I knew it. But satan knows me, which is why he recruited stubbornness to dance with me.
But now is the time to run back to Jesus.
Satan will continue cutting in to dance, throwing other dance partners at me that aren’t God, I just need to not be stubborn and call that out in the moment.
Running back to Jesus is really just the first step. Then it is partnering with Him to overcome those lies that Satan has told you about all of those different things; self-image, fear &doubt, stubbornness and self-worth.
I don’t want to dance with the man in the black suit.
At the beginning of this month I watched the movie War Room. It’s about an older woman who turned her closet into her prayer room. Her war room.
She starts hanging out with a younger woman and begins encouraging her to pray about everything, to pray for her family, her marriage that is falling apart, everything. And, spoiler alert, by the end of the movie, everything turns around.
I came away from this movie pumped, so ready to create my own war room everywhere I was, because I don’t exactly have a closet on the world race. But instead Satan started dancing with me.
Which I realized during our squad’s performance.
I was so pumped. So ready to take down the enemy. And he knew it. But I was too slow to attack, and he took shots before I was even ready.
That’s who the man in the black suit is. A sneaky, conniving one who gets a grip on us, who steals a dance, who knows when to attack.
But God… let me tell you who God is.
God is someone who the whole time is fighting for you, reeling you back in.
He is someone who, whether you realize it or not, is dropping hints, whispering your name, calling you back to Him.
God is someone who gives you grace.
He is someone who understands when no one else does, and when you let no one else in.
God is the one who wants to dance with you forever, to tell you the truth.
He wants you to know how beautiful you are when all you hear and believe are the lies.
He wants you to know how loved you are when all you feel is outcast and like you don’t belong.
He wants you to know that where you are is exactly where He has you when you are doubting everything.
He wants you to know that He will be patient with you, He will wait for you, through whatever, however long it takes, He is a patient God.
THAT is who God is.
A good God.
So don’t dance with the man in the black suit when you could be dancing with the man draped in white.
