Taming the Tiger

It’s fascinating to see a new tiger kitten—so small and cute and harmless. They sometimes appear on TV news shows and late night comedy shows. Guests can pick them up and cuddle them in their arms….but in just a few months, they can become deadly. Some have tried to take them home and make them pets, trying to tame the wild nature of an animal whose nature was designed to kill. Sometimes believers play the same kind of game with Satan and his temptations. They take home the ‘tiger’ of temptation and stroke it and feed it and play with it until it grows into a deadly killer.

Selfishness
There are all kinds of ‘tigers’ in our culture today. There is the ‘tiger’ of selfishness that often results in a broken marriage and shattered family, destroyed when the spouses focus on themselves and their needs, instead of on the needs of each other and the children. Humanism has taught a generation that ‘my’ needs come first. They tell themselves “What about me? I deserve something!” What they have failed to recognize is the Biblical principle taught in Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." When we are tempted to be selfish, we risk the gradual development of a wild tiger in our homes. To destroy this tiger once and for all there is only one sure remedy...giving! Giving is the exact opposite of selfishness.
But most folks don’t want to give when they have been trained to be takers. Takers spend lots of time developing the fine art of seeking out the best of everything around them, and filling their lives with things that make them feel good and give them comfort . They inadvertently teach their children to do the same. They model for them a ‘taker’ mentality. Christianity teaches a giving mentality, yet some believers continue to respond to their carnal nature and continue taking, thinking that they are doing what is right and proper. But Jesus in Luke 6 chose his 12 disciples and one of the first things He taught them was the principle of giving. The unselfish giving of Jesus originated in love. Jesus also taught them to love their enemies. "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6: 27-28
But how often do Christian couples today divorce on the terms of incompatibility, when they have refused to follow the teachings of Jesus… The apostle Paul taught that husbands are to love their wives and wives are to be submissive to their husbands, and Jesus taught that we are all to love our enemies. When the ‘enemy’ lives in our own household, we are to continue to love. Loving does not mean becoming a doormat to abusive physical behavior, substance abuse or any behavior that would endanger a life, but it does demand that we treat each other with respect and maturity. It means learning to discuss problems and work through them to a resolution.
The situation can change when each person involved begins to start giving. They must begin acting like Jesus. And they must start treating the “enemy” like you would treat Jesus. If Jesus lived in your house, how would you treat Him? Knowing what Jesus did for you...giving His life for your sin, motivates most believers to be willing to give Him whatever He wants….serving Him with absolute unconditional love, just as He loved us as gave Himself for us.
All sin begins in selfishness. It demands its own way. It seeks it’s needs met without considering the needs of others. But love is the opposite. Just read the familiar 1 Corinthians 13 passage: “4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.” Yet how often in a heated situation do Christians allow their emotions to be aroused to the point of rudeness, rage and rebellion. They begin to tally up a list of grievances—wrongs, unmet expectations, and the moment selfishness shows it’s ugly face, trust is destroyed again and again until the relationship crumbles into oblivion. I often wonder if just one person had begun to act like Jesus, had chosen to love when the other was unkind, or had chosen to be patient when the other lost patience, or chose to be humble when one became arrogant and pride filled—could it have changed the dynamics of the confrontation? The love chapter teaches us that genuine love looks beyond the sin and protects...reaching beyond what it sees to what it believes God will make through the power of love. He promises us that love NEVER fails.
Some have the worldly notion that love is an emotion one feels on the inside, and when they don’t ‘feel’ loved...that love is gone. But this is a lie from the enemy. Love is not a feeling! Love is a choice. It is not an adjective, but a verb. Love is something you do. Love is not that tingly feeling you have when you first meet a person of the opposite sex to whom you are attracted. Love chooses to love regardless of what it sees, hears, thinks or feels. That is how you can tame a savage tiger. With the love that God gives us, modeled by Jesus Himself, genuine love transforms the tiger into a kitten. How? Well, in Christ Jesus, when we yield ourselves to Him, He makes us new creations. He kills the old vile nature and makes it into something altogether different. It chooses to love, seeing the possibility of change in others who also need to become ‘new creations’.

Unforgiveness
“I’ll never forgive what they did to me!” How often have you heard that phrase? Somehow we think if we don’t forgive, it will punish our ‘victim’. But the reality is it hurts you far more than your victim. It places in you, that seed of bitterness that grows and sours your life. Forgiveness tames the ‘tiger’ in you and places the weight of responsibility on the perpetrator. When you choose to forgive, a load lifts, freeing you from a lifetime of hurt and pain. But where do we begin? It starts to change when we do what Jesus did.

Self Denial
Jesus practiced love and unselfishness to show us how to do it right. He began with self-denial. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me…. (Matt. 16:24) We begin doing this when we look at others with humility and see them as God’s very own blessing in our life. God placed them there to teach us something we lack. Humility is a must. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “ God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5) and Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ( Phil. 2:3) Humility is something only you can do. No one can do it for you. You must choose it, and know it will make you a better person.

Self Control
To bring healing and closure to any heated situation requires that believers learn to exercise self-control. Unfortunately they all too often spend time trying to control each other. Self-control begins when we recognize that the only one who has control of anything is God. We can never control other adults, only ourselves. As obedient children we must subject ourselves to Him, allowing His Spirit to control our uncontrolled lives. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control….24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Gal 5:22-24) So it is not getting our own way that matters, but yielding to His, killing our selfish desires. The person who exercises Godly self-control is one who brings every thought and action into conformity with the will of God. What is His will? His will is found in His Word. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2)and that will includes refraining from fornication….  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; (1 Thess. 2:3,4) Self control will keep you from falling into sin’s traps made by the enemy. Every person who falls in sin, failed in the area of self-control.

Self Sacrifice
Jesus gave the ultimate self sacrifice. He died. He chose to lay down his life for those He loved—us. He expects us to do the same.  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom. 12:1) Self sacrifice means doing what your carnal flesh tells you not to do...to yield to God, to yield to the Holy Spirit, to listen to His voice and obey what He tells you to do. We are to place our lives on the altar of God and yield to His control….come what may. It means not getting ruffled when others criticize or fail to appreciate. It means patiently dealing with repeated annoyances and walking in humility when others rise in arrogance…. knowing that God is working a higher good. Paul recommended that husbands love their wives this way...as Christ loved the church.
Each of these ‘tigers’ requires you...yourself...to respond. Others cannot do it for you. You must choose as Jesus would choose. Spiritual maturity must rise up within us. You are called to a role others may never attain. Yield your life to Him and let Him help you tame your tiger….by transforming you.
J. Johnson
 

The Valley of Decision

We are amazed at what we see on our TV screens and via the internet today as we see moment by moment news flashes from around the world. We can watch as after shocks and new quakes hit China’s Sichuan Province and in the next moment see the devastation in Myanmar or bombs exploding in Iraq. We can go on the internet and see all the recent earthquakes shaking the ground all around the globe. We can pull down news feeds from networks around the world and hear the latest news that speaks of prophetic fulfillment and warns the believers that it is possible that Jesus could return at any time. Yet, though we have all this technology at our fingertips, the world rumbles on—going through the daily motions and routines. The Bible gives us the warnings of God’s judgment on the nations in Joel 3:14-17 "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. 16 The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. 17 “ So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”
God will be bringing the nations of the world to a point at which they must choose….a valley of decision. When we are so busy, so distracted, so apathetic, we are not ready to make important choices. But when the pressure mounts and the times get hard, we begin to look at our options a little more carefully. We begin to make priorities. Some are already doing that with their cars. As gas prices climb, we choose what we will go for, and we plan our trips carefully for the best use of our gas money. We park our gas-hogs, pull out our bikes or walking shoes and get some exercise instead. Suddenly we take the time to think about other options. We choose what is really important and what is not.
God wants us to do the same with our spiritual lives. Soon, all around us, there will be millions, in the valley of decision. They will be looking for answers to the dilemma’s they face. They will want to know what to do and where to turn. They will want help with their questions, and will want to know about God and eternity. Some many be very angry, blaming God for their circumstances. Some will be in a state of utter despair. But the believer is not to be this way. He is to be ready, not indecisive. He serves God, who knows all things. For the believer, there need be no panic or fear. When we see the signs, the divine notifications, we can be sure that God is working His plan and He has an eye on those who are His own….But the LORD will be a shelter for His people. While the multitudes are in the valley of decision, we are to take note that the ‘the day of the LORD is near .' This tells us that in the divine calendar of God, we will see things to point us to the Lord. In a recent broadcast on Prophesy in the News with J.R. Church, he hosted a Messianic pastor, Rev. Mark Biltz who shared an interesting interpretation regarding the signs that Joel talked about here….the sun and moon growing dark and the stars diminished brightness. Back in the days when it was written, they did not understand what was happening when the sun or the moon experienced an eclipse. Today, we understand what causes this to happen. Yet, to God, He uses these rhythmic occurrences to remind man of His existence and His plan as well as His calendar. Today we use a Gregorian calendar. But the Jews have a calendar all their own. Their New Year begins in Sept/Oct instead of January. Rev. Biltz noted by looking back in history via NASA that God often allowed historic events to occur on the 9th day of Av (July or Aug) including the destruction of two of the Jewish temples(423 BC and 69 AD), the expulsion of Jews of Spain(1492 AD) and England(1290 AD), the 6 day war in Israel(1967), and the expulsion of Jews from Gaza (2005). When comparing these dates with eclipses of past history, they coincided. God marked each sad day with a sign in the heavens.
While we tend to look at the catastrophes like just another news item, God marks them in His divine calendar. He tells us in His Word, that we can expect to see these things all happening at the same time. It is a sign to us all. While some think God has abandoned the Jewish people, it is amazing that the prophecies spoken thousands of years ago, continue to point the people of God to the reality of a God who loves his creation enough to warn them in advance. When God speaks from Jerusalem, and the heavens and earth shakes at the sound of His voice, we need not fear. God is in charge!
Shaking!
How is God shaking your world today? If I have to pay $4.00 a gallon for gas, I find it hard to complain when I hear that others in the world are paying $9.00 for the same thing. If I have a small ache or pain, I just can’t complain when I see the sad destruction of thousands crushed under crumbling buildings, and homes washed away. When I look up to the sky, and I see the creation of God, the moon and the stars, the sun shining on my world, what can I say? God is still God. Even if I should be wounded or killed by some catastrophe, does God stop being God? No!
We ask ourselves, why do the righteous suffer? We must remember that this world is not our final home. We are strangers and pilgrims in a ‘foreign land.’ The suffering that the righteous may have to endure here for a moment of time is nothing compared to the eternal home He has prepared for us all. We often forget those in the past who also suffered and died. Of the 11 remaining disciples after the death of Jesus, only one, John the beloved, died of old age. The remainder died a martyrs death. Throughout the annals of time, great men and women are listed in Foxes Book of Martyrs, including Polycarp, Wycliffe, Luther, and Tyndale, who suffered persecutions and death because of their faith. Today, websites record stories of modern day martyrs for the cause of Christ. Perhaps you heard of the Christians who were burned alive in their church in Kenya this year. This week as China was mourning it’s losses, it also was putting on trial pastors of house churches. In Pakistan, a mob of 200 Muslims are calling for the hanging of a Christian medical doctor who has served faithfully for years. Since 1985 it is estimated that 2 million people, many of them Christians, were killed in Sudan because of their faith. While we sit on our comfortable sofa’s and watch the news like we watch fictional dramas, people are dying for their faith. If such persecution were to come to North America, I wonder how many would stand and how many would fall.?!
Jesus spoke to his followers in Luke 18:1, 8 “he spoke a parable to them that men ought always to pray and not to loose heart…. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes will He really find faith on the earth?”
While some are busy, caught up in accumulating their wealth, souls are dying without a Savior. Where are our priorities? Even in the churches today, we get so busy with our spaghetti dinners, and our seasonal presentations that we forget to go outside our walls and talk to the neighbor next door, or the stranger at the bus stop. While we should be spending quality time with the Lord in prayer, modeling for our families what is really important in life, instead, we spend our time with frivolous video games. How many churches have closed their doors on Sunday night due to poor attendance? How many evangelists have left the road to take a church because churches were too busy to have a revival service? How many missionaries have abandoned their call to the world because they were unable to raise their support at churches who use their buildings only on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights? Multitudes, multitudes—in the valley of decision…. And what are we doing to reach them? Look around you! Who needs Jesus? He did not come for the righteous, but sinners. Are there any sinners in your life? Jesus moved about. He went to the most unlikely places….the home of the tax collector…. The funeral procession of a child… The pool where sick people lay about…. And He went up into a mountain to pray…! It takes time and effort and prayer to do the work of God. If you are physically unable to go… then give...and pray...and love...and encourage those who can.
When you begin to get a little self-centered….turn your thoughts toward others who are facing the valley of decision. Some must choose to pay the rent, or buy some food. Some must choose to stand for Christ and face beatings and death, or recant and be lost. When you put your own problems into an eternal perspective of such magnitude, they really seem much smaller. We have been in the valley of decision and we have chosen to follow the Lord. The rewards of that choice are ‘out of this world.’ “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” Revelations 22:12 We must be about our Father’s business….ministry to the multitudes in the valley of decision.

J. Johnson