The Snuff

 "In this game, fire represents life. When your fire is gone, so are you" a quote from Jeff Probst, perpetually a Survivor, season after season.

Those that are voted out from their assigned tribe, have the humiliating distinction of having their fire snuffed out by the host, that seems to have the last say, as the final judge, that states just prior to the snuff, "The tribe has spoken, it's time for you to go."

Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us (1 Thessalonians 5:20-25)

The writers for the scripted words of Survivor have nailed the carved wooden idol right on the head with their claim, "fire represents life". They have also captured the concept, that the rejected and dejected, must carry their own lit torch, to someone that is more than willing to extinguish it, while they helplessly watch, having agreed to the terms that they will not fuss or fight for their cause, once "The tribe has spoken".

In this game of life, we agree to the rules, dear reader: whose rules, is the question. The book of life is clear: live in accordance, in obedience, in righteous agreement with God's ordinances, and that flickering with life flame of yours will never be extinguished. Conversely, play by the directives governed by wicked, idol adoring, kill off your tribe mates one-by-one, vicious puppet masters, and that torch of yours will be summarily snuffed out, without a backward glance in your direction. 

Quench not the Spirit

Quench not the Spirit is a warning, and refers to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God that resides within when we abide in him. But dear one, he cannot suffer sin, or forsaking him for idols. He will not tolerated devilish behaviour endlessly, he is "inflexibly just", as Matthew Henry states in his Commentary On The Whole Bible, and if you think you can get away with sinning without him noticing, you have kidded yourself one too many times. 

Understanding human weaknesses

There are some things I really appreciate about the show Survivor. One of them is the immersive experience that few get to experience in life, of having to be in perpetual company, with people you might not ever want to eat or converse with, let alone sleep alongside. On Survivor, you plain old have to comply with the conditions, and I admire the contestants for baring all, being stripped of creature comforts to explore a once in a lifetime opportunity to discover what they are made of. Character flaws show up in adversity and each participant gets to decide, amend my ways, or carry on with the ugly bit of me that just showed up. 

Viewers observe too, how willing participants are to cave in to the manipulative demands of clever players, that are savvy in their understanding of human weaknesses, and willing to take advantage of their knowledge for their own benefit. What is said on camera is replayed, and eventually, those that took part in the game, get to see and hear what others really thought of them. Imagine with me, if you too, had your thoughts and feelings on full display for your family, friends, neighbours, and colleagues to watch on their big screen, from their living room. Perhaps the desire to gossip would finally be killed in you... or maybe you would be glad to know that you finally hurt them, like they hurt you?

Survivor is a microcosm, a mini-series of sorts, of lives lived together and yet ultimately separated, as each person pushes and pulls, sometimes a little too much in the direction of their own best interests, sometimes exhibiting overkill in their self-sacrificing for other, but always and forever, displaying what is beautiful, and what is ugly too, when humans work together and then are challenged to fight against, and compete with one another for the ultimate prize. 

What is, the ultimate prize? For a secularist, the ultimate prize is winning a title, with some cash to prove they are worthy of the notoriety of outwitting, outsmarting, outlasting their adversaries. Survivor is a rough and tumble physical display of honest and gritty real life competition, that mirrors a prettied up version of similar behaviours found in corporate life, or even at your local retail store. Backbiting, eye rolling, loathing, irritation, false witnessing, wanting someone demoted, promoted, fired, dismissed: you name it, humans live it in their everyday lives. At least on Survivor, we expect this kind of behaviour and have grown accustomed to grotesque displays of animalistic attitudes: even typing this sentence has me cringing!

Sounds a lot like how Satan works: he understands human weaknesses, plays into them, asking us to willingly let him try to snuff out someone else's light, fire, and life force. Satan hates that the Spirit of God is what animates us, and he tries his damnedest to steal away what belongs to the Almighty. 

Tiki trouble

When I see contestants kiss a carved tiki idol after winning a challenge, a symbol of safety and protection until the next battle for supremacy ensues, all I can think of is how humans are barely lit, barely hanging onto a cliffs edge by their nervously bitten finger nails. The drop to death is real and pending, and without realizing it, they have put themselves in peril by willingly going to a beautiful place that promises devastation to most, and only one winner in the end, that must outwit, outsmart, and outlast, those that were less then, and could not cut the competitive mustard to save their lives.

Without lying and manipulation, as the theme goes, you just cannot be the sole Survivor. Satan wants to be the sole survivor, and desires to snuff out the Spirit of God. Isn't that what humans are doing? wanting to kill their Maker, extinguish the fire that God placed in them, and take others to the pit, as their miserable loser companions. Satanists and secularists have the same fate. If this frightens you, I am glad, that means your fire is still being fed by the oxygen of life that only God can bestow, and perhaps, you will turn from your own tiki idols, toward the King of kings, that wants to keep your flame lit for eternity and beyond! 

We are dead things dear reader, without Jesus as our light, our torch in the darkness to lead the way. When people don't know him, they lack the spark of life. This doesn't have to be you, you can exit the game of worldly life and enter into the spiritual realm where heaven is open to you and winning, means all go to God, not just you, or me, but all! 

And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God (Acts 7:56)

Heaven and hell are real places. Angels and demons are real beings. We can feel them and see them, hints of both are palpable. If you cannot see and feel what I am suggesting is evident, pray, and pray some more to the God of heaven, and he will hear you, and give you the light of life so that your eyes are illuminated and your heart and spirit brightened.

We end our time together with scripture:

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:17-23)