Not everything we think is true . . . March 30, 2009
Posted by Lucas Skrobot in discernment, seeing and hearing, Turkey.Tags: discernment, seeing and hearing
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One thing important thing to remember as we walk through life is this:
First–not everything that passes through your head are your own thoughts, and most of those thoughts that aren’t yours that creep into your brain aren’t true.
Second–not all of the thoughts that are yours are true.
We need to be aware of what thoughts are running through our heads. We can’t just think what ever we happen to think; we need to be disciplined in our thought life.
I could go into a massive explanation of why and what and examples and ways that we are able to take thoughts captive but I’m too tired and I’m ready for bed. At the moment I’m in Turkey and it is a beautiful place–but it is also a place full of people who are spiritually and often physically oppressed. This is something that I can often feel, and it is draining.
With that said–good night, and here is a photo.
Seeing and Hearing When Poisoned: How to Prevent Poisoning (Part 3 of 5) November 5, 2008
Posted by Lucas Skrobot in discernment, Hearing, life, poison, Seeing.Tags: discernment, poison, seeing and hearing, the princess bride
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The main concern, at least for me, is how does one live a life with out drinking poison and dealing with the pain and strife that inevitably comes with poison?
Answer #1: Last week I quoted Proverbs 26:20, “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.” So the first and easy step would be to cut the people out of your life who whisper secrets, gossip, and is generally a dishonest person.
Answer #2: It is impossible to live a poison free life. A person may confide in you, or give you “friendly advice” and next thing you know you are in a downward spiral and you don’t know what hit you. I am reminded of the story The Princess Bride. If you remember the movie there is a scene with Westly (the hero) and Vizzini (the short bald annoying bad guy) and Westley challenges Vizzini to a “battle of wits.” The game is played as such: there are two cups and one cup has poison, Vizzini must choose which cup to drink, both drink, and one survives.
See for yourself, Watch the clip:
Well as you now know, both the cups were poisoned. Our handsome hero Westly just happened to have, “spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.”
There are times where it is impossible not to drink poison. There are times when we are like Vizzini and we try our best to discern which person is telling the truth and which person is lying, I’m not sure if walking away is ever an option–it seems more like drinking both cups and losing both friends.
Or like, Vizzini did he, choose the cup furthest from you ( i.e. why would that person lie about their, and my, friend? They have nothing to gain or lose by lying–well maybe except for splitting up the friendship).
Or you can decide to choose the cup (believe the person) closest to you–but this also may prove to be deadly. A close friend can wound deeper than your most hated enemy. If you drink the poison given to you by a close friend you will suffer a slow and painful death because you have just subjected yourself to their authority, by taking their word without testing. They now have the ability to point back to the moment of doubt (the decision between the two cups), implying “don’t question what I’m doing like you did last time, because if you can’t trust me we can’t be friends” in order hold you captive through wielding fear which controls.
My advice is this: become like Westley (the man in black) and be able to drink both cups and still live.
We need to have the ability to taste of both cups–testing both words–so that the truth might be made evident. How do we do that? By bringing things out of the darkness and into the light. By sitting down with both parties together, along with a neutral third party member. Bring forth the accusations, compare stories, and deal with the issues is the open.
The only way to find the poison is to drink both cups.
Please stay tuned for Part 4 where I will talk about what it means to drink both cups and how we can learn how to not only survive but conqure poison!
