"Position"

“Position, position and position” is what I am after; think about it aren’t we all? My mind has been stretched and my imagination is running riot all because of the vivid dream I had last night. It is fresh in my mind, cats looking to take me out, lions leopards and even jaguars’ all looking for a piece of me. Up a tree I went with only a small blade in my hand and then it got chaotic. First a lioness intrepidly gliding up the tree trunk with her piercing eyes locked on her prize, me! She clawed eagerly into position and then she made her move with a lung she went in for the kill but met my blade instead, it was just enough of a distraction to throw her off guard and she tumbled to her death. Others had now elevated themselves above and to the side of me, I remain locked in position ready to parry off the next bout. Before I knew, somehow I had fended off all my pursuers and they had all plummeted to their deaths. It’s not the first time I have dreamed about lions trying to take me out, normally I am always running or hiding from them, but not last night, I took up a position and faced them head on.

Why would I even bother to mention all of this? There is a great lesson in it for me and maybe you too could learn from it as you project the principle gleaned from my experience and appropriate it into your lives. It may help some.

The very first thing I think about when I have these episodes is this; “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8) – And then men that come to mind Peter, James and John the generals being targeted by the devil. But it’s Peter that gives me the encouragement, even the struggling saints have their bridges to cross. The ones whom are dismissed by the wicked world as a joke, those who never seem to learn and make the same mistakes over and over. I tell you this, that while we have breath we have hope, victory is just a prayer away and then once acknowledged the wherewithal to commit to our great God. There are those that seem to always be learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Understanding our weakness, owning up to them and then vehemently seeking God’s face to have them addresses in righteousness.

In the throes of my dream I am filled with fear and it is as real as me sipping away at my coffee. I must confess it was not a very pleasant experience. However, through process it has taught me a very valuable lesson, “position, position and position” was the key to my success, and it gave me the victory. Whilst running and hiding over the years in my dreams I was always filled with anxiety, it was a terrible experience and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Not to say that my dream last night didn’t carry with it an element of fear, it did! However once force into a corner and with only one feasible out, I instinctively sprang into action and positioned myself as best I could. Against all odds I survived. Whatever attack formation these gnarly beast conjured up, their attacks all failed, plummeting them to their deaths. In hindsight and on reflection strategic brilliance surrounded me as these cats moved in for their kill. Now process this thought, how will the created ever be a match for the creator?

  

We must not now make the mistake of locking this experience into the natural domain but rather use it to explore the spiritual. We must face our fears, whatever bothers us the most in our lives must eventually be tackled head on. But for us to find victory we need to stop running and POSITION ourselves correctly; “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) – We must be convinced about the hope which one day shall be ours. We must learn to lock onto the Lord Jesus’ victory, He has overcome and we must believe with all our hearts that we stand in HIS finished work. Carnality is our worst enemy, it always drives us from God. But it’s within our minds that we need to command our bodies into action, we need to position ourselves, and we must do it! It is not as if we will be arrested from an external source and have no say in the matter, we must do it! We must POSITION ourselves correctly and then all we need to do is STAND! In other words believe God, finished! We often want the easy way out, walking in the Spirit is not the easy way out but the only way we will please our heavenly Father and the only way we will ever conquer those doubts in our lives.

Here is the instruction, remember to dress for battle, we must put on the whole armour of God. And once we are satisfied with the fit we must remember to STAND, regardless of the onslaught. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you”, it certainly doesn’t say fight him. We are no match for him, but one day that will all change when we receive our glorified bodies, but until then let us remember to stand in Christ’s victory.

Signing off

Tyrone