Don't Get Cocky

Recently I became aware of the incredible hand of God at work again in my life. It was the undeniable favor of my Creator as He began to arrange and rearrange various circumstances and details in order to accomplish His plan for me. I love it when that happens!

Let's be honest... There are days when you do not feel this way. Yes, I am talking to you! You know there are days when you are painfully aware of your human frailties and shortcomings, and feel like God is giving you just enough rope to hang yourself. You might not hasten to admit this, but we all feel alone at some time or another.

But this was not one of those times. I had been seeing the miraculous hand of God orchestrating the events of my ministry like a master director of symphonic melodies. There I was floating along on cloud nine, feeling invincible, to say the least.

My preaching seemed to be flowing without effort. My kids were behaving. My wife seemed to swoon when I entered the room. I was happily enjoying life in the sweet spot.

Then I woke up this morning, and it seemed like I somehow had developed a hate for humanity sometime during the night. What? Where did that come from? No one had offended me, hurt my feelings, stolen from me, etc. I just seemed to be harboring a bitter dislike for humans in general.

As I drove away from the house this morning, I felt God speaking to me, "Don't get cocky, Hotshot."

I was reminded of the story in 2 Chronicles 31 where Hezekiah destroyed all of the idols and other methods of worshipping false gods of that day. He organized the priesthood again, and seemed to be doing all things right. Much spiritual progress was made in chapter 31.

However, chapter 32 begins like this, "After these things, and the establishment thereof, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself."

What is the significance of this?

It is a simple reminder to each of us. Don't get cocky!! Many times, we fight our most difficult battles immediately after our biggest wins. There is never a time to relax your mind, spirit, emotions, or body. Just when you think you have finally made the progress you needed to make, you find yourself besieged by an opponent who desires to destroy you.

1 Peter 5:8-11: (The Message)

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

or...

Don't Get Cocky. You still need Him.

I Can't Win Like This

I have always wondered why early American armies fought the way they did. I have never understood the concept of marching in a tightly formed line directly into the opposing line of the enemy, just hoping that you had them outnumbered. While I do not profess to be an expert on military strategy, I do know that, in most cases, the act of standing in the middle of a prairie, with bullets whistling by one's head, while fumbling with gunpowder, flint, and a musket does not seem to be the wisest way to fight a war. But it worked. There is no questioning that fact.

As the Frontier stretched westward, Union forces began encountering a new type of opposition. They were no longer fighting opposing armies who utilized the same strategies they did. Subsequently, it did not take long for them to realize that they were fighting a new war the old way, and the outcome was not looking promising.

All throughout the fighting careers of these intelligent, experienced commanders, they had learned to accomplish great victories while utilizing these methods. However, I can imagine the first time they were ambushed by their enemy, as warriors sprang from hidden areas, trees in various camouflaging patterns of war paint, they realized, "I can't win like this!" Never before had an enemy fought them in this manner. This Guerilla Warfare was not familiar to them.

Remember this: New frontiers and revised strategies go hand in hand.

When the commander of the brigade began dodging arrows, tomahawks and spears thrown at him from an enemy hidden by the roadside, I am sure the first though on his mind was, "I must get off this horse and change uniforms." It would be foolish of this experienced leader to wake up and put on his dress uniform and storm the battlefield.

In the frontier of propagating the Gospel, the cause is still the same. There has not been, nor can there be a change in the reason we fight. There is a frontier ahead of this generation that remains unclaimed for the cause of Christ. I am not suggesting a change in our cause, but we must realize that it might be time for a change of uniform. The methods that defeated the British armies and won freedom for the Thirteen Early American Colonies were effective in Massachusetts, but would fail miserably in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada.

While I am aware of the criticism this line of thinking will generate, I also realize that I am not winning this new war by doing the same old things. We have all heard the famous Albert Einstein quote, "The definition of insanity id doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." While this quote has been overused, it has not lost its truth.

Why do you think our troops in the middle east are not wearing basic "army green" uniforms? Because they will be easily spotted and endangered by their old uniform. Notice, a desert camo pattern DID NOT EXIST prior to the 1980's, but a new enemy dictated a change in uniforms. In fact, the desert camo pattern was updated again in 1999 to afford our troop the best advantage available.

I am not suggesting any changes to the flag. Just pointing out that we could use a few modifications to the uniforms and methods.

Good leaders can admit when they are losing a battle because of improper methods.

Are you facing new frontiers? Is there a new war ahead of you as you stand in the sunrise of 2010? Are you afraid to saddle up and go back out there into the fight because you know your strategy is not correct for this fight? Take some time this week and analyze your methods. You just might come to the realization, "I can't win like this."