Screwtape's 10th Letter: Keep your friends close and your frenemies closer

If we looked at the people we choose to surround ourselves with, what would it say about us? How do we allow our relationships to shape our minds, our beliefs, even our sense of humour? In Letter 10, Screwtape is determined to lure the patient into a false sense of "security," believing that he is both worldly and pious, spiritually deep and practically experienced, all the while being two different versions of himself: the "fun guy" who hangs out with his non-believing friends on a Friday night and the "righteous man" who kneels in prayer next to the local grocer on Sunday morning. Pride blinds him to his own hypocrisy.This letter might seem like it's telling you who not to be friends with, but it's really about something much deeper than that: it's about examining our motivations behind WHY we choose to surround ourselves with certain people and HOW we choose to be human in the midst of their company.Mentions in this episodeBible references: "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:5Matthew 28:1-8Psalm 28Get weekly newsletters from Christina's OTHER Substack, The Battle Cry here: https://christinalynnwallace.substack.comRead my article on idolatry, Taylor Swift and Our Inky Black Mire, here.Listen to the Magic Like This episode about "jargon" here. (There are links on the Substack post to listen on your preferred platform).Support your local book store by buying a copy of The Screwtape Letters!Join the Magic Like This Book Club:https://magiclikethis.substack.com/subscribeRead my essays and join my Celtic Prayer Writing Workshops at The Battle Cry: https://christinalynnwallace.substack.comBattling imposter syndrome? Purchase my 7-day journalling devotional for aspiring Christian writers: https://www.christinalynnwallace.com/shop/p/invited-by-joy-digital-devotional-for-aspiring-authorsFind me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/magiclikethispodcastWanting to write a book about what God’s done in your life, but don’t know where to start? I teach a course to help with that!Enrol in Pick Up Your Sword today at https://christinalynnwallace.com/courseAlways wondered about the difference between a colon and a semi-colon? Sign up for Swordsmanship, my free punctuation mark email course, to get 21 days of free, bite-sized lessons teaching you all about the beauty of punctuation.Get it here: https://christinalynnwallace.com/swordsmanship This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit magiclikethis.substack.com/subscribe