Learning Control
I've been through an experience recently I just have to share here.
A few weeks ago, for a number of reasons including to support a friend who really needed it, I began going to a church group meeting on Sunday evenings.
It turned out that the group was a "Celebrate Recovery" group, which is for people trying to overcome habits, addictions, tendencies, proclivities, or other personal problems.
The format is that there is about 15-20 minutes of praise music (with a really quite good praise band), followed by the rest of the hour given over to a lesson and prayer, then the large group breaks up into small groups and goes to individual rooms.
Once in the individual rooms, the format is that each person in the room takes a turn, usually twice during the evening, to talk about what's on his mind and heart, usually having something to do with the evening's lesson.
I have quite a problem with what was going on there, because on the face of it, all the people are there to help each other, and to get some help for themselves. But the actuality is that what they're really there to do is whine, bellyache, and unload on everyone else. They are not interested in listening or being helped. They just want to complain.
The reason I know this is that as I was listening to the people before me tell of their problems, I was also praying for the Lord to allow me to be a blessing to these men, to send me the words that could help them, that could make a difference to them.
And you know what? He did.
When it came my turn to speak, the words flowed. Different ideas connected in my head and it came together in what *I* thought was a pithy and impactful mini-message. I'll tell you about that in a moment.
But it became evident as the speaking passed around the room again, that not a single person in there had heard it, that no one really cared what anyone else in the room was saying, and all they cared about was talking about their own problems, not to get any help or even sympathy, but just to unload.
Here's the essence (as close as I can remember it) of what I told them.
One of the most insidious ways he attacks us is to send us wrong thoughts.
We all have had wrong thoughts, and we've all worked hard to try to take every thought captive.
But it's hard to do.
And you know, I got to thinking that taking thoughts captive is not hacking it. It's just not enough.
In meditating on this and praying about it, a thought occurred to me, and I'd like to share it with you now.
How many of you have seen the "Dog Whisperer" on TV? Two? Three of you? Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer really knows dogs. He can take the most unruly rowdy dog and in five minutes, he's his best friend, he can make the dog behave and do anything he wants, really quickly.
That's because he understands dogs.
One of the things he tells us is that dogs interact with the world from five different stimuli. The first and most important to them is smell. Second is energy level. Then there's sight, then touch, then sound. Most people try to interact with their dogs by talking to them - this is at the BOTTOM of their priority list. Cesar knows to interact with them the way they understand. Like energy level and touch.
Most of us know dogs. You've seen how a dog can go from totally calm to super excited in half a second, right? Yes, I see we all know this. That's their energy level, escalating in the blink of an eye from nothing to through the roof.
What Cesar says is that you have to watch the dog, to be very aware of their energy level, and the very instant it starts to escalate, you have to interrupt it. You do this by using your fingertips to "bite" them on the shoulder. It doesn't hurt them, but they understand this as a gentle discipline "No!" and will usually keep them from having their energy level escalate.
How does that apply to me?
It has to do with taking thoughts captive.
As I said, I don't think that taking thoughts captive is enough. By the time you try to take that thought captive, you've already HAD IT!
The energy level of that thought has already escalated to through the roof, and me trying to take it captive is frequently an exercise in futility.
How can we change that?
We can change that by being constantly aware of these sinful thoughts satan is attacking us with, be ready for it, and as soon as just the hint of the thought comes to us, we've got to "bite" it instantly, to keep it from escalating.
We have to work to NOT HAVE THAT THOUGHT in the first place, so we never have to take it captive, or fight that battle.
How do I do that? I have to be constantly vigilant. I have to be aware of any time that thought even begins to surface, and shout inside my mind, "STOPPIT! STOPPIT! STOPPIT! DON'T GO THERE!" and immediately distract myself with something else.
That's the only way we can win this battle. It's started to work for me, and I hope it can work for you, too.
I've told that message to two other people at the time of this posting, and both thought it was an excellent message. One even told me it was just what they needed to hear, and it really ministered to them.
Needless to say, I won't be going back to that group.
I hope this message helps someone else.
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