For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
Proverbs 1:32
Alright now; this post isn’t going to be the one that will make the podcast famous. No, it’s likely that the title, alone, has already, turned a good portion of its potential, listeners away because, no one likes to even, think about giving up the good things we love for — “supposedly” — better things; especially if the “better” things are actually, very, invisible things.
Hey let’s do it, anyway because, if we don’t — well — we’ll just end up buried, so much deeper in our own bondage and misery. I can’t just leave the sorely, unhappy subjects out because it makes you feel uncomfortable; I need this more than you do!
I’ve found out that fasting — especially in my personal walk with God — is so stupid-ridiculous and uncomfortably, difficult! But…
That’s actually the point of fasting; isn’t it?
Ok so, on that note, let’s pause here for the people I see, who are, now, walking out.
No, no, no; let them get down the aisles peacefully… (See, I’m learning to be polite…it just takes determination.)
So, I’ve come up with the phrase; “Wait-for-me Syndrome.”
It’s the new and creative vocabulary term that — I feel — will help us isolate the wild, and painful, nature of what it is we are about to delve into — and the ones who just checked-out — are likely — some of it’s most scared and struggling victims.
Maybe, they just know what they’re doing already?
Yea, let’s give ’em the benefit of the doubt. 😇
In my time spent studying, I’ve been able to piece together some interesting topics that appear to stretch from one end of God’s Word, to another. The truths that God gave us — when given enough love and attention — eventually end up like super long — and completely unbreakable — strands of thread; in a much bigger and more complex web of all the other spiritually edifying virtues.
The more you are like God, the stronger you will be.
Fasting is a superpower.
‘Light’ — as we discussed in the last post, is a topic in which you cannot escape as you read through each book and/or chapter to its fullest. And I couldn’t mean it any, more literally, either. When God said “Let there be light,” it was pretty much the begi… no, it was the beginning. It all started with ‘light.’
I’m sure that, Genesis 1, verse 3 wasn’t too much reading for most people to get to, but I encourage you, also, to look into Revelations 22 — the very last chapter of the Bible — it’s all about light!
Oh, how I hate to tell you this, folks, but fasting, too, is an ability that the Bible expresses as one of the strongest, most indisputable reinforcements for living a victorious, Christian life; and — I would wager — that it is the most powerful practice that we could ever, have a chance at mastering.
It is — literally — a superpower.
Let’s get back to this post’s sweet, catchphrase diagnosis, though; “Wait-for-me Syndrome.”
On many occasions, in the past seventeen years of being a parent — many times over — I have been in a situation where one of the kids — often not putting in nearly enough effort to keep up with the group — hollers out, for us to slow down.
“Wait for me!” they would shout desperately, as if they were soon to be separated and left behind. I usually respond with this, little, snarky — but true — retort;
“No way, man! Your job to keep up with us.”
Of course, I say this to my kids because I’m encouraging their successful growth patterns; and I definitely would not just abandon them to themselves if they did not speed up a little, but I, too, take these words to heart, in my own endeavors. I believe it is unhealthy to harbor the idea that any challenge — too difficult for me — should be altered in order that it may become more easily beaten. There is just, less value in that, because the benefit-value of a task — or direction from God — is directly proportional to the level of difficulty of that challenge.
Here is where I had to stop and pause all the cogs in my hyperactive thinker to ask God where it is that He wants us to go with this conversation. I heard only one word;
“Freedom.”
Whoa, Doc, that’s heavy.
The ability to resist our urges to jolt toward the first thing we see that we think will make us feel better is really more of a freedom than a prison cell; even though it does feel like we’re actually disallowing ourselves actual freedom when we do that.
If we can’t have it, then how are we free to do whatever we want?
Well first off, you can have it. You can, always, attain any, coveted thing you want. God will grant us our desires; that’s what Paul — the writer of the letters to the Corinthians — states; but Dr. Luke (who wrote the book of Luke) talks about counting the cost of our choices. He tells us to decide beforehand if we really want the full, outcome of what it is we choose.
When referring to fasting, the Bible pulls out another, heavy-handed word that no one especially, likes; ‘ suffering.’
I bring up the first letter by the apostle Peter– back when the was still alive –where he suggests that there really is no way out of this kind of thing.
1 Peter 3:17; “For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
Look around you, now… does anyone really, always, look happy here?
Shush, that’s rhetorical. (Oh my. My apologies — see, there’s still lots work to do.) 🙄
No! The people — on these streets, at least — have told me that they are extremely discontented with a lot of their experiences. I see dirt covered faces wondering around the town everywhere, just trying to catch a break.
Life is full of suffrage; there is absolutely no escape from it. It is a constant and daily ingredient of what it means for us to be alive.
Even when doing good, we all get to enjoy the seasons where life just absolutely sucks. And in those times, it’s when it’s easiest for us to do something stupid and break our vows; to give in to grasping at something that will ease the pain — whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual — even though it also invites a drastically worse challenge into our existence.
But the Bible frames it in a different way, and adds some perks to the end — if we ever, can find our wings — that we may not have seen before. Let’s jump to Proverbs 10, where King Solomon gives us some examples of the inescapable challenges we are offered while under the sun — we are presented, here, with a choice;
Verse 4; “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
What are the two options?
Take a load off and rest your butt — whenever and as long as you want — but… eh… you’ll be broke as a joke; homeless, untrusted, and, most likely, alone. Or; you could choose the “more sophisticated” way and work your tail off for some money and pay for some things you might enjoy, but that’s not easy either; you have to really, commit with that one.
I myself have chosen to do the work and completely rid my life of certain things that I understand to be thrusting my days — and my family — into whirlwinds of frustration, confusion and stress. I started saying “No.” to those urges. I’m choosing inaction over perpetual sin.
Yea, I’ve been strength training — mentally and spiritually.
Some people understand the severity of that choice; if that’s you, too, just keep going.
(Proud of you, Heather. You also, inspire me.)
“No one who is born of God will continue to sin,” is what 1 John 3:9 and 10, says. And because they have been born again, “They cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.”
“Whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.” 1 Peter 4 states. “To this you were called,” it says — quoted from earlier in the book — “that you should follow in His steps.”
Jesus resisted all the way through death and back. This verse says we can follow.
Oh, we could keep going. I’ve got hammerspace but, let’s close this one down, now.
If you haven’t gotten to post 38 yet, the new audio for it was just released, yesterday, so I encourage you to give it a go. It talks more about the physical part of addiction, perpetuating sin and why it is an absolutely, futile chase — and why its drastic effects can go completely misdiagnosed for a long, long time.
“I can stop whenever I want to,” is what I hear a lot — from a false confidence in ones own “invisible” strength.
But, could you give it up –right now — if it’s leading you into only despair?… Even when you don’t want to?
I’ve proven to myself, that I can. Now, I’m free to do whatever the Lord wants, because that’s where the real value is, and that’s all I really want in life.
At some point you have to ask yourself the real questions and stop shouting at Jesus from way in the back; wait for me!” Put your boots to the ground — metaphorically speaking — and step into your superpower.
Now I’m free to come help others.
Come on, don’t get left behind.
Thank you for our time together, today. I’ll see you out there.
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