Stop Running Away!

All of us have a fight or flight mechanism built into us as a function of our survival. This mechanism served to protect us from danger and to encourage our ability to procreate by producing progeny. When we sense danger our automatic reaction will be to either fight or run away. But, if you take this human tendency into the spiritual arena, in the midst of the spiritual competition that goes on day by day, we have to learn how to stop running away from the perceived danger and get in there and fight. In a perfect world there would be no such thing as opposing spiritual forces and we could live our lives without conflict. However that is not our reality today. In the competition we will find ourselves challenged, annoyed and hassled in a multitude of different variations. Every day we encounter negative situations, negative thoughts, temptations to be afraid and we may simply try to run away. But those forces that oppose our happiness, our health, our prosperity won’t just go away on their own. Instead they will continue to impede us and oppose us until we learn how to get in there and fight back. Passivity is not one of the fruit of the spirit. Every time we seek to escape from challenges by running away we find ourselves miserable and defeated. We wish the circumstances would change or that God would do something to make it stop, but what makes it stop is our willingness to take it on with the truth of God’s Word. It’s not a function of bravado but rather a decision to take the challenge on with God’s help. Most people, myself included, would rather not have any conflict. We wish that God would simply remove the challenge from our lives. But God never promised that we would not be challenged. Instead God offers to help us overcome any and all challenges that show up in our lives. God wants us to win. But you won’t win until you decide to stop running away.

How people run away may not be that apparent to you. It’s not the kind of running you might do if you encountered a bear. Instead it is what goes on in our minds in the midst of a challenge to our minds. The mind is the arena where the competition takes place. Everyone is in the contest. There is one great force that seeks to help you to live the life you want to live and there is one dark force that endeavors to steal away your enjoyment of life and brings troubles upon you. The competition involves who you are going to believe. What happens when you are faced with a serious challenge? Most people tend to fold fairly quickly. That is how we have been trained to respond. Folding presupposes that there is nothing that can be done about the scenario you find yourself in. Then fear sets in and things go south in a hurry. But what if there was another choice you can make? What if it was your job to take on the challenge? The reason fear rules the world is because people do not know how to take on fear and overcome it. Fear is always an illusion. Remember James and the Giant Peach? It wasn’t until James finally decided to take on the fear that he was able to see it for what it really was – a lie. Our lives are like that. We have to learn to stop running away from everything that threatens us. I don’t imagine most people like to fight, but sometimes you simply have to fight, especially with the things that are most important to you. Much of the anxiety people are experiencing today comes from a large pile of unresolved issues they have chosen to ignore (run away from). Often the peace follows the fight. Stop running away!

As contrary to public opinion as it may seem, we have to learn how to take on our spiritual opponent. The things that are happening to you aren’t happenstance or random in any way. There is no such thing as accidents. These perpetual disturbances have been carefully plotted and planned by those opposing spiritual forces. The end game is always to make you afraid and bring you into bondage to them. Then they can control you as they control much of the world. But, you do not have to live that way. You can learn from God’s Word how to fight back. But make no mistake, much like the bully in the schoolyard, you have to fight back. Instead of just passively accepting these things that assault your mind, you must first become willing to recognize them and then do something about them. It’s not convenient and at times it is a pain your ass, but it is necessary to ensure your continued blessings and happiness. Letting things go is a form of running away. You wonder why we as a nation are over medicated and numb? It is because of running away. Even children know when they are not happy and do not move forward until the situation causing their unhappiness is somehow resolved. It’s only later on in life that we learn to just eat crap all the time and accept it patiently. Look, if something is bothering you and persisting day by day, you have to do something about it. Otherwise you will spend your lifetime defeated and depressed. And by doing something about it I’m not referring to your human capabilities. I’m referring to God’s limitless ability to solve problems in your life. It seems many people just busy themselves with other things in order to escape this reality. It is as if being preoccupied won’t let the troubles in. But this is not true. Every trouble you let go or ignore just leads to more troubles and more difficulty. You owe it to yourself and your one short life to learn how to take things on. Stop running away!

Every morning I write my Morning Pages as I have written about before. For me, my Morning Pages represent a time I faithfully carve out in order to, with God’s help, get things straight. I use this treasured time to talk things over with God. I ask lots of questions. I tell Him about things I don’t understand. I communicate what is bothering me and why. I leave no stone unturned. And, I do not ever leave that morning session without the answers and understanding I need to get back to His peace. Some things I have to learn over time and other things the answer becomes immediately clear. Often He will bring His Word to my mind. My point is that however you want to do it, it will greatly benefit your life to take the time to get things straight in your mind. Maybe instead of writing about it you simply talk it over with Him. Maybe you go for a walk or a drive. However you do it, do it. Pretty soon it begins to dawn on you that there is no challenge you cannot take on with God’s help. Now instead of perpetually running away, you purpose in your heart to stand still. You learn to hold your ground. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. II Corinthians 10:4) Don’t you think God is able to clue you in about what is really going on and do it in a way that causes you not to be afraid? Once you stop running away and dare to believe God in the midst of the challenge, you will find that your life takes on a glorious, peaceful glow. The things you want in your life will start coming your way and the things you do not want will be dispelled. It is that big and it is that real. Stop running away!

We all have to start somewhere. Maybe your life habit has been to run away. Maybe you have let so many things go that you don’t even know where to start. That’s okay, God will help you. Your job is only to take on the next thing. Your life is worth fighting for. You are worth fighting for. Stop running away. Instead, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

Just some good thoughts…