Demonic Infiltration

When in doubt, check them out. Proverbs are like a hit that clocks a ball right out of the park. 

The Bible is wisdom eternalized that ought to be internalized. Where else can one go for life altering advice? Check out this comparative analogy:

Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint (Proverbs 25:19)

Take a moment and think on injury, and placing weight or pressure on the part of you that hurts. If you are reading this, chances are good you have had to navigate around a broken tooth, or body part that is inconveniently out of place. When this has happened to me, I wonder, is this permanent? When it comes to pain, history is a teacher, that points to a better way of interacting with the world around us. Getting hurt is sometimes unavoidable, but repeating activities that ensure breakage is just plain old dumb. 

Which brings us to the unfaithful man, or woman, mentioned above. I had some friends that I thought were of the forever variety. We laughed together, cried together, shared our deepest darkest secrets and dreams ... and then they showed me who they were, when the citizens of this world were told that they better run and hide to save their lives. I suddenly became a threat to their wellbeing, despite sharing space, food, drinking glasses, and physical closeness in hugs and sitting close to one another, for numerous years gone by. I learned that they were this guy/gal, mentioned in Luke 31-32:

And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead (Luke 10:30)

And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side (Luke 10:31-32)

When I thought they were like this guy:

But a certain Samaritan ... (Luke 10:33)

Sacrificial love

In shock I had to come to grips with the inner workings, of so many. They do not have in their minds, in their hearts, the sacrificial love that ought to travel wherever we go; that ought to show up, when someone is in dire need. I learned fast that if I needed help, these people that I used to call friends, were the last ones on planet earth that I could go to. So strange, to reconcile who I thought they were, with whom it is they have become.

Somewhere in the timeline of the past couple of years, they morphed into stranglings that feigned concern for others while maintaining a "safe distance"; the truth is, they were concerned for themselves. 

Call it mass formation like the psychosocial experts if you like, but I call it demonic infiltration of the spirit. They are soul sick, and repelled by anyone that refuses to be afraid. If they must be treated with kid gloves at all times in order to feel less insecure, than anyone, anytime, anywhere, is a potential threat and hazard to their wellbeing. Anxiety becomes their driver and choice maker. We have seen this with the breakage in families, grown children refusing to spend time with their parents, and parents refusing to do the same with their kids, because they did not see "threat" the same way. 

I have to consider what Jesus spoke about with seriousness. A priest and a Levite, two men of God, or so it would seem by their attire and ritualistic habits, saw a misused human lying naked, half dead, robbed, and vulnerable to the elements and wild animals, and they walked on by. You could say, this is just a story, a parable, but then I would have to respond with a question: what have you done when you saw someone in need? Did you stop and help, or walk/drive on by? 

This is what we have become, people that live as though personal preservation is paramount. Good Lord, help us.

I am here

Dear reader, I tried. I really did. I saw them robbed, stripped naked, beaten, and left half dead in the road. All the while I said I am here, I will help you, you are not alone. 

• They didn't want to get up, and they refused my pro-offered hand 
• They didn't want salve for the soul
• They didn't want to wear robes of white
• They preferred licking their own wounds, getting them treated by the thieves and abusers that kicked them until they were down, and masking their pain 

They trusted in strangers without seeing the danger, instead of putting their confidence in the faithful, the tried and true, and those that would love them no matter the state they were found in.

I'd wager a bet

A young client I worked with just this morning said something significant. Her revelation was "I didn't do anything wrong". Dear reader, you didn't do anything wrong, to drive away the people that went the way of the world. In fact, I'd wager a bet, that you did everything just right, when you tried to save them from themselves. 

To love like Jesus means it isn't always reciprocated, but alas, this must not stop us, from being like that guy, like that girl ... But a certain Samaritan