(I) Passive in Battle

The lady in front of me battles with so many issues in her life, and with no real progress on any of them. As we have agreed to work with the truth as far as we understand it, I venture on the next stage of our journey together:  “I suspect that you have less of a problem with depression than with passivity.”

“I am not lázy!”, the poor woman exclaims in shocked disbelief, as we look each other squarely in the eye.

“No, you are not lazy. That is not what I meant when I suggested that you’ve got a problem with passivity. To be passive, means that you have disengaged in the active, honest response to your life’s struggles and challenges. You follow the path of least resistance, which leads you into your comfort zone of doing what comes naturally, without effort or challenge, even if it is not a pleasurable place for you to be in."

Of course, there can and often is a link between passivity and laziness which I wouldn't deny. But in the case of this woman, and many others I've had the privilege to work with in the past, I am convinced that there is a clear distinction.

Passivity is a good recipe for maintaining the status quo : a down spiral of the féélings of guilt, inadequacy and failure, and of course, even depression. ‘Panic, feeling down, unmotivated’ are emotions frequently described by people in this disposition. So, if we want to reap the same results, we must stick to this recipe. I don’t want to give the impression that this is the only aspect that must be addressed or is applicable to this state of mind. That would over simplify the matter greatly. But I do want to use it as an example to stress the importance of working on an active mind and attitude and to learn how to teach that to our children. This is something that should be regularly attended to and practiced from childhood, which sadly doesn't get the attention it merits.  

A mind left in 'automatic mode', finds its own disorderly way and will not submit to control easily, from without or from within. It will tend to submit to the random thought popping in from 'nowhere' or from observed/experienced circumstances, or to emotions of the moment, to what fééls good, comfortable and familiar, or what is the way of least resistance. It is a mind that can be described as "full of wandering thoughts... (or the)... imagination inflamed, or it is heavy, passive or sluggish and unusable. It is practically out of your own control and is uncontrolled by God." * 

Is this what we want for ourselves and for our children?
Shall we allow ourselves and them to stay stuck in feelings and emotions, not understanding that there is a way out, and how?

A passive mind is, spiritually spoken, actually one manifestation of the mind of the 'old man', which should be renewed , according to Eph 4:22&23.

Therefore passivity in mind and consequent behavior is a recipe :
#  to neither think things through,  
#  nor to hold, apply and express the truths it has already heard of
#  to create feelings of hopelessness, confusion, inner anger and despair – some of the symptoms of
    what is commonly diagnosed as the 'disease of depression'
#  to be prejudiced over truth
#  to not perceive spiritual matters or discern the will of God clearly 

#  to lead us away from the path of active obedience and service to God 

An active mind must be 
#  obtained at the cross for a christian, where the old man with all his faculties must die/ be put off, as
     our text says, and the new man can be born/be put on in the newness of all its faculties (e.g. Eph
     4:22/23)
#  practiced continuously, so that we can think through problems and feelings and experiences, in the
    light of Gods Word. In this process we search for root causes truthfully and pray through these
    things carefully. 
    This is how we start to engage in a specific kind of spiritual warfare and should start to teach
    that to our children as well. To them, their battles and challenges are as real and as difficult as we
    experience ours.
     Battles are fought individually, yes, but they are not fought alone. Soldiers stand next to each
     other, plan to strategically manoeuvre together, helping each other to not become inactive and
     ineffective. 

Let's take our children's hands and teach them not only that life out there is hard and not always fair, and that we can even be our own worst enemies within ourselves, but also how to handle this life. 
Peter demands in his first letter (1:13) : "Gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

So, hów do we do this thing called life, in this way??

* We start by studying Gods Word and applying it faithfully. This requires discipline and practice – and utilizing the armor of God. 
“Trying to do things in my own strength, doesn’t work, and just allows me to stay stuck,” our dear lady rightly admitted after understanding what I tried to explain to her in this regard. 
* This also requires the risk of leaving our comfort zones, as uneasy as it might be, and confront unpopular truths like ‘resist’ and ‘sin’, not only once, but again and again.

To lead this dear sister to the realization of what she herself eventually describes as : “My heavenly Father knows what the problem is, and I must take everything to the cross, and I must actively RESIST this enemy…”, isn’t easy, but rewarding and delightful for both of us.

This can be the same regarding our children. 

Will you join hands and approach the battlefield with me - for your own sake, for their sake, and ultimately for the sake of our Lord who showed us HOW? Before you answer, this requires courage and commitment, and honesty. So, while you consider this, we leave the practical side for a future post. 




* The Battle for the Mind, by Jessie Penn-Lewis. p 12