The Lure

Picture this.  I'm sitting in a coffee shop typing away at my work, ear buds in, sipping a (non-caffeinated) beverage.  People are shuffling past every few minutes as I'm soaking in the rhythm of the morning.  All is well in my happy little world.  Then, suddenly, he walks in.  I don't even know him, but something about that guy catches my eye.  Maybe it's how he carries himself; maybe it's the light dancing in his eyes; or maybe it's the Cheerios I ate for breakfast.  Whatever it is, something about him draws my eyes from my computer screen.  With just one glance he has my heart. 

Well, maybe not exactly. 

Maybe it's more like this:  Guy enters the room.  He catches my eye.  I immediately think, "Is this a God thing?"  "Should I go talk to him?"  "Should I wait to see what, if anything, happens?"  And then I think, "Wait.  He's probably just like every other guy."  And by "every other guy" I mean every other jerk I've encountered, discounting all of my awesome guy friends, who would never act like that.  This mystery man would probably be nice to chat with for a few minutes, I think, but if I really got to know him I wouldn't like him.  Or worse yet, he wouldn't like me.  (Or even worse yet - maybe he would!)  And then things would be really complicated because I don't have time for this in my life right now.  And checking last year's calendar, I didn't have time for it then either.  And next year's calendar is looking pretty booked, too.  So you might as well forget it, coffee shop man!  Leave me alone!  I would have been better off never laying eyes on you! .....Ahem...

And coffee shop guy, the scary thing is I would've entertained all of those thoughts in a virtual Nano second while continuing to type on my laptop, sipping on my beverage, and while purposefully and skillfully ignoring you, as you stood there none the wiser.  (Ok.  So that moment never happened exactly as written, but strange derivatives of that moment have oddly, and most certainly, occurred.)     

That, my friend, is a window into my worser moments.  (Yes, worser is now a word!)  And that is what my dearly beloved friend calls "logosmoi" (assaultive thoughts). 

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ... ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Maybe you've been there.  It's weird.  How someone can just interrupt your morning, and steal you away from a task that suddenly, somehow, seems less important.  Suddenly all you can do is try not to stare, or look away at the right moment so you can gaze just a little bit longer without being caught.  You feel like whatever you say in this hypothetical interaction is going to be stupid (which, sometimes, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy).  And whatever you're wearing just isn't right.  You're either too dressed down or too dressed up, or you just feel downright uncomfortable.  Or, gosh, if I'd just worn a different pair of shoes today, that interaction would've gone so much better!  What is that?  What force causes our guts to churn and our otherwise 'chill' selves to dance like circus freaks to win one moment's attention?  That, my friends, is called Attraction.  (Or distraction - which sometimes is a corollary.)

The Point.  In case you think this post is veering off into a realm of no return, let me reel you back in to the point:  Everyone's attractive.  But what are we attracting?  And to what or to whom are we attracted?

Eternal Kernel of Truth #1:

Everyone's attractive.  But what or who are we attracting

and to whom or to what are we attracted?

There is no such thing as an unattractive person.  Selah.  (You think about that!) 

Alright, take off your natural glasses and look through the lens of the Spirit with me. We (men and women) are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).  God is Spirit.  Therefore, we, being made in His image and likeness, are also Spirit.  You and I reside in a flesh body, but our outward appearance is not the essence of who we are.  We are spirit.

...For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. ~1 Samuel 16:7.

When I say "attractive" or "unattractive" chances are your mind flashes with images of people who personify each word.  Perhaps you think of someone you know or a character on your favorite TV show.  But I'm not talking about outward appearance.  I'm talking about this inward phenomenon of attraction rooted deeper than even our emotions which draws certain things and people toward us and repels others away from us.  Scrap the positive or negative connotations to the word "attractive" with me for a moment and let's think of attraction like a magnet.  It's a value-neutral term.

Do you ever notice how cheery people bring cheer wherever they go?  How Debbie Downers make you feel worse after hanging out with them?  Or how you just "click" with that person?  Or that guy or gal just rubs you the wrong way?  That's not a random coincidence.  What is that?  It's the force of attraction at work.  (Or repulsion: attraction working in reverse.) 

We should pay attention when we find ourselves drawn to or away from someone or something.  It's what some people call listening to our gut.  I call it tuning into the Holy Spirit, which leads and guides us into all truth (John 16:13).  Recognizing the force of attraction at work is the first step to discerning good and evil, but it doesn't end there.  Let me show you what I mean.

All you fishermen out there know what a 'lure' means.  Essentially, a lure is artificial bait that entices unsuspecting fish to take a bite of a tempting morsel that looks oh so good.  That is, until the fish realizes that what it chomped down on was actually a gnarly hook, now protruding out of its bleeding mouth.  The fish has been caught by the very morsel it thought would satisfy its hunger.  Even fish know "all that glitters is not gold!"

When it comes to relating to people or opportunities in our lives, we're not so different. 

Sometimes we see coffee shop man, for example, and think, "Wow.  If only I could know that person or spend more time with that person, then my life would be complete."  Do you even know that person?  Seeing someone and liking them is not the end of the inquiry: it's the beginning.  Sometimes you get to know people and they aren't who you thought they were.  Other times, you may not even like a person initially, but as you get to know them they become your best friend.  It's better for us to treat every time like the first time, always bringing a fresh perspective to our interactions. 

Maybe you've been hurt by a lure.  Maybe that guy or gal or that opportunity that seemed so good wasn't actually who or what you first thought it was.  Don't get angry and discouraged.  Just as it would be dumb for a fish to be mad at a morsel, we should likewise not be angry at the barbed people or opportunities that come our way.  Rather, we should follow the line back up with our eyes, see the fishing pole mechanism from which that line dangles and identify the true culprit who cast the line our way to start with.  Our fight is not with people and we have victory over the real culprit!

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ~ Ephesians 6:12.

...For we are not ignorant of (Satan's) schemes. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:11.

Coffee shop man may be a Godly attraction or just a distraction, but how are we to know the difference?  Can we know the difference?  Is it possible to identify lures without getting caught by them? 

For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.  ~Hebrews 5:14.

Some of you are tired of playing church.  Some of you are weary of getting your butts kicked and falling for the enemy's tricks over and over and over again in your life.  So am I.  It's time for us to grow up in Christ.  It's time to reclaim the territory where the enemy has taken up residence in our lives.  It's time for us to put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.  ~ Ephesians 6:11.

We don't have to fall for the enemy's lures.  In fact, lest Satan should get an advantage over us, we are called to be not ignorant of his devices.  (2 Corinthians 2:11).  Over the next series of posts we will discuss how to discern and avoid the enemy's pitfalls and how to identify and embrace the real treasures God has in store for us.  As we begin to recognize the forces at work around us, we will grow stronger and more confident in our faith in the Greater One who lives within us.  (1 John 4:4).  I'm excited for this journey, because I know it ends in Freedom. 

Go in the strength of the Lord today! (Psalm 71:16).