Don't be 'dull'

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

(I Peter 5:8-11)

Today we find a reminder of the importance of keeping our guard - never, never letting it down because when we do, the dangers lurk.  This is a call to stay alert, aware of our surroundings, attentive to things that cross our path - it won't be smooth sailing all the way and we need to be 'aware' of all that comes our way.  Here we see a picture of the Devil being "poised to pounce" much like a large jungle cat just laying in wait for its prey - eyes fixed, every muscle tense with the power to just explode into action at the moment the chance presents itself. What does it take to stay alert and stand our ground in faith?  We will go through times of testing, much like a refining process, that will purify our faith - so it is important that we figure this out as quickly as possible.  A pure faith is one that can stand confident in the midst of trial and temptation.  How is our faith purified?  The trial (times of testing) brings to the surface things that otherwise would be hidden from our attention and allows us to lay those things before God, trusting him to remove them.  

We need to be involved in our daily walk with a passion and a purpose - not just lazily accepting our lives as already being all they can be (although this would make life it a whole lot easier).  In other words, we stay committed to growth - doing what it takes to grow up in Christ.  This may mean doing what we don't necessarily feel like doing - daily time in the Word, gathering together in regular times of worship and teaching, etc.  It means that we don't accept "good enough" as the basis of our Christian walk - we ask God for the best, and pursue it with the passion that he enables us to develop.  We also need to realize the importance of love in our lives - because it is the manifestation of how God has worked in us, creating a new life within. We are to be attentive to the needs of others, not always focusing on our own wants/wishes, but truly being sensitive to the plight of the other person. Love is learned at the feet of Jesus - love is lived out in the daily example we set to a lost and dying world. Love involves being kind with our words, encouraging in our actions, committed in our attitudes, and industrious in our work.

It is very easy to indulge our ego at the expense of our spiritual walk. Whenever we focus on our wants before God's desires for our lives, we are putting self first.  This is a place of danger for us!  We are called to do good with both heart and soul - that makes us unstoppable in the kingdom of God.  We cannot focus on our needs above those of another.  We cannot control the outcomes of a man's life, but we can impact the outcome by the choices we make, the example we set, and the love we display. We won't go very far in being ready for attack without a complete change of thinking - not dwelling on the old sinful ways of thinking any longer.  In other words, we need to have our minds (thoughts and attitudes) cleansed by the power of God's Word and his Holy Spirit.  The exchange of thought pattern from that of focusing merely on self, sinful passions and pursuits, to that of how God would have us to live is a process of growth.  We learn to "put on" the mind of Christ as we learn to bring each thought, desire, and attitude before him for his approval.  Those thoughts we entertain that do not bring him honor begin to be pointed out, while God faithfully reveals to us what we need to lay down in the process and what we need to replace those thoughts, desires, and attitudes with.  God is in the business of pointing out what needs to "go away", but he is also so faithful to provide what needs to "be put into" our lives.

Last, but not least,we need to be aware of our surroundings - standing our ground, alert, ready for the attack of our enemy.  Satan is like a prowling lion, waiting to pounce, just looking for the opportunity to trip us up in our walk and impede our progress with God.  He most common weapon is doubt - causing us to question the sincerity of our heart commitment, planting little seeds of doubt that cause us to focus on what we are NOT, instead of what we ARE. Be alert! Be ready!  That is the call.  Don't let the enemy of your soul trip you up with his discouraging words, immobilizing thoughts, and tantalizing temptations.  Stay on guard - in other words, don't grow lazy in your walk!  Be prayerful, study often and study well - not just to study, but to actually learn.  The best antidote to a lack of growth is to learn to take in that which will spur us to growth again - regular time in his Word, committed relationships with others walking with him, and attention to times of special communion with our God.  Just sayin!

Another hornet's nest

It was an old-timer clergyman, Billy Sunday, who said, "The devil says I am out, but the Lord says I am safe." There are times we listen to the words of those who don't have the right perspective on our "run" in life. We listen to them declare some "line drive" we make as "out", while God is saying to us it is "close", but still on the inside. It is good to knock one out to center field, but I know there are times we do well to get a line drive! We barely escape being "out" because of the grace of the one calling the outcomes in our lives!

I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4 TLB)

We don't just skirt the strongholds of the devil in our lives - we have to knock them down completely. I know how I have sprayed a little hornet killer on a hornet's next from time to time and then wonder at why they are back. The fact is I never knocked down the nest completely, giving them a chance to return to the scene of the crime! They just build "annexes" to the structure nearby. The devil isn't about to give up any hold on us without a fight - he knows as long as he can call us "out" and we believe it even a little bit, he has a hold on us still. 

Strongholds require demolition. Demolition isn't a pretty picture sometimes. If I want to be rid of those pesky hornets hovering outside my door, I have to take some pretty bold steps. First, I get them to move out of the area, by spraying enough of the deterring chemical to stun them into submission. Are they gone? No, there are others still flying about somewhere who haven't returned to the nest yet! They are out gathering the resources they need to build the next annex! If I want to get rid of them, I need to demolish their hive - and that might mean I brave knocking it down with "live stuff" in there!

If you have ever made a hornet mad, you know what comes next. You do this little crazy mosh pit type, bone jarring, arms flailing kind of dance that you hope to goodness none of your neighbors witness! Then you turn tail and run. Why? Those small insects carry a big sting! You don't want the pain or aggravation of healing from one of those, so you do everything you can to avoid that bite. I wonder why we don't treat the devil with such a mindset? We kind of molly-coddle him a little too much and let him "hang around", taking tiny steps to rid ourselves of his "nuisance". All the while, we are ignoring his mighty big sting potential! 

The devil isn't going to leave us alone as long as we let him call the shots in life. As soon as we declare we are going to listen to no one other than God himself as the "umpire" who calls the shots, we get him as angry as a hive of wasps. Want to be rid of the fool? Then demolish his nest! Just sayin!

Is it "AND" or perhaps "OR"

Do you ever feel beat up?  You know, like when no matter how hard you try to move one step forward, you feel like you are taking two steps backward?  No matter what you do, you just cannot seem to break free of whatever it is that is keeping you in the muddle you are in.  Sometimes I think this is just my own doing - because I have bitten off way more than I can chew.  My plate is overloaded and the only way to be clear of the pressure is to get some of the stuff off my plate which really doesn't belong there in the first place.  Then there are other times when I just cannot tell you why I am feeling a little oppressed and pushed down, but it happens.  I think those times might just be when the enemy of my soul wants me to get distracted from what is important in life.  How about you?  Sometimes you just need to push some of the stuff back off your plate, other times you might just need to push back against the one who is "bullying" your soul!

God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.  (Ephesians 6:10-12 MSG)

According to this passage, the devil beats us up unnecessarily for he is already defeated - he is just doing his best to convince us otherwise!  If we'd learn to put on the full armor we are given and actually use it to resist the attacks of the enemy of our souls, we might just be able to hold our ground against his attacks!  Lest we think he doesn't know where to attack us in our lives, be assured of this - there is nothing "uncommon" in our struggles that others have not already struggled with.  He just knows how we ALL struggle - so he uses these "common" areas as a means to get us focused on the stuff which just gets us down and under the pressure of life.  Lest we think our enemy has no plan of attack - let me assure you, we probably give him some "hints" about how it is we can be attacked!  Hints like us not being very kind in our responses when we are tired, or like when we don't plan ahead well and leave late for a specific appointment, then get all bogged down in traffic.  We sometimes like to blame him for these events, but in actuality, these are common struggles for all of us, so if he can use them to his benefit, he will! He doesn't necessarily make us tired, nor does he send the traffic - but he will use them to get us to take our eyes off what matters.

Two things he uses in our lives is this concept of "AND" and the idea of "OR". In the first case, he will often get us to focus on what more can be added - the "AND" gets us into our trouble.  For example, if someone does something which we may not usually react to, but in our tiredness, we somehow "read more into it" than we should, we might respond with the "AND" scenario.  We "add into" the situation our own interpretation of the circumstances which are being viewed through already overextended and over-tired eyes!  We know we need to spend time within our relationships which is "quality time" - not distracted, focused intentionally on each other.  Then we get this genius idea to just combine a little work with the pleasure and we somehow no longer have this non-distracted, intentional focus in the "quality time" - the AND factor.  In the second case, he will get us to considering the "alternatives" to the way we know we should go - the "OR" factor.  We could do something this way, OR we could do it another way, often presented as the easier way.  Like when we could sweep the floor, or just kick the crumbs under the throw rug! The "OR" factor usually presents an alternative which seems so much easier, or like we were entitled to have it be this easy in the first place.  Just a little advice here - what appears too easily accomplished or obtained is usually not the best plan!

AND adds complications we didn't need.  OR presents short-cuts which do little to simplify our lives and usually just delay the original plan.  Since the Garden of Eden he has been using the same two tactics.  If we become aware of how he operates, we might just be able to resist his attacks a little easier. God is strong and he wants us strong - get hold of that word of instruction. What we do with the wisdom we are given will ultimately determine how strong we will stand.  What are we given?  Perhaps we'd do well to read on in our passage:  "Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out."  (Ephesians 6:13-18 MSG)

- Be prepared.  The only attacks which are successful in our lives is when we don't prepare well.  If we did a little "up front" consideration of what we put on our plate, or what will impact our ability to finish well, we might take a little less into our grasp!

- We cannot handle this alone.  We need others who will come along side; especially the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Now, here is the rub - we want relationship, but we don't take the time to invest in it.  We are robbed of one of our greatest weapons against his attacks whenever we attempt to stand alone.  The value of well-developed relationships is best understood in the times of our deepest personal need.

- Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation - weapons in their own right.  Truth sets us straight, so we aren't duped into believing our own vain imaginations.  Righteousness helps us stand upright when all of our enemy's hosts would want us to look backward at our failures.  Peace determines the steadiness of our walk and gives us the assurance we don't walk alone.  Faith keeps us directed on what we cannot see, but what we have come to accept and stand on as true in our live.  Salvation is the anchor which holds us when we might want to drift.

- We need to talk WITH God.  Prayer is more than talking TO God - it is talking WITH God.  Two-way conversation - open to receive what he gives. We sell ourselves short when all we come to do is TELL God and never stop to LISTEN TO God.  Most of the time, it is in these listening times where we discover we have been giving into the "AND" and the "OR" tactics of our enemy.  In these moments of being WITH Jesus, we discover we didn't need the "AND" and we cannot count on the "OR".  Just sayin!

Invitation into Obedience

^14-16I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself—after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.

(Romans 7:14-16)

James 4:1 reminds us that we wars and quarrels don't "just happen" - they are not forces of nature.  They exist because WE exist - humans bring about quarrels and start wars.  Humans contend to overcome - whether it is another human being we are contending to overcome, or some habit or interest.  We often stand in opposition to that which we don't understand.  So it is with our spiritual walk, as well.  When we don't understand a commandment, it is easy to dismiss it as too hard to grasp, or too difficult to meet.


A man's desires are considered the things that he craves, longs for - they are defined as those things that we have an impulse toward because they promise some type of satisfaction or enjoyment.  He chooses to respond to that which his mind, and emotion, craves.  Choice is made after careful consideration - because there is a preference for some outcome.  Paul describes a situation in our passage where he likens us to individuals who have spent a long time in "sin's prison".  We are "friends" with sin - we tend toward / are inclined to respond.  Since this is such a struggle for us, how do we break free of this hold that sin has on us?


Paul tells us that we cannot be trusted to figure out what is best for ourselves - so we need God's commands to assist us in knowing how to respond.  That is the purpose of the Word of God - to give us guidance in how to live, respond, and grow.  John has a reminder for us about the placement of our affections - those things that we embrace as our frequent choices in life.  

^15-17Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

(I John 2:15-17)

Don't love the world's ways - all secular affairs, the systems of all created things.  The world's systems (ways) find God's systems (ways) distasteful.  That is one test of whether a pursuit is godly - is it in alignment with the love of God (the Creator)?  We struggle so much with the matter of choosing the things of the created instead of the Creator because we perceive that those in pursuit of the world's ways have some advantage over us.  We see them enjoying themselves and we want to possess that same advantage.

^7-10So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

(James 4:7-10)

To resist means that we withstand the force or effect of the one in this world - the devil himself.  We counteract and defeat him - in total opposition to his force - by fleeing from him.  To flee means that we run from the danger or force - we vanish from the very thing that has a pull on us.  In other words - we don't entertain it.  The wrong response to sin's pull is usually initiated in the very entertainment of the thought of that sin.  

We recall the part of this commandment to "flee from the devil", but we often ignore the rest of the passage.  It reminds us that we need to come near God - approaching him with intimacy.  There we find washing (cleansing and separation) of all that passes through our minds.  We are purified in his presence - made clear from defilement or imperfection.  Our entire being - every part of us - needs this cleansing.  We obtain it in the presence of God. 

So, how do we move from sin into holiness?  It is in the keeping of the very commands we often resist so boldly.  The invitation today is to keep his commands - even when we don't fully understand or appreciate the value of those commands.  In the keeping of them, he brings us close.  In this place of closeness, we will come to understanding.