GET IN STEP, SOLDIER! GET! IN! STEP!

A Militarized 'Father-Son-Spirit' Trinity Point of View

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." -Galatians 5:24-25 (Emphasis mine)

Imagine a drill instructor in his best R. Lee Ermey, from Full Metal Jacket, voice barking marching commands to a platoon…

“Hut” – The left foot hits the ground.

“Two” – The right foot hits the ground.

“Three” – The left foot hits the ground.

“Four” – The right foot hits the ground.

“GET IN STEP!!!  WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION??? GET IN STEP, SOLDIER!!! GET! IN! STEP!”

 “…NOW!!!”

As the drill sergeant barks the rhythmic cadence commands, the 40 to 60 soldiers’, sailors’, airmen, or marines’ feet hit the ground in uniform fashion, creating a unanimous and thunderous thud, then the cadence repeats.    

Close your eyes and imagine a unit of military personnel, four men wide by 10 to 15 columns long, marching by.  Every individual foot and arm swings the same exact direction at the same exact time in unison. It creates a strong picture of cohesive unity. To witness and hear this in action is completely beautiful and awe-filling.

It takes weeks of intense extensive training to arrive to this point of discipline, though.  Learning the drill instructor’s unique voice, specific (foreign-to-the-outside-world) commands, and the conditioning of the mind eventually creates a second-nature rhythm within the body.  This doesn’t happen overnight, though.  Many hours in elements of heat, cold, beating sunlight, and/or rain are spent outside of the barracks shaping and conditioning on a hard asphalt or concrete “drill pad” (basically a huge parking lot-looking area to practice marching and military drill movement procures). 

But… Let one’s feet, within the disciplined marching formation, become off-rhythm or “out of step”, though.  That commanding drill sergeant’s keen sense of detail promptly hones in on the non-conforming, against-the-grain individual’s lack of rhythm and causes him to bring the unit’s forward progress to a complete halt.  Correcting and molding begins.  The drill sergeant immediately begins a loud vocal, and possibly physical, confrontation to create a speedy, remedial fix.  As soon as the fix is implemented and in effect, the drill sergeant forgives/forgets the misstep and eventually, when the soldier is fully military trained, would give his life or reputation for this brother-in-arms.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." –Romans 12:2 (Emphasis mine)

This mind-conditioning process creates a neurological, second-nature cadence that commands the body’s limbs to instinctively, swiftly, and militantly react upon a barked command.  This intensive training drives separate individuals to becoming an interconnected, one-unit, uniform machine. Again, the sight of this is completely amazing.

 

Metaphorically, what does this mean?  What is going on, here? How does this relate to life?

The metaphoric depiction: 

The Drill Instructor (Corrector/Forgiver):  The Father - God

The Marching Unit:  The Holy Spirit

The Out-Of Step Individual:  Us

The Drill Instructor (The One Who 

Will Sacrifice for the Soldier): The Son - Jesus Christ

The Barked Commands/Cadences:  The Word of God

Metaphorically, relating to real-life, correcting and molding can [and will] happen when we become out of step with the Holy Spirit’s direction. When a Christian becomes out of step with the Holy Spirit living inside of them, [who continually guides the conscience in a definitive direction], it can bring halts, confrontations, and hardships to life. 

Think of the many times you may have journeyed against the naturally occurring direction your conscience instructs.  What consequences did it bring?  Did feelings of guilt, adversity, and thoughts of, “I should’ve/shouldn’t’ve…,” possibly flare?  Did it give birth to adversity, calamity, or sin? Did it create a long-way around to an eventual destination?  And in that journey, was discipline endured? Sometimes, maybe nothing at all occurs until later or ever. But always,  thoughts linger of disobeying what we've read in the Word (the Bible) and marching against what naturally occurs inside of us: the Holy Spirit's guidence.

Jesus tells us this about the Holy Spirit: "If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever -the Spirit of truth... But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."-John 14:15-16, 17, 26

God definitely allows us to endure discipline, through various forms, to hone and correct us, or, in other words, to bring us back into step with the Holy Spirit.  He does this because He loves us and considers us His children. 

"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?  If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all." -Hebrews 12:7-8

One small decision, good or bad, can create a domino effect of benefits or consequences throughout the future.  One drop of water, collecting more water drops, forming a stream, building momentum, forming a small river, thus gaining more momentum can create a river the size of the Mississippi River, leading into the Gulf of Mexico. 

"Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." -James 1:15

Or…  What about when we know we have obeyed, though?  How great is the feeling in knowing that we’ve kept in-step with the Holy Spirit? 

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers." -Psalm 1:1-3

Yes, and of course, through the Son, the Father can and will forgive and restore us through repentance.

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." –Colossians 1:13-14

How do we fuel our actions to do right? The best way to do this is through submerging ourselves into reading and meditating on the Word of God, praying, listening when the Holy Spirit instructs our conscience to become one with "marching unit", and doing as Paul says in Galatians 5:25, because we, as Christians, are...

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus,” and through salvation, we, "have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

Don't Throw Yourself to The Wolves!

Introduction

Intentionally putting ourselves in temptation's way to "withstand trials" to in-turn grow is not what God intends for us via James 1:2-4.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  -James 1:2-4

What does this mean? 

Facts, According to Scripture

God will give us the measure of what only He intends for us to endure.  

Many of us in our walks' "baby Christian" phases may have read the above passage, misinterpreted, and took matters into our own hands.  This misinterpretation may have caused us to put ourselves close to temptation's fire or trial to harden and refine ourselves.  In doing this, we are actually hurting and not helping God's plan for us; we are getting in God's way. 

God has an intentional set plan for us.  His plan for our life includes how He will refine us, what storms He will allow us to face, and what doors He will open for us to walk through along the way.  Simply put, there are some things that God may never intend on us to face.  Loading ourselves down with burdens we choose could cause us to wither as opposed to being patient, taking things as God allows, and growing on His timing.

For example, how many people do you know have actually succeded from partaking in a "get rich quick" scheme?  If you do know someone who did, it is pretty rare.  On the other hand, how many established businesses or corporations do you know of grew slowly, gained a reputation, and sustained their strength and stature?  They're existent all over the world. More situations like this exist than the other.  Good, steady growth often yields more than erratic, spontaneous, and unpredictable growth.

"'...A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.'" 

-Matthew 13:3-8

Facing trials on purpose is like standing in -20 degree weather and expecting not to get cold; if we stand there long enough, shivering tremors will eventually ensue.  If we choose to walk close to the fire of temptation and sin, we will eventually fall in. 

In God's eyes, our personal desire for growth is probably very commedable and surely God appreciates our desire to progress, but He calls us to totally rely on Him. 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  -Philipians 4:6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." -Proverbs 3:5-6

So, if God refines us on His timing, then why should we set ourselves up to fail through impatience?  Instead, we can relax and take the storms as they come as God chooses them for us, knowing that He brought us to it.  And if God brought us to it, guess what?  He will bring us through it.  Whether it is more or less than we can handle, God will be our strength to pull us through it as long as we follow and trust Him.  It will cause us to grow.

Even Paul (an apostle who wrote much of the New Testament) had to learn how to get out of God's way and rely on Him:

"...Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

-2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Further Perspecive

In Exodus, the Israelites were commanded to follow God through the desert to the promised land.  God used a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  The generation that entered the desert never made it out; for fourty years, the Israelites wandered through the desert.

But why?

The generation that left Egypt exercised wavering faith in God and kept turning away.  What could've very well been, with obedience and faith, a 240 mile, 10-20 day trek through the desert became a 40-year journey.  All God asked them to do was basically, "Get behind me...," or, "Follow me..."  Lack of faith turned them away from the promise was directly in front of them.   Furthermore, God desired to lead the Israelites and He was visibly in front of them.  What more could they've asked for?  Nowadays, what more could we ask for?

 Conclusion

We don't have to "live and learn".  Get behind Jesus and follow Him.

Whiteknuckle Worshiping: You're Being Watched...

white-knuck·le:  adj. Slang - Characterized by tense nervousness or apprehension.

wor·ship:  n. - The reverent love and devotion.

Whiteknuckle worship:  Reverent love and devotion hindered by tense nervousness or apprehension. 

What is your normal reaction when someone says, "Hold on tight, because this is going to be a wild ride"? If you're in a car, you would probably, for dear life, grab a hold of the "oh snap" handle tight enough for your knuckles to turn white, grit your teeth, and wait for it to be over.  I know I would.

Is it any different for those of us who attend church?  Many of us go to "hear God's Word", but want to exclude any possible rash act of worship. I used to be one of those, who, when I went to church, chose not to have any part of the praise and worship portion. 

Here was a typical Sunday morning for me, if I made it to church: 

I would either wait in the lobby, intentionally show up 15 minutes late, or, if I did attend the praise portion, I would completely, uncomfortably, and nervously whiteknuckle clench the seat in front of me.  I would hold on so tightly, as if I was afraid to be dragged away by the mere act of worship, never to be found again.  I literally would stand as still as possible, like a tree or statue, pretending I was invisible. My feet would be anchored or nailed to the ground, completely unmovable by even my own force.  My hands created a death grip on the seat in front of me.  My teeth clenched, seemingly to the point of breaking. I was nervously on the verge of a cold sweat, and looking straight ahead for a seemingly eternal 18 minute 3-4 song set.  ...And, if I did look around...  The only things I would move were my eyes; any eye contact would've sucked me into a violent vortex of discomfort. But then, it was a double edged sword... The band members seemed to be looking at me, even though they probably weren't.  I became an expert at staring off into space... 

In my own mind, if any part of me was to lose control during worship, I was risking my life, my egotistical credibility, and my supposed and arrogant "coolness".

...And risking life I was, but in an a conflicting, opposite way.  I thought by losing my composure to praise God, I was losing control or credibility.  I would excuse it by telling myself and others that I was just an "internal worshiper", worshiping Jesus with my mind, and that was all that mattered...  The truth of the matter was, in essence, I was lying to myself and others; I wasn't turning myself over to God because, transparently..., I was ashamed.

Reality:  "If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels."

-Jesus via Luke 9:26

Looking back. it was completely sad and unfair, too.  I would go to concerts, raise my fist in the air, yell until I lost my voice, and give the band my last energy drop for two hours, but I could not praise the God I claimed to love more than anything or anyone else.  I call this whiteknuckle worship and sooner or later, conviction came:  

God:  Hey Greg.

Me:  'Sup?

God:  You went to a(n) (insert band name here) concert, last night. There, you praised, yelled, sang along, raised your fist in the air, and basically drained every last ounce of energy for this band; you stand in church and refuse to move one bit out of fear of embarrassment. Where is that fire in My house?

Me:  But, it's different.

God:  How so?

Me:  *frown*

I had no answer.  Revelation 3:16 (luke-warmness) completely hit me.  I had to get over myself.  I was idolizing.  I had no reverence.  While I thought I was praising God, I was holding myself back from any inkling of adoration.

My conviction also reminded me that, according to the Bible, in Heaven there is constant praising of God.  Praising Him for 18-30 minutes, on Sunday, is only a minute taste of what is to come in eternity.  Now, I look at praising Jesus as "Heaven practice".

Going to church to only receive God's Word is the wrong way of looking at it. Culturally, as Americans who live in a self-gratifying culture, we miss the mark in realizing this:

God owes us nothing at all.  Jesus died for us.  He gave it all for us.  He isn't indebted to us; we are indebted to Him in every way. 

If we supposedly call ourselves "fully devoted followers of Christ", worship should be synonymous with our lifestyle.  We don't just worship, we should be the definition of worship.  Our worship's intensity can determine our influence's effectiveness.  What does that mean?  It means that, in some instances, worship doubles as discipleship.  We are being watched...  Think of it this way:  The hypothetical "unsaved" or on-the-fence soul next to us could see our worship and it could actually be the delicious recipe to lead them to Jesus.  On the other hand, if you're whiteknuckling the chair in front of you, this "church and Jesus thing" can look boring.  Who likes boring?

"They look bored...  If the 'devoted followers' don't enjoy it, why would I?" 

God, (the Creator of everything), in addition to all of the things He created, created fun, too! 

I think we should have fun in our worship!

Regardless of all of that, we should be oblivious to what is going on around us, who is on stage, or who is watching us, anyway; we praise to an Audience of One.  If I sing out of key or look utterly crazy or stupid, well... so be it. I am doing it as an offering to my Lord and Savior in an attempt to please Him and I am 'stupid-in-love' with Him.  The extra stuff (doubling as discipleship) is just a cool little added feature.

Where our heart is, there our praise is, also:

Sporting Events - C'mon, man... You're yelling at the TV.  They can't hear you.

Rock Concerts  - Whiplash hurts and it's wasted energy praising someone who just forgot where they were last night.  Have fun, but shouldn't we praise God harder than we praise the band. 

Gaming - Essentially, it is chasing 1's and 0's (binary code).  It isn't the end of the world if someone breaks your 37-kill killing spree and kills you with a single headshot.  Go respawn.  I promise you it'll be okay!

There is a bonus involved, too.  Singing praises to Jesus is inadvertently allowing us to mindlessly pray aloud.  It allows us to proclaim that Jesus is the Most High, the Greatest, and our Savior without even thinking about it.  (Man... I really want to hug the Inventor of this praise stuff... Oh yeah.... I will, one day, after this before-life business.)  Then, it is factual that it opens us up to the Word that we initially desire to receive.  It mentally and whole-heartedly puts us in a mode to absorb the next 35-45 minutes of the preached Word.

Praising our hearts out is a win-win situation and it is something to definitely get used to...  It is what goes on in Heaven... for eternity.

 

References:

The Bible...  All. Day. Long.

Belief in Hell: Blessing or Curse?

As a Christian, what do you believe in?  

Where we discover something good, there is always something to oppose the positive with an equal measure of negative, or so it seems.

It is a given that if we believe in God, we must believe in Satan.

Diabolical contrast is common with other things, as well:  

Where there are BLESSINGS, there are CURSES.

Where there is LOVE, there is HATE.

Where there is HEALTH, there is PLAGUE.

Where there is LIFE, there is DEATH.

Where there is HAPPINESS, there is SADNESS.
Where there is TRIUMPH, there is MISFORTUNE.

While HEAVEN exists, the only alternative is HELL.  

While these contrasts exist, I have heard a few people explain that since they believe in Jesus Christ, there is no need to believe in Satan or his eventual final residence:  
Hell.
I confidently counter that belief with Biblical evidence that it actually exists.  If it didn't exist, Jesus, prophets, apostles, disciples, kings, and others would have never described it in such detail.  Hiding our heads in the sand does not make Hell disappear, nor does it change the fact that it is real;  it actually opens us up to attacks, because we choose ignorance over acceptance.  How do we pray against something we don't believe in or fail to acknowledge? Just as Heaven is as real as Los Angeles, Hell is as real as Houston.

So... Hell:  

It has been known to be a pretty "hot" subject at times...  I believe it exists in some exoteric dimension completely outside of my imagination's finite realm.  It is definitely not searchable on Google Maps, but it is real.  I have 6000% faith that God created this horrendous destination for Lucifer and his demon legions, not for us.  Even though, by design, it was not meant for us, it surely isn't something to take lightly, because we too can end up there.

I once heard someone hypothesize about pain on Earth versus literal hellacious pain.  It was basically said that when we experience so much pain that our neurological system can't handle it, we either (1) go into shock, or (2) go insane to escape the distress.  The hypothesis stated that, in Hell, we have neither of those reality avoidance defense mechanisms.  Whether that is true, I do not know.  What I do know is that it is Biblically revealed that those who go there feel an overly-intense and domineering pain... FOREVER and ever.  

There are no clocks in eternity.  There is no concern for time there.  It goes on forever. It is humanly unfathomable.

As for Heaven is concerned, according to my imagination, the exact opposite of Hell exists:  I utterly can't even begin to conceptualize my future's awesomeness...  Hopefully, I'll tell you when we get there. Just imagine a life without worry, guilt, pain, sickness, or any other negative affliction for FOREVER and ever...  That too is unfathomable.
  As much as I can't imagine how breathtaking my hopeful Heavenly destination will be, I cannot imagine the horrible pain of spending my eternity apart from God.

"Heaven is going to be a place of resurrected relationships.  You're going to be reunited together with your loved ones that have gone before you who have believed in Jesus." 
-Greg Laurie

Again... While HEAVEN exists, the only alternative is HELL:  an eternity apart from our Father.  

We cannot have one without the other.  That is just how it is.

With all of this said, is belief in Hell a curse or a blessing?

Does Hell's existence scare me?
No, I am a child of the Most High God.
Am I scared of going to Hell?
No, because the Bible specifically states that those who are
IN CHRIST
will share in an eternal paradise that is to come for those who believe in Him.

To me, belief in Hell should bless our minds enough to keep us out of it, thus causing us to continually strive for 'the Kingdom of Heaven and all of its righteousness.'  It is a given that if we believe in Heaven, and all of its greatness, the opposing destination MUST exist.  

A disbelief in Hell's existence is a curse of ignorance, nonacceptance, and/or apathy. Curses are borne by Satan, not God.

On Second Thought, I Might Not...

Just Imagine

What if you could go just one day without sinning?  

I think some may have asked themselves this very question at some point in life.  I know I have.  

The Impossible: Perfection

Jesus Christ went His entire life without sinning even once.  You ask me, "WHAT?!?!" as the turntable needle drags across the record, making a screeching sound, then killing the room's vibe.  Yes.  It's true.  Jesus walked the Earth as the Purest of the pure. There will never again be, nor was there ever one like Him.

To me, Jesus never committing sin is probably the most amazing feat for mankind to accomplish (of course, besides dying on a cross, defeating Hell, resurrecting, and saving all of us from eternal condemnation.  He has a magnificent resume.  You should check it out, sometime.  It is listed in the New Testament.).  He, the Son of God, thus making Him the Most Perfect example of a sin-free (hu)man, never found Himself crossing the razor-thin, brittle line between perfection and sin.  To only sin 100, even 1000 times in a lifetime would be absolutely miraculous. But no... Jesus Christ didn't even commit one.  

This doesn't mean He wasn't tempted to sin, because He definitely was, as Biblical evidence points out; He just didn't succumb to it.  To me, this is totally amazing and it gives me total hope, faith, and confidence in the One who stands between Judgement and me; He is our Savior.  

What does "savior" mean to you?  

Savior-  (Paraphrased definition from Merriam-Webster's dictionary) - the One who saves us from danger or destruction; the One who brings salvation.  

Think of how profoundly the word "savior" pertains to us:

Without a Savior, we are 
hopeless, 
dead, 
and 
condemned...
... and not just for today, but for eternity.

Perspective

Sometimes, it is difficult for me to go just 5 minutes, scratch that, 5 seconds, without a sinful thought.  I can't even help thinking sinful thoughts; they just land in my brain.  How can I go a whole day? How could Jesus go His whole life?  Only God's Son could do that...  

In Psalm 119:11, the whole inspiration for this blog entry, the author wrote to God, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."  

Think about what this verse might have meant to its author when reflecting on and writing it.  I believe many of us read or think of this verse, and, while it may strike importance in our minds, it seems pretty cut-and-dry.  Until recently, I read into it the same way, but something changed the last couple of times I meditated on it.  

Changed Perspective

From my [changed] perspective, I believe I relate with what the author is trying to say, here... The author is not only claiming imperfection; the author is saying that with enough of God's divine Word stored up, or hidden, in their heart, there is an actual possibility that sin could be more easily avoided, thus generating an ease of obedience.  It doesn't say, "...I won't sin..." It says, "...I might not sin..."  (emphasis mine.)

In saying, "might not," the author is transparently realizing that, in our flesh, we are far from "righteous" or "good", but there is a possibility, albeit slight, that we [temporarily] might not sin against God if we hide His Word within our hearts.  When I think of the word, "might," in connection with anything, I think of possibilities.  In this case, I think to my self, "What if there is a possibility that I might not sin for even just a small amount of time?"  Just the idea of the possibility is completely awesome!

Notice that Psalm 119:11 also speaks not of the mind, but of the heart, or else it might have been written, "...I'd think about not sinning..." Realistically, humans cannot avoid the act of sinning, or sin itself, but with God's Word in our hearts, obedience is very imminent.

In closing, I only have one thing to say:  
We honor who or what we love most.  Our love's origin is from the heart.