Screwtape Letters Chapter 10

1. How do your friendships influence your faith?

Excerpt: “I gather that the middle-aged married couple who called at his office are just the sort of people we want him to know—rich, smart, superficially intellectual, and brightly sceptical about everything in the world.”

Scripture (NKJV): “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Reflection: Are there friendships in your life that are subtly pulling you away from Christ? How can you surround yourself with people who strengthen your faith?

2. Have you ever been tempted to fit in by remaining silent about your faith?

Excerpt: “As long as the postponement lasts he will be in a false position. He will be silent when he ought to speak and laugh when he ought to be silent.”

Scripture (ESV): “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

Reflection: In what situations do you find it hardest to stand firm in your faith? How can you be more courageous in sharing your beliefs?

3. In what ways might subtle compromises be affecting your spiritual life?

Excerpt: “That is the kind of betrayal you should specially encourage, because the man does not fully realise it himself; and by the time he does you will have made withdrawal difficult.”

Scripture (NKJV): “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” (Luke 16:10)

Reflection: Are there small areas in your life where you have compromised your faith? What steps can you take to correct them before they grow?

4. How does pride keep you from recognizing spiritual danger?

Excerpt: “And may I remark in passing that the value we have given to that word [Puritanism] is one of the really solid triumphs of the last hundred years? By it we rescue annually thousands of humans from temperance, chastity, and sobriety of life.”

Scripture (ESV): “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

Reflection: Are there biblical principles you hesitate to embrace because of cultural or personal pride? How can you humble yourself before God?

5. Do you find yourself acting differently depending on who you’re around?

Excerpt: “Failing this, there is a subtler and more entertaining method. He can be made to take a positive pleasure in the perception that the two sides of his life are inconsistent.”

Scripture (ESV): “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9)

Reflection: Are there situations where you adjust your behavior, language, or values to fit in? How can you strive for integrity and consistency in all areas of your life?

6. Do you ever justify questionable choices by claiming they help you ‘relate’ to others?

Excerpt: “Finally, if all else fails, you can persuade him, in defiance of conscience, to continue the new acquaintance on the ground that he is, in some unspecified way, doing these people ‘good’ by the mere fact of drinking their cocktails and laughing at their jokes.”

Scripture (ESV): “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12)

Reflection: Have you ever compromised your convictions under the guise of "relating" to others? How can you be an influence for good without losing your integrity?

7. Are you spending money or time in ways that pull you away from God’s priorities?

Excerpt: “Meanwhile you will of course take the obvious precaution of seeing that this new development induces him to spend more than he can afford and to neglect his work and his mother.”

Scripture (NKJV): “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Reflection: Do your financial and time commitments reflect godly priorities? How can you ensure they align with His will?

8. How does worldly influence shape your view of purity, humility, and self-discipline?

Excerpt: “By it we rescue annually thousands of humans from temperance, chastity, and sobriety of life.”

Scripture (ESV): “Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” (Titus 2:12)

Reflection: Are there biblical values you struggle to uphold because they seem outdated or unpopular? How can you stand firm in godly principles?

9. Do you allow culture to define what is acceptable rather than God’s Word?

Excerpt: “In modern Christian writings, though I see much (indeed more than I like) about Mammon, I see few of the old warnings about Worldly Vanities, the Choice of Friends, and the Value of Time.”

Scripture (NKJV): “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

Reflection: Are you more influenced by cultural trends than by Scripture? How can you ensure that God’s Word is the standard for your life?

10. Are you neglecting responsibilities at home because of distractions or misplaced priorities?

Excerpt: “Meanwhile you will of course take the obvious precaution of seeing that this new development induces him to spend more than he can afford and to neglect his work and his mother.”

Scripture (ESV): “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8)

Reflection: Are there ways you have unintentionally neglected your responsibilities at home? How can you prioritize your family and obligations in a way that honors God?