That's just one limited definition, but for our purposes will do quite nicely.
The particular juggernaut that I want to address is the perception of self.
Since I'm convinced that God does not waiver or change what He thinks or believes about us in any aspect, the question remains as to what forces are warring against the truths of God in our life. Obviously, "evil" is one of those forces. C.S. Lewis painted a much more complete picture than I could have in his book "The Screwtape Letters." In this book we are invited into an exchange between a lesser demon and his "mentor." Throughout the text they describe various tactics that are in play with the particular human they are trying to trip up in any way possible - but ultimately spiritually. The trick is to get the human to believe something about God that isn't true - therefore reshaping that person's perception on -- well, everything. This truth that we see so much of the world through the color of our own perception is quite the double-edged sword indeed.
The trick ironically enough, hasn't changed since the beginning. Satan still sends his demons around trying to trip up humans all the time. Same goal, unfortunately same outcome. Let me make this clear before we move onto the point: it is the same outcome a great majority of the time. As far as I can tell, Satan wins battles all over the place all the time according to what we see. As Christians, we're told that while that might be the case - Jesus won "the war" for the purposes of our analogy. Anyway, that's a topic for another day.
The focus is 3-fold and each statement is an escalation of the process:
- You are capable of believe lies about yourself.
- You are capable of lying to yourself about who you are. As your view of either yourself or God shifts, so does the advice you will consider as sound.
- You are capable of lying to yourself and others about who you are, and who God is in your eyes. By this, you have infinite capacity to deceive other people in your life to the extent that they will no longer be of help to you - even though you may wish them to be.
This downward spiral is what I mean when I say juggernaut. There are decisions that we all need to make in life. Some of those decisions destroy us, while others give us life. In general, for example, the decision to smoke cigarettes slowly destroys part of your body. Depending on your situation, it can slowly destroy your self-image, and your image in the eyes of others. Though, it could also improve your self-image, and your image in the eyes of others. Either way, it is most definitely going to slowly destroy part of your body. This would be physical evidence of destruction. In contrast, many say that laughter adds 8 seconds to your life each time. So for every time you laugh, you have bought yourself 8 seconds more of life. I don't claim that this is fact, although laughter seems to be contagious - in a good way. People are lifted up and have a better attitude if constructive laughter is going on; constructive meaning not at the expense of someone else's emotions. All that just to exemplify that - there are paths that give us life, and that take life away.
We make those decisions. And, if you are an adult, there is no-one else to blame when it comes down to the direction you choose to take in life. I am not minimizing any circumstances you had to come through to even make it to where you are now. We maintain the power to choose what we believe about ourselves, and act in accordance with that belief. The juggernaut is the trick. It is the trap that is set for all of human-kind and it always will be set for us until this earth is made new. I am not saying that we are doomed to believe those things; simply that the trap is set for us to have to choose not to believe them toward a path that gives us life, maybe even gives life to others.
Another thing you should know is that the trap is alive. The trap exists just as much for you when you are 60, as it did when you were 6. I'm 31 years old as I write this, and I can't even grasp how much I've changed over those 31 years - and I'm the one that changed! The juggernaut is still a danger to me and the stakes continually get higher and higher. I'm now a father of 2 beautiful daughters. How much of what I believe about myself will impact their lives forever? For that matter, how much of what I believe about myself has already impacted my wife, my friends, or my family?
Because the juggernaut exists for me as much now as it ever did, it has the feel of something that is pursuing me. I believe in God. I believe that Jesus finished it on the cross. I've been on missions trips and taught bible study lessons. Kneeling down 10 years ago I told Jesus that I tried everything to live life my way and I wanted to give up and let Him do what He wants with my life. I think I've said those exact words hundreds of times since then, and that's just 10 years worth. I'm saved from an eternity of hell. Why do I feel as if I'm not giving my all for Christ? There's this perpetual doubt that constantly threatens to overtake my heart and hush the cry for my Savior.
The juggernaut is catered to your individual sin-nature too. This is what makes it even more deadly. Even though you are saved from an eternity of hell because of Jesus Christ, you still fight the battle of choosing to live for Him, according to His Word / His Will etc. But, even though you are saved and choose to live for Him you are nevertheless susceptible to sin. You have sinned since being saved. God is not to blame for this fact. Something else is at work there, and I believe the juggernaut has much to do with it. It is like the eternal snare for all people who do not recognize it for what it is; and out of that, exercise the wisdom to avoid it at every season of life.
Which brings me to 1st Corinthians 10:1-13.
The sub-heading in my Bible is: Warnings from Israel's History.
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"For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry." We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
You are able to set your heart on evil things, and the juggernaut exists to ensure that you do so. Not just evil in the way of outward evil toward others, but even more dangerous evil in the destroying of self, in the destroying of a right relationship with God. With the knowledge that this hazard exists, how do we live through it to the glory of God?
Fortunately, we have another example given us in the New Testament: Paul.
2nd Corinthians 12:1-10
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"I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Paul starts out making some statements that are quite bold. He speaks of someone being caught up into the third heaven as if it was normal to do so. He admittedly doesn't know the details of this experience, which speaks to that we only know in part that which God reveals. It is either that or God reveals in part on purpose. Some of both are probably true.
I want to focus on the 2nd part of this quote however, because I think it lends insight to how renewing our mind can lead to protecting us. Paul states that a messenger of Satan was given to him to be a thorn is his flesh. He also states that this happened to protect him from being conceited about the surpassingly great revelations he was having. You can even see in his writing tendencies this progression. He starts out almost proud of what he knows or what he is being given by God, and falls back to vs. 7-10 in contrast. The Lord's answer to this demon that was given to him for his protection is, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Not only does the Lord tell Paul that his grace is the answer, but He goes one step further and says that because of this weakness His power is made perfect.
You need to be able to rest in the fact that God's power is made perfect in weakness. You are the perfect vessel for God be mighty in because you have great weakness. When we try to hide weakness or strengthen ourselves for the purpose of no longer being weak, we cannot experience the power of God made perfect in us. We experience the power of self being puffed up in us. The juggernaut will always triumph over self. And, you will not realize that you have lost until it is too late.
In contrast to what we (I mean a majority of Western Culture individuals) think of as powerful people, Paul falls back into the grace of Christ. Paul knowingly has a demon tormenting him (that I would bet is somehow related to his pride issues) is in jail for Christ - yet the answer is to trust in grace. It is almost like the Lord says "Experience grace, Paul."
If that was an easy task, much would be different. It presses us to praise the Lord though. It presses us toward Him in our weakness. If we can accept our weakness, and realize that the Lord is made perfect there, we can continue to live freely.
