Good morning,
Have
you noticed how well trained troops perform when they have been trained
from the outside but have never really changed on the inside? The
world leaders have been stunned by how a few highly motivated men have
been able to conquer vast areas of a country that was supposedly
controlled by highly trained and well funded troops. It was true that
they had been given training, trucks and tanks, guns and ammunition and a
well organized leadership system. What they lacked was a clear picture
of why they needed all that stuff. Freedom was a word, not a way of
life. Justice was a concept that was defined by years of corrupt
leadership and a religion that treated people as objects, not as eternal
individuals that had real worth both in this world and in the next. The
soldiers heard the words and practiced the skills, but had no inner
strength to fight and even die for what was eternally right. Programs
and policies are no substitute for a deep hearted commitment to eternal
truth that energizes the hearts of those who hear what is said with an
understanding heart.
Jesus was dealing with this same issue as he
taught the people who came to listen to him with parables based on the
ordinary things in life they practiced all the time. His own disciples
didn’t understand what he was teaching, so they came and asked him why
he was teaching truth in this confusing way. He pointed out to them that
only those who were part of God’s family would be able to understand
the truth he was giving. Paul wrote about the same issue when he
pointed out that he was speaking in words given by the Holy Spirit and
that only those who were spiritually alive would be able to understand
and implement these truths in their lives.(1Cor.2:13,14) Just because a
person hears or reads God’s words doesn’t mean that they will be able
to deal with life in an understanding and effective way. The troops we
trained so carefully panicked and ran for their lives when faced with
the powerful fears that attacked their self centered way of life. I
wonder if the bulk of the modern church isn’t in the same situation
today. Instead of a genuine focus on building a strong relationship with
our Savior, we teach and preach good behavior based on outward and self
centered performance. The normal evangelical approach leaves us
unprepared for real spiritual warfare. Dear Lord, please help us to
develop hearts that are Spirit led and Spirit empowered in the face of
our multiplying challenges.
Matthew 13:11 He
replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of
Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more
understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of
knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little
understanding they have will be taken away from them.
Roy Wisner
