The Mind Is A Battle Field
Tidbit Text – Proverbs 9:8 – "Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee:
rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee."
This past Tuesday, I was in the barber shop getting a haircut. While there,
the barbers and a few customers were laughing and having a good time. Suddenly
the conversation changed to child-rearing. Trust me, there is nothing funnier
than guys in a barber shop discussing how to raise children. Well, out of this
humor came the wisest statement I ever heard in a barbershop. The customer in
the chair next to me, whom I happen to know, said something regarding raising
his son; then he said, "But that’s only right in my mind." I then
turned to him and said, "Brother, you’re the only person I ever heard
ADMIT that." He then said, "That’s right. It might not make sense to
anyone else, but it’s right in my mind."
What I really admire about this brother is that he realized that "my
way is not the universal way. I might just be wrong and if you can prove I’m
wrong I’m willing to change, but if you can’t I’ll stand on what I
believe." According to our text, this brother is a wise man. If anyone in
that barber shop rebuked (corrected) him he would have been willing to listen
and press toward the higher mark. In addition, he probably would have thanked
the person for correcting him.
However, in addition, our tidbit text tells us that a scorner (one who
speaks to others or treats others with open disrespect) is not to be reproved
(found fault with). Why? Because scorners are not spiritually mature enough to
handle correction. Therefore, they will end up hating you even though you may
be trying to help them out. Then afterwards they tend to fall back on the
statement, "Well, they offended me and I had to tell them off!!"
So here’s the million dollar question, "Was that offensive statement
true or was it false?" If it was false then why get upset? "Cause
people lying on me– that’s why!!" Trust me, as long as you are alive
people are going to lie about you – Get Over It!!! If you know it’s a lie and
if you stand on your Godly principles, "No manner of weapon formed against
you will prosper and every tongue that shall rise up against thee in judgement
thou shalt condemn [show to be in the wrong]" (Isaiah 54:17).
If it was true, then keep your eyes on Jesus. Even when someone brings up
your past failures, sins or shortcomings, continue to mount up your eagle’s
wings. Then while you’re getting prayed up and beginning to overcome the fiery
darts, pray for the person who did you wrong. Why? Because if the person who is
bringing up your shortcomings was "All That" he/she would be praying
for you instead of preying on you.
So be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The battle field
takes place within our minds. It is our way of thinking that goes under attack;
that’s why all are attacked differently. If the enemy knows that you are
"touchy" about the clothes you wear, you can surely count on the
"Fashion Police" to be rolling by your office. If you’re
"touchy" about your morality then the "Ethics Committee"
will be planning to visit you as well.
Within our minds can be the power never to be offended and never to be
defeated. By the power of God’s anointing– that burden removing – yoke
destroying power– we can be free from all our hangups and worries, all our
shortcomings and all our doubts. Even if someone calls out our shortcoming that
we are working on, through God’s anointing we can say, "Yeah, it might be
like that now, but you just stay right there, because soon as I call on my
Father my change WILL come. I know I might look the same but my change HAS
come. While you’re still hung-up on my hang-ups my change HAS come. All in the
twinkling of an eye, that’s all my Father needs. If I just cry out to him and
say "Father!!!!! I need a change. I don’t want to flap around with the
buzzards anymore!!! I want to fly with the Eagles in the high places!!!"
My change will come; so keep looking at my problems because even while you’re
looking at them, they are fading away. Squint yo’ little eyes as hard as you
need to to look at them because they are going, going, going, going gone!!!!
So don’t be offended, use godly wisdom and be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2)
