Saturday, July 02, 2005
Battleweary - what should we do?
I have just returned from a trip to the Scottish Highlands (Braveheart and Loch Ness country), relishing the crisp air, gazing upon dramatic landscapes, hearing tales of mighty battles in the land of times past, and being drawn into a the awesome sense of freedom that these vast mountains seem to beckon. Sheer magnificence.
Imagining the tales of battles in days gone by, it crossed my mind that the concept of tearing down (strongholds in our lives) is as evident in the Bible as the notion of building. I know that I desire to move forward, but am I doing enough tearing down?
Whatever label you put on it, casting down, dispossessing, breaking free or slaying giants - it is as much about tearing down as it is about moving forward towards building our lives in the image of Christ - this is what God's word tells us (Matthew 12:29). Before we 'plunder the house' and 'reap the rewards', we need to bind the strong man. Old wineskins need to be torn and broken for new wine to fill (Matthew 9:17). This involves a battle, and where there is a battle, there is bloodshed and pain. Because of this, we often forget or ignore the tearing down aspect. We want the progress but not the pain. We expect growth but not the grief. We run rather than fight the giants. Another day... we tell ourselves.
Some of us spend a considerable part of our waking hours trying to institute cover-up measures and avoid pain at the cost of gaining liberty and moving forward. We try to move forward without removing the ball and chain, travelling heavy rather than travelling light, turning in the way of least resistance when we should be forcefully heading towards the correct destination. We often stop along the way to entertain the very things that snare us. We sometimes blame others for issues that we should address ourselves. We dress it up with rational justifications to avoid dealing with the deficiencies in our inner self and to let the Lord deal with it.
We are very scared of pain, we are scared of seeing ourselves as weak, we are terrified to let others see us as we are, but yet we are terrified of being alone.... All these stop us from tearing down and destroying strongholds.
Laying down the "heavies"... this requires us to often stop walking for a while. It requires attention and often costs us in terms of painful "soul surgery" and slow healing, which hinder 'progress' in the short term. (John 16:21). Where there is separation, our hearts yearn. When past hurts continue to cause us to stumble, there is pain. Where there is discouragement and disappointment, our souls anguish. Where there is sin, our conscience 'aches'. Through it all, there is a purpose to pain and aching, whether physical, emotional or spiritual -- and that is, to point out that something has gone awry and needs fixing.
I am feeling battleweary right now... the energy required to put up resistance is lacking, tearing down seems that little bit more difficult. "What's the use in trying? You have let things slide this far already, there's no way back..." I know that all these are not from God. That is why I am pondering on these issues. And God is reminding me whose voice I should listen to (Galatians 5:7-10).
The whole theme of the Word of God is about restoration. To me, it says:
Resistance is not futile. Building up means that we need to tear down first - casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ - within and without - God's way, not ours. Yes, restoration is upon us - Sitting back and taking things easy is not an option; resistance is required despite how we feel or how much of a 'losing' battle it seems. It is times like this I am reminding myself - I have come this far, the Lord is has come through for me and has fought my battles, I am not turning back and backing down. No one who has put his hand to the plough and turns back is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 7:57-62)
Well, if you are like me and you feel there seems to be an impasse - no way forward or no way back after fighting battles and tearing down strongholds, then it is especially time to rest, kneel before Him and build an altar. That's what spiritual heroes like David did. That's what Elijah did. Daniel did. As did Joseph. And that's what I am doing.
Whose voice should I listen to? Well, certainly not the one that says "what's the use in trying?".
I'm soldiering on. Continue tearing down and rebuilding. Don't expect it to get easier.
But we can take heart that the battle belongs to the Lord.
Imagining the tales of battles in days gone by, it crossed my mind that the concept of tearing down (strongholds in our lives) is as evident in the Bible as the notion of building. I know that I desire to move forward, but am I doing enough tearing down?
Whatever label you put on it, casting down, dispossessing, breaking free or slaying giants - it is as much about tearing down as it is about moving forward towards building our lives in the image of Christ - this is what God's word tells us (Matthew 12:29). Before we 'plunder the house' and 'reap the rewards', we need to bind the strong man. Old wineskins need to be torn and broken for new wine to fill (Matthew 9:17). This involves a battle, and where there is a battle, there is bloodshed and pain. Because of this, we often forget or ignore the tearing down aspect. We want the progress but not the pain. We expect growth but not the grief. We run rather than fight the giants. Another day... we tell ourselves.
Some of us spend a considerable part of our waking hours trying to institute cover-up measures and avoid pain at the cost of gaining liberty and moving forward. We try to move forward without removing the ball and chain, travelling heavy rather than travelling light, turning in the way of least resistance when we should be forcefully heading towards the correct destination. We often stop along the way to entertain the very things that snare us. We sometimes blame others for issues that we should address ourselves. We dress it up with rational justifications to avoid dealing with the deficiencies in our inner self and to let the Lord deal with it.
We are very scared of pain, we are scared of seeing ourselves as weak, we are terrified to let others see us as we are, but yet we are terrified of being alone.... All these stop us from tearing down and destroying strongholds.
Laying down the "heavies"... this requires us to often stop walking for a while. It requires attention and often costs us in terms of painful "soul surgery" and slow healing, which hinder 'progress' in the short term. (John 16:21). Where there is separation, our hearts yearn. When past hurts continue to cause us to stumble, there is pain. Where there is discouragement and disappointment, our souls anguish. Where there is sin, our conscience 'aches'. Through it all, there is a purpose to pain and aching, whether physical, emotional or spiritual -- and that is, to point out that something has gone awry and needs fixing.
I am feeling battleweary right now... the energy required to put up resistance is lacking, tearing down seems that little bit more difficult. "What's the use in trying? You have let things slide this far already, there's no way back..." I know that all these are not from God. That is why I am pondering on these issues. And God is reminding me whose voice I should listen to (Galatians 5:7-10).
The whole theme of the Word of God is about restoration. To me, it says:
Resistance is not futile. Building up means that we need to tear down first - casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ - within and without - God's way, not ours. Yes, restoration is upon us - Sitting back and taking things easy is not an option; resistance is required despite how we feel or how much of a 'losing' battle it seems. It is times like this I am reminding myself - I have come this far, the Lord is has come through for me and has fought my battles, I am not turning back and backing down. No one who has put his hand to the plough and turns back is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 7:57-62)
Well, if you are like me and you feel there seems to be an impasse - no way forward or no way back after fighting battles and tearing down strongholds, then it is especially time to rest, kneel before Him and build an altar. That's what spiritual heroes like David did. That's what Elijah did. Daniel did. As did Joseph. And that's what I am doing.
Whose voice should I listen to? Well, certainly not the one that says "what's the use in trying?".
I'm soldiering on. Continue tearing down and rebuilding. Don't expect it to get easier.
But we can take heart that the battle belongs to the Lord.
Labels: Hardship / Struggles / Pain, Spiritual Growth
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