Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst. Isaiah 5:13
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. I John 5:4
- Life can have its routines. Most of us have a morning routine that is pretty much the same each and every day. Other routines can center around work, home, family and of course our faith. Routines can be good as they help us move through life…unless they are not. Let me explain my thoughts by sharing a short story.
- When walking through an elephant camp, a man noticed that the elephants were only secured with a small rope that was tied around one ankle. He wondered why the elephants didn’t break free from the rope, as the elephants were certainly strong enough to do so. When he asked one of the trainers why the elephants didn’t try to break free, and the trainer responded by saying that they use the same size rope for baby elephants all the way up to adulthood. When the elephants are young they pull against the rope but are not strong enough to break free. As they grow older, they still pull against the rope, but they have been conditioned that the rope is stronger than they are so they don’t try to fight it. Even the old elephants think the rope is still able to hold them. They have been conditioned by a life time of tugging on the rope, but never hard enough to break free. As soon as they feel the tension of the rope, they give up.
- It is sad to think that such a stately and strong animal like an elephant can be subdued by a little rope. The question I’ve been pondering is similar to the elephant story. Have we been conditioned by our routines so that we are likewise tied up and not able to experience all that is possible in our relationship with Christ? Have we become passive through our routines and thus complacent in our relationship with Christ? Has Hell used routine to bind us into a confined area so that we do not have the ability to explore new possibilities for our life? Do we accept the limits and not pull against the boundaries of our faith? Have we lost our fight?
- Hell certainly wants to keep us bound up by reminding us of the ropes of our sin nature. Personal failures, relational mistakes or our family history if repeated again and again can become the ropes that weaken our faith and may create in us risk or venture limits. Our limiting thoughts become, “I could never do that”.
- Saul, later named Paul the Apostle, could have allowed the mindset of his Pharisaical traditions from joining the young group of disciples who followed Jesus. What if Peter had a mindset of fear and never stepped out of the boat? What if the blind man obeyed the crowd rather than being so bold by making a scene to attract the attention of Jesus as he passed by? Or what if the 4 friends of the lame man saw the large crowds at the house rather than seeing the opportunity to climb up to the roof and tear off the tiles to get their friend in front of Jesus? They broke free from the ordinary ways of doing things and Jesus did the extraordinary.
- We are in a season of transition in our country and in our lives. It’s time to pull at any ropes that have kept us limited and change up “our normal.” Maybe it’s time to step out, speak up, pray out, act up in a way that breaks the ropes that has limited our faith. Maybe it time that our old routine gets an upgrade that expands our trust in Jesus as we journey with him. Let’s break free and renew our walk of faith!
- Prayer
- “Jesus, please challenge our conditioned way of thinking, and help us to break free and leap into the real life of adventure found in following You! “
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