Nobody likes a stacked deck.
“It’s a jungle out there,” right? Come in, toss jacket and griefcase on whatever’s handy and closest. Open fridge and take a long swig of milk right out of the carton. Swipe your other hand across your forehead, stretch your chin straight up as you loosen your tie, unbutton your collar and collapse in a chair. Another long swig of milk. Reach for the remote.
What? You checked the date. Milk’s good. Sell-by is two weeks from now. You’re good.
You’re experiencing a daily ritual that admits things out there are unbalanced. By the time you get home, so are you.
THINGS OUT THERE ARE UNBALANCED.
We know this. At God’s prompting, Paul wrote about it back in A.D. 56.
“The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.” ~ 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
If you’re expecting help, nurture and encouragement from the outside world in your quest to walk with God, grow up. There are always individuals who care enough to help, yet their motivations vary. God can and does work through those who let Him. However, if you’re counting on somebody else to always be your spiritual insulation, your buffer from the world, you’ll always be a spiritual dwarf. Don’t be that.
The emotional, mental, moral and spiritual toughness you’re in the process of developing as you walk through each day’s smoke and crash must come from within you, prompted by God.
- Of course they’ll laugh at you. Your strong Christlike living pokes them and it hurts.
- Of course they’ll make life as miserable for you as possible. “Oooh, let’s test the CHRISTIAN!”
- Of course they’ll blindside, cheat, lie about and take advantage of you.
- Of course they’ll play by two sets of rules guaranteed to be weighted in their favor.
- Of course they know they’re the worst kind of hypocrites because they know better. None of them would ever want to be treated like they continue unfairly treating you.
What were you expecting? Heaven’s what’s at stake. You want to get there. They all are gambling their souls that it’s just a fable.
Happy doesn’t work. Joy does. If you don’t know the difference, click out of this and do some homework.
The world wants to see grouchy, disgruntled Christians dragging into work this morning, barely able to keep their coffee cup steady while pouring. The world wants to see you defeated, demoralized and ready to toss it all in.
When you walk in this morning with a boingy step, a real smile on your face, and lively, happy eyes? You seriously mess with their heads. Be doing that.
Stop using the world’s way of fighting when addressing matters of the heart, mind and spirit. Realize you’ve had God’s immensely powerful weaponry available to you all along. Keep practicing with them, make their use one of those good habits in your daily life while you’re busy forgetting those ‘others’.
And go ahead. Mess with their heads. Keep the world unbalanced, on its heels and realizing you’re playing by the Ruler’s rules.
You, friend, are one of God’s Spirit Warriors.
Act like it.
Live like it.
Be strong and of good courage.
© D. Dean Boone, June 2016