The first time I saw neon colored tiny frogs at the zoo, my jaw dropped. My inner 80’s child, practically squealed at their Lisa Frank style coloring. Unfortunately my excitement was quickly squelched when I learned they are incredibly poisonous. I wouldn’t have survived very long, had I grown up in the Amazon and followed my natural instincts. Turns out, they dip the tip of arrows in the poison of the dart frog to make it a lethal weapon. The truth is, our natural instincts will often get us spiritually killed.
Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
When we see something we don’t like, it’s natural to have a negative response. Instinctually we want to defend and fire back. Unfortunately, our opponent when fired upon, will only raise their guard. To penetrate defenses, we must first prove that we don’t need to be defended against. As Christians we are supposed to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Our goal should be restoration, not annihilation.
It’s important for all of us to remember that the devil isn’t aiming to drag one corrupt camp of people to hell. The aim is to take all camps straight to hell. All he has to do, is to cause our love and patience for each other to wax cold. Self justification and self righteousness are natural just like dart frog poison. When we shoot a fiery dart steeped in those emotions, we don’t gain a brother, we create an enemy.
Proverbs 16: 7-9
7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.
9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Self justification and self righteousness are emotions that blind us when we are afraid to approach something God’s way instead of our own. Right now, I see fellow christians taking aim at each other. This is especially alarming because we should be good examples of a walk with Jesus. We are His mouth, His hands, and His feet on earth. We don’t fight against men. We fight against demons; our fellow man’s and our own. Choosing righteousness is the only way we can wound both the force of evil trying to gain a foothold in our brother’s heart, and the force of evil trying to gain a foothold in our own.
Our natural man is our real enemy. We must continually ask ourselves; Am I doing this the way I want, or am I doing it the way God wants?
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
If peacemakers are called the children of God, then we must ask; Who are we choosing as our father if we are not seeking peace?
2nd Timothy 3: 1-5
1.This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
It is our God-given responsibility to treat others the way Jesus exemplified to us. If we don’t, we are not God’s.
Mathew 7:19-20
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Our mission should be that we never respond with our natural man and poison dart frog ammunition. We should be responding with a fruit basket. We should be sending the fruit of The Spirit back over the lines of tension. We aim to gain our fellow man as our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is only by our fruit that we are recognized as belonging to God. When our way’s please the Lord, He will make even our enemies to be at peace with us.
Galations 5: 22-26
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
I love you each so much. I pray that our souls be soothed with the balm of the Holy Spirit today and that the Love of God never wax cold in us. Huge hugs my friends.
Mountains and Mustard Seeds 