Sal's Blog 8/21
Wednesday Men’s Thought
So as I began reading about different types of fights I began to see a parallel to how we respond to fights…
Listen to this I found on the internet…some guy writing about his thoughts on different fights
1.The dominance display sometimes goes to a fight. Not usually, unless you let your ego get involved. They call that the Monkey Dance and it is common, predictable and seemingly genetically imprinted to be safe. On the rare occasions someone dies in a Monkey Dance it is by falling and hitting their head.
2.The display of solidarity is called the Group Monkey Dance. This one can be brutal and pitiless beyond what too many people are ready to accept in their comfortable, safe worlds.
3.The third is the Predatory Assault. This is the one I think of when I am writing about survival and self defense. This is the one that I plan and train for… The person attacked has to be trained for immediate action regardless of the nature of the attack. What kind of immediate action? It really doesn’t matter. Turning and running could work. One guy I knew could reliably kick the knee from almost any position. Palm heel to the face is good. But it must be immediate, must bypass the cognitive process.
So this is this guys take on different types of fights you can encounter…
Verbal aggression includes behavior such as bullying, threats or yelling.
Physical aggression often involves acts of violence taken with the intention of causing harm to the recipient, including death, by using weapons or even someone's bare hands
We have all seen or heard of these types of fights…
What about nonverbal intimidation which often implies the threat of violence, at least in the perception of the person at the receiving end.
Have you ever felt that? Walking down the street and a group of guys is staring you down…no words but you know….trouble is at your doorstep…
So do you believe you are in a fight right now?
Not just the earthly fights we have in our lives…we all have our battles…but a fight is happening
Ephesians 6:12 says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places….
This very familiar verse describes the spiritual battle that exists in the lives of believers…
What do you think Paul is talking about when he says rulers, powers, world forces and wickedness? Who is he talking about?
Paul identifies our spiritual enemies. This list is commonly interpreted as a listing of the "ranks" within the demonic armies.
"Rulers" seem to indicate a top level of evil spiritual forces. "world forces" refer to general forces of evil attacking believers. "Cosmic powers" seems to refer to the worldwide nature of this spiritual battle. "wickedness in the heavenly places" again emphasizes a battle beyond this world.
So this is where I see a parallel…when the guy describes the different types of fighting you encounter…monkey dance… I see the different forces at work that Paul is talking about…different levels of attack…
So Paul tells us our battle is indeed spiritual, not physical… The enemies we face, ultimately, are not people or objects. The Devil may use those as part of his attack, but our true opponent is not other people: it is sin.
Spiritual battles can occur at all levels… The believer must be prepared for all types of attacks through putting on God's armor, as Paul describes.
Like that guy described he prepares for the direct attack…the predatory assault…he prepares because he wants to be ready…
Paul says we can as believers be prepared for all types of attacks….what does that look like?
Do you think you are a target?
Do you view things like life’s troubles as an attack of the enemy?
Are you living like you are under attack? everyday? Are you preparing for a fight everyday?
How do you handle the different fights in your life?
Some things we ignore or disregard…some fights we blow off like a pesky mosquito…but they are infecting us with many small bites…
How are you fighting your battles?
Monkey dance…you go around and around with nothing but words?
Group monkey dance….maybe you just see it as too many opponents so you give up or maybe not even try to fight or maybe you feel always overwhelmed and defeated…
Or do you prepare for the fight knowing the enemy is at hand?
So how do you prepare? How do you make sure you are ready for the fight…
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
So first thing is to stand firm….what does that mean? Think about that this week.
Listen to this I found on the internet…some guy writing about his thoughts on different fights
1.The dominance display sometimes goes to a fight. Not usually, unless you let your ego get involved. They call that the Monkey Dance and it is common, predictable and seemingly genetically imprinted to be safe. On the rare occasions someone dies in a Monkey Dance it is by falling and hitting their head.
2.The display of solidarity is called the Group Monkey Dance. This one can be brutal and pitiless beyond what too many people are ready to accept in their comfortable, safe worlds.
3.The third is the Predatory Assault. This is the one I think of when I am writing about survival and self defense. This is the one that I plan and train for… The person attacked has to be trained for immediate action regardless of the nature of the attack. What kind of immediate action? It really doesn’t matter. Turning and running could work. One guy I knew could reliably kick the knee from almost any position. Palm heel to the face is good. But it must be immediate, must bypass the cognitive process.
So this is this guys take on different types of fights you can encounter…
Verbal aggression includes behavior such as bullying, threats or yelling.
Physical aggression often involves acts of violence taken with the intention of causing harm to the recipient, including death, by using weapons or even someone's bare hands
We have all seen or heard of these types of fights…
What about nonverbal intimidation which often implies the threat of violence, at least in the perception of the person at the receiving end.
Have you ever felt that? Walking down the street and a group of guys is staring you down…no words but you know….trouble is at your doorstep…
So do you believe you are in a fight right now?
Not just the earthly fights we have in our lives…we all have our battles…but a fight is happening
Ephesians 6:12 says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places….
This very familiar verse describes the spiritual battle that exists in the lives of believers…
What do you think Paul is talking about when he says rulers, powers, world forces and wickedness? Who is he talking about?
Paul identifies our spiritual enemies. This list is commonly interpreted as a listing of the "ranks" within the demonic armies.
"Rulers" seem to indicate a top level of evil spiritual forces. "world forces" refer to general forces of evil attacking believers. "Cosmic powers" seems to refer to the worldwide nature of this spiritual battle. "wickedness in the heavenly places" again emphasizes a battle beyond this world.
So this is where I see a parallel…when the guy describes the different types of fighting you encounter…monkey dance… I see the different forces at work that Paul is talking about…different levels of attack…
So Paul tells us our battle is indeed spiritual, not physical… The enemies we face, ultimately, are not people or objects. The Devil may use those as part of his attack, but our true opponent is not other people: it is sin.
Spiritual battles can occur at all levels… The believer must be prepared for all types of attacks through putting on God's armor, as Paul describes.
Like that guy described he prepares for the direct attack…the predatory assault…he prepares because he wants to be ready…
Paul says we can as believers be prepared for all types of attacks….what does that look like?
Do you think you are a target?
Do you view things like life’s troubles as an attack of the enemy?
Are you living like you are under attack? everyday? Are you preparing for a fight everyday?
How do you handle the different fights in your life?
Some things we ignore or disregard…some fights we blow off like a pesky mosquito…but they are infecting us with many small bites…
How are you fighting your battles?
Monkey dance…you go around and around with nothing but words?
Group monkey dance….maybe you just see it as too many opponents so you give up or maybe not even try to fight or maybe you feel always overwhelmed and defeated…
Or do you prepare for the fight knowing the enemy is at hand?
So how do you prepare? How do you make sure you are ready for the fight…
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
So first thing is to stand firm….what does that mean? Think about that this week.
Posted in Men