Two Paths to High Performance

There’s just one metric for “high performance” as a Christian: To live and love more like Christ daily.  The pathway is simple:

1.      Receive God’s love.

2.      Pass that love on by telling others about Him.  

3.      Help people at the practical/emotional/spiritual levels.  

This plays out in our work, relationships, communities, how we manage our money, etc.

This is easier said than done and I want to talk about one of the primary obstacles: Satan.

There are a number of schools of thought regarding Satan.  Some envision him in a human-like form with horns and a pitch fork.  Others envision more of a dark, spiritual force. The Apostle Peter described him as a prowling lion trying to devour us. Frankly, I don’t care which “version” of Satan you subscribe to, but please don’t discount that there is a very real, supernatural battle going on between good and evil.

(As a quick aside, God has purposely allowed this.  And has equipped His followers with His Spirit to fight and win the battle. He’s not going to do it by Himself. His plan is to do it through us.)

We can’t see cell phone signals, x-rays, a mother’s love, or esprit de corps amongst the championship team, but nobody denies they exist. It’s the same with evil. It’s a very real force that draws us away from God’s love and our appetite to pass it on. 

It exists in people, governments, and institutions. It manifests in the form of abject evil (e.g., genocide, sex trafficking); And less horrific forms (e.g., selfishness, consumerism, the worship of comfort and entertainment, feelings of worthlessness and shame, political correctness run amok.)

Here’s what you need to know about this reality: Satan is persistent and creative. He will do anything – super-dramatic or super-subtle – to prevent you from receiving God’s love and passing it on.

The good news is that Satan is not powerful. We don’t have to live shaking in our boots that the boogey man is lurking around every corner.  But we must be vigilant.

Here’s two things you can do:

1.      When you see, hear, or think anything that moves you away from pure love, invoke the name of Jesus.  Simply say: “In the powerful name of Jesus, I rebuke you Satan and will have nothing to do with you.”  And then, with your head held high and confidence in your gait, move on with courage and don’t give evil a second thought.  You may need to do this 10-20 times a day.

2.      Secondly, whatever negative or unloving thoughts or feelings come upon you during the day, replace the wrong thinking with the Truth about you, God, and how He has ordered the world to work. The key, of course, is to know the Truth of the Bible well enough so you can instantly shift your mind to the Truth to combat the lie.

Recognize the battle. Approach it wisely. Victory will be ours.