Still Waters, Hush
RP#1 - Take a moment, and slow down.
This will be the first in what might be a very long post. Under the topic of Deconstruction and Reconstruction, I’ve had a lot of various posts that lean more to the deconstruction side. These upcoming posts are meant to lean the other direction. That requires a deep transformation within the garden of your soul. This is NOT a light switch moment, where you can push some button, check off a box, and call it good. This is an attitude change
Post #1
Pick a subject; it matters not what it is. Can you hear it yelling, screaming for your attention? Everything is trying to grip you with emotions, demanding that you pay attention to it, and it alone.
From the many train wrecks in Christianity to the political world. You hear it everywhere as your buying power at the grocery store, and the town pump has evaporated away like mist in the wind. And in every corner, they continue to tap away at your mind like a heartbeat. Pressure builds, and hard choices are made as you watch the world from the safety of your car or truck as you drive by the people on the streets.
The reality is tensions are high, and they will get higher. Issues and systems of this world are getting stretched like old rubber bands that will soon break, losing their control. And I think everyone at this point knows that even greater problems will arise, especially as we draw close to each election cycle.
Get off the Hamster Wheel
When believers get stuck on the Hamster Wheel, they get stuck in a system that is preprogrammed to play on their sense of spiritual duty. In some cultures, German, Norwegian, Bible Belt states, and many others, work ethics are high. No one needs to preach to them about concepts like, “if you don’t work, you shall not eat!” 2 Thessalonians 3:10. These people get it, and the leaders above them sometimes use this in negative ways. This is often Spiritual Abuse under a narcissistic leader.
It does not mean the message is wrong; what’s wrong is all the abuse that came with it. If your value system is addicted to this narcissistic environment, then breaking away can be very, very hard.
It’s not easy to get off these wheels, that is because in some ways we have become addicted to how it makes us feel. Just as some people feel that a screaming mad preacher yelling from the rooftops was a great spirit-filled sermon. Some people falsely think that they “deserve” to be treated like trash by senior leadership. This is all spiritual warfare of the mind, and the best thing to do is just walk away.
The reality is that healing can not occur in a stress-filled environment, and if that means becoming a hermit for a season, well, I approve. Don’t let the self-appointed hall monitors in the corporate church guilt you into coming back with arguments that “you must stay in the body.” Ask yourself, is it right for a victim to go back and live with the abuser just to satisfy someone’s idea of right and wrong?
I know I am using harsh language and concepts here, but to be honest, I am “toning” it down. I strongly feel that many pastors would do far more to help the Kingdom by getting arrested and serving a little jail time than standing in a pulpit. As an example, right now, statistically, it is far safer for a parent to put their child in a regular daycare than in a church-run daycare.
There was once a period of time in the late 80s and well into the 90s when churches screened workers with background checks before allowing them near children. When did that stop? Is there anyone left still doing it?
Healing
Many of us who finally get out of the system require serious downtime. Yes, we still need to earn a paycheck, but stillness and silence can be our refuge. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7 In our high-impact world, taking a step back to do nothing but rest in his presence is the most valuable thing we can do to stay sane.
We are a people who need downtime; it was simply programmed into the very core of us at the being at creation. That is, of course, one of the biggest reasons for God making the sabbath mandatory: “Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 Quite simply, this is something many of us have forgotten.
Music, a Tool
Many years ago, when my wife and I lived on the west coast of Washington State, the local radio station had “Evenings in December.” It was one month of instrumental Christmas music. In time, several shops in the local town got smart and started running the music over the store speakers for everyone to hear. Then they put speakers outside and filled the streets. This had an interesting effect. A person swimming in this mood from this music could go from home to car to shop after shop, and almost everyone was on the same page.
Music is often a gateway to spiritual things, both good and bad. That is because music is essentially a spiritual thing; it is meant to impact people on levels that few of us understand. Through music, you can bring people to war, riot, or even put them to sleep. I have seen too many Christians believe that music is just music, and they can listen to anything they wish. I can also point to these same people and identify issues of internal strife within the home.
Be mindful of what you have.
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1-3
We now live in a time where people understand that we need to take care of the food we eat. Or at least the care of cooking and cutting surfaces to prevent cross-contamination. How much more should we not take care in the preparation of our spiritual foods as well?
“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character,” 1 Corinthians 15:33 to me, not only does this mean the day-to-day people you interact with, but it also means the unknown spiritual entities that inhabit the atmosphere around you. If you allow an environment of anger and rage to exist, as you find in some forms of music like Rap. Are you then not inviting the same spirits to hang around you?
It’s a bad thing for future leaders to be consuming various forms of entertainment (music and film) that push the soul towards chaos and destruction. If your entertainment thrives on violence, porn, horror, and other such things, well, that’s what you’re feeding your soul. I’ve known Christians addicted to gang-style rap, death images, violent horror movies, and then turn around and act good in public. Biblically, such things pollute the soul.
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” Colossians 3:5-8
Below is a Spotify link to a Public Playlist that I have created. I often use this playlist when I am writing, reading, or as background music. If you are already on Spotify, feel free to listen in. If you like it, then consider hitting the follow button. It will let me know who finds this useful. The image below is a sampler; for more, click on “save on Spotify” to open it up for the full version if you have the program.
If you are a regular subscriber, Free or Paid, and you would like a PDF of this post. Just type “PDF Please” into the comments section, and I will send it as soon as I can.