Counselors, discerning parents and teachers tend to pick up things that most people miss. Body language, tone and words are like warning signals. Unless someone intervenes, a doubting mind can prevent you from greatness.
While the heart is a wellspring for life, Proverbs 4:23, the mind serves as a compass. Though the mouth speaks out of the overflow of the heart, Luke 6:45, the mind provides discipline to zip your lips or just blurt out whatever you think. If you allow emotions to get the best of you, a weak mind can alienate you from others.
The greatest assault anyone faces is often invisible. The devil is similar to a creature searching for a vulnerable mind to attack, 1 Peter 5:8 Lucifer’s ultimate goal is to steal, kill and destroy psyches, John 10:10. Preying on fears, anxieties and past mistakes, its easy to become unraveled. In view of this reality, guard your mind with the Bible, Romans 12:1-2, so that the next time you are under siege, you will be armed with weapons to achieve greatness, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
According to Webster, a pawn is someone used by others for their own purpose. Pawns vary from a dupe to a puppet and in extreme conditions, a hostage. When you consider Jesus’ insight in John 10:10, there are 3 stages to pawns of the Devil. Initially, time is used to steal children away from God. To further this separation, ambitions, dreams and goals are plucked, one by one, killing any hopes of emotional, physical and spiritual prosperity. Finally, like a self-fulfilling prophecy, lives are destroyed figuratively and literally.
Pawn #1 is subtle, using amusement, entertainment and obsessions to lure committed followers off the narrow road. Throw in a little compromise, enjoyment and worldly pleasures and before long, priorities began to change. One of the signs of Satan’s success is a lukewarm spirit, causing souls to lose focus of what’s truly important in life. Add an onslaught of trials and those pure in heart wander into uncharted waters, opening their eyes to a whole new world like Eve. If you look across the fence long enough, you might find yourself on the other side.
Pawn #2 is merely a byproduct of time. Once temptation begins to dig its claws deep into hearts and minds, the outcome shouldn’t be surprising. Spiritual neglect is replaced by bad habits, careless behavior and loose lips. The presence of a disciplined life is a distantly memory, kicked to the curb by fleshly desires. Hooked, lined and sinking fast, the light of Christ fades into addictions of darkness. At some point, individuals become puppets of the Devil, accomplishing his will through a hypocritical and tainted testimony.
Unless intervention occurs, Pawn #3 resembles a tsunami. The first wave starts by destroying marriages and or relationships near and dear to your heart. Isolated, the second wave brings financial ramifications as consumption, gambling and waste make their way to your shores. Just when you think the storm has subsided, the surge is relentless building in size and wrath. If you survive, a pitiful soul remains, a shell of the person you were before the pawns of the Devil entered your life. For those still standing, remember the words of Peter, a failure himself, resist the devil by keeping the faith, 1 Peter 5:8-9. May this revelation encourage hearts to draw near to the One true God, 1 Timothy 2:4.
As human beings enter life on earth, God places certain instincts within babies, crying to get their mother’s attention. Once talking commences, whining is replaced by mine, ooh and wanna. Born inside of every child since Adam and Eve, the sinful nature is at war with silence. If gratifications aren’t instantly met, silence can kill inclinations to be self-absorbed, training infants in the way they should go. Proverbs 22:6.
On the other hand, silence also separates individuals from God, Romans 3:23, as sin establishes a barrier deeper than the grand canyon, Romans 6:23. Created to be in communion with the Lord and mankind, silence often steal, kills and destroys faith. If this wall isn’t broken or lifted, souls will die void of any hope, joy or love. Perhaps, someone or something is blocking this line, muffling God’s still small voice, 1 Kings 19:12-13.
No one is immune to silence, especially when prayers lifted up to heaven go unanswered. Waiting is one thing I detest, rather pointless to a person in desperate need of answers. Yet, despite my feelings, there are clues left behind by in the Bible which shouldn’t surprise me. According to a servant of God who was sawed in two for his faith, silence is a way of life, Isaiah 40:27-31. As Israel complained to this prophet, God reveals a message of hope to those still waiting in the dark for a response. Therefore, if you are like me, scratching your head, trying to make sense life’s trials, may silence kill any hint of impatience within you, replaced by spiritual strength from the only One who can breathe life into a tired and weary soul.
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