Four Ways to be Easily Conquered (Pt. 1)

Some days, I’m the hammer. Some days, I’m the nail.

Some days, I’m an indomitable force of conviction, courage and self-discipline. Other days, it seems even the slightest pressure can pound me into submission.

Whether it’s diet, spending, spiritual disciplines, self-improvement, overcoming unwanted habits or maintaining new resolutions, sometimes I am impressively victorious…and sometimes I am too easily conquered.

WHEN GOOD INTENTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH

I’m not alone in this. Anyone can recognize areas where they are particularly vulnerable to fail.

You may be unfazed by many temptations, but when confronted with a certain one or two, you consistently feel powerless to resist.

You may maintain a responsible budget, except when it comes to this one indulgence.

You may function well in most situations, but around this person or in that type of environment, not so much.

You may have resolved to establish a more consistent routine of prayer, Bible reading, participation in a church family, etc., but months, weeks or maybe even days into it, these are again neglected.

Why?! If we have genuine intentions to do what is best and to be the best version of ourselves, why aren’t our desires and intentions enough?

If we truly want victory so badly, why are we still so easily defeated?

I have come to recognize a pattern, certain dynamics that contribute to me being either victorious or defeated.

As a minister, I see the same pattern of dynamics in those to whom I minister.

In fact, these dynamics even explain how an entire city was overthrown by a handful of losers.

A CITY DESTINED TO FALL

After Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, died, it was up to the tribes to claim their territories. All the tribes were successful (to varying degrees)…except Dan.

While other tribes conquered and confined their enemies, the Amorites confined the Danites to the hills (Judges 1:34).

By Judges 18, they still had not found a territory they could conquer, and they were desperate.

Until they found Laish.

Finally, a city they–even the Danites–could conquer.

The question is, what was so WRONG with Laish that made them so RIGHT as a target?

It’s an important question because the same things that made Laish conquerable are the same things that make us so easily defeated.

Judges 18:

⁷ [The five scouts] came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else.

⁸ When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?”

⁹ They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t hesitate to go there and take it over. ¹⁰ When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatsoever.”

¹¹ Then six hundred men of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.

…

²⁷ Then they…went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. ²⁸ There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else.

FOUR WAYS TO BE EASILY CONQUERED

From this, we see four dynamics that led to Laish’s defeat, the same ones that contribute to our own:

To be easily conquered:

1  |  Be safe and secure.

2  |  Be unsuspecting.

3  |  Lack nothing.

4  |  Be isolated.

If the Danite scouts were ecstatic to find these qualities in Laish, we can be sure our enemy, too, is seeking these same qualities in us.

It may be difficult at first to see how some of these could work against our welfare, so over the next several posts (Thursday, Monday, Thursday, Monday), we will unpack how each of these contributes to our victory or failure.

Begin praying now for God to help you see any of these, or other factors, that make you vulnerable.

Part 2: “Be Safe and Secure” coming soon!

How Far is Too Far…for Turtles?

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All of us tend to wonder, “How close can I get to sin and still be innocent?”

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How Far is Too Far?

Many teens and young adults, wanting to maintain purity in their dating years, ask the question: “How far is too far?”

This is not only a teen and young adult question, nor is it specific strictly to dating. Every person is faced with the decision where to draw the line between sinful and safe.

• How much physical affection can we enjoy without sinning sexually?
• If drunkenness is a sin, how much can I drink without being technically drunk?
• How vocal can I be with my judgmental opinions without being guilty of gossip?
• How flirty can I be without being unfaithful to my spouse?
• How openly angry can I get without “losing my temper?”
• How low a priority can I make spiritual practices while still maintaining the façade of an active relationship with Jesus?

For some, the question is conscious, for others, unconscious, but all of us tend to wonder,“How close can I get to sin and still be innocent?”

Turtles at the Surface

About this, we may draw some valuable insight from sea turtles.

Scientists studying the ecosystem of Shark Bay, off the west coast of Australia, were puzzled to observe that five times as many Loggerhead sea turtles are killed by tiger sharks than their cousins, the Green sea turtles. Seeing no obvious reasons, they studied further and discovered it has to do with their breathing habits.

Greens spend relatively little time at the surface, pushing their faces out of the water long enough for only a single breath before retreating once again toward the sea floor, while Loggerheads routinely spend two or three minutes at a time at the surface with their faces above water.

Tiger sharks rely on the element of surprise, stalking and attacking almost exclusively from below their prey, making the Loggerheads lingering at the surface more vulnerable to the stealthy predator.

For sea turtles, even an instant at the surface exposes them to mortal danger, but every second longer only multiplies the risk exponentially.

Thus, it would be foolish for a turtle to ask, “How long is too long at the surface?”

The more discerning turtle—and incidentally, the one that will likely live longest—asks instead, “How can I stay close to the bottom for as long as possible?”

A New Direction

It is no less foolish for us to inch dangerously close to the line of sin, hoping to stop just short of trespassing.

In fact, “How far is too far?” is not even a biblical question! Rather than speak of righteousness as a line or a position, scripture instead speaks of it as a direction

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God, and He will come near to you” (James 4:7-8).

The wise disciple moves constantly away from areas where he or she is vulnerable and exposed to Satan’s attacks and constantly deeper into intimacy with God.

Righteousness is not a position, but a direction. Thus, the question we should be asking is not, “Is this action across the line?” but rather, “Does this action take me closer to the predator or closer to God?”

If we’re looking for the line we shouldn’t cross, perhaps we’re looking the wrong direction. Why not make it our goal to see just how far we can go in our intimacy with God instead?

Let’s Hear from You

I’d love to hear your wisdom on this.

Reply and tell me: If you had a child or a friend who sought your advice about how far was too far in a certain area, how would you respond?