Page 129 of Divine Temptations

“Sit down, son,” Daddy said, lowering himself into his leather chair.

I obeyed, setting my guitar case beside me. My hands rested on my knees, and I tried to quiet my breathing.

He steepled his fingers under his chin, smiling with that calm that always came before something important. “I want you to know how proud I am of you, Jimmy.”

My chest tightened. Those words had the power to undo me. “Thank you, sir.”

“You’ve been steadfast in the Lord’s work,” he went on. “Through all the trials life’s put before you, you’ve held firm to your faith. That’s rare these days.”

Heat rose to my face. I didn’t deserve that praise, not really. There were nights I’d prayed and still felt nothing, mornings when temptation whispered like a shadow in the corner of my thoughts. I never spoke of it—not even to God—but I felt its weight, heavy as sin itself.

Daddy leaned forward, eyes shining. “You’ve been a blessing to this ministry, son. A light in the darkness. And now, the Lord’s got a new mission for you.”

“A mission?” My voice came out softer than I had intended.

He opened his laptop, fingers clicking briskly. The screen glowed blue across his face. “You’ll see what I mean.”

A video began to play—a local news clip, the anchor talking about protests up in Virginia. A group called The Satanic Temple had filed a lawsuit against the Chesterfield County schools, demanding equal time if Christian symbols were allowed in classrooms.

I watched, my stomach tightening. The footage shifted to a crowd outside the school board meeting. People shouted, waved signs, some praising God, others mocking Him. In the middle of it all stood a man—a calm figure dressed in black, speaking to a reporter as if the surrounding chaos couldn’t touch him. The man’s voice carried through the speakers—steady, certain, too calm for someone speaking blasphemy.

“We believe in compassion, empathy, and the pursuit of knowledge,” he said, smiling like he meant it. “We reject superstition and arbitrary authority.”

Each word landed cold in my gut. He spoke of kindness the way a preacher might speak of grace, but without God in it, the sound felt hollow—beautiful, and wrong. Daddy stopped the video, and the image froze on that man’s face.

“You see that?” His voice dropped low, weighted with fury. “That’s the Devil at work, right there in plain sight. Corrupting our schools, poisoning our children’s minds.”

I nodded, because what else could I do? “Yes, sir.”

“The world’s full of evil men, son. But these… these people call evil good and good evil.” He looked up, meeting my eyes. “That’s why I need you to help me expose them.”

“Expose them?”

Daddy smiled the way he did when the Spirit moved him. “The Lord laid it on my heart. You’ll go to Richmond, son. Infiltrate this Satanic Temple. Pretend to be one of them. See what they’re really doing behind closed doors. Film it. Bring back proof.”

My breath caught. “You want me to go undercover?”

“Exactly that. Think of what it’ll mean for Tanner Ministries—our viewers will finally see what kind of filth the Enemy spreads. It’ll wake people up and perhaps save a few souls.”

He rose from his chair and circled behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders..

“It won’t be easy. You’ll be walking straight into the lion’s den. The Devil himself will tempt you—he’ll whisper lies, make sin look like freedom. But you’re my son, and I know you’ll stand strong. You’ll be the Lord’s soldier in the enemy’s camp.”

My pulse hammered in my throat. I didn’t feel brave. I felt small. But if Daddy believed I was strong enough, maybe I could be.

“Yes, sir,” I mumbled.

He squeezed my shoulder. “That’s my boy.”

He moved back behind the desk, closing the laptop. “You’ll leave next week. I’ve already arranged your cover—James Harper, a graduate student studying alternative faiths. We’ll make sure you’ve got what you need.”

I nodded, though a cold unease crept up my spine.

Daddy clasped his hands together and bowed his head. “Let’s pray.”

His voice rolled through the room, slow and thunderous. “Lord, we send Your servant James Mathew into the darkness. Shield him from temptation. Let him stand firm against the snares of the wicked. Make him a weapon for Your glory.”

Each word struck deep. When he said temptation, my chest tightened, and I prayed harder, though I couldn’t have said exactly what for.