Welcome to episode two of this 10-part Serenity in Motion podcast series called Resting In The Arms Of The One Who Disarmed You

This series is all about how we lead based on how we show up. Because how we show up sets up how and where we lead others, and ourselves.

It’s about showing up in a way that invites connection, optimizes performance and ushers in confidence and rest.

As I said last week, it’s BOLD to show up that way. It’s bold to show up embodying the rest we are designed to have in Christ.

In this week’s episode I’m going to talk about the things we lose and the things we gain from change. I’m going to do something I haven’t done on any of the other Serenity in Motion podcasts, I’m going to walk through a passage from scripture where Jesus addresses rest, but in a way we might not immediately recognize.

Again, when working with MettlEdge in any of our coaching memberships, you get a neutral, unbiased, confidential and welcoming space to gain clarity, make decisions, move forward, and thrive. We are a group of professionally trained and credentialed coaches.

On this podcast, however, I will sometimes dive into my own values and beliefs, presenting faith content for thought. This happens to be one of those series…the first in fact.

Feel free to listen in, or tune in another time.

The scripture I’m discussing today is Luke 11:14-23:

In this passage, Jesus has just overpowered a demon and cast it out of a man who had been mute. He showed Himself off to His watching world and some who were there marveled at Him, but some didn’t want to acknowledge Him as God. They made excuses saying he must be the prince of the demons. They tested him. But let’s not focus on their excuses and tests. Let’s focus on what their excuses and tests imply. They imply these people didn’t want to acknowledge what they had seen. They didn’t want to acknowledge Jesus as God. So, they devised a way to justify their want to NOT acknowledge the power of God in him. Such acknowledgement would change everything for them, especially if they personally gained from the world system as it was. Perhaps they gained prestige. Or power. Or just a comfort of knowing their place. The thought of acknowledging Jesus may have lead only to the thought of what they might lose, not what they might gain.

Resistance to change for fear of loss isn’t always sourced in the desire to hold on to evil powerful sinister things. It certainly can be, but sometimes it’s sourced simply in the desire to hold on to known things. For us, just as much as for them, acknowledging the power of Jesus in our lives changes everything – even little, good things sometimes. Like the potential cost of a change in a friendship or a change in the level of admiration we receive from others. Or the cost we experience from choosing to live differently than the cultural flow of our community for the sake of our commitment to a Kingdom far better than the one many of us are struggling to build here.   

 

FOCUS: What are you thinking about? What excuses, if any, do you give to deny the power and presence of God because it would change everything?

 

Jesus didn’t let them sit with their excuses, just as he doesn’t allow us to sit with ours. He responded to their accusations and tests by proposing in verse 20, “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

And then he continues in verses21 and 22 telling this story:  

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed.”

The word undisturbed here is also translated as safe.

So, to continue “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed – or safe. But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.”

In this story we have a strong man, fully armed, guarding his own palace, his kingdom. And we have a stronger one who overcomes him and takes away everything. This sounds unjust, awful, terrifying.

But what if there is more to the story.

What if the strong man is guarding a palace that was given to him, that he does not own? And what if even his very life was given to him? And here he is protecting these things as if they are his to protect.

And someone stronger than him, who also happens to be the rightful owner of the things, and the creator of him, disrupts his culturally relevant and natural, but short-sighted and powerless kingdom building intended to give him shelter, significance and strength.

What if this one who is stronger comes attacking the deception that has blinded the strong man. What if his attack is his attempt to relieve the strong man of his tiresome, exasperating and endless effort. What if the stronger man desires to expose the truth that He is with the strong man and the strong man has no need to build because he has a place in a perfect kingdom. In fact, what if he’s living in a sort of virtual reality and the stronger one wants so much to break him into reality to align him with rest, with the shelter, significance and strength the strong man was designed to experience. A shelter, significance and strength far better than the man could build for himself.

What if the stronger one simply, and lovingly, wants the strong man to be relieved, so he takes away that which binds him, his armor; and he gives him vision for what sets him free, the sharing of his design with others, the offering of himself, as spoil from a battle. The battle to escape this virtual reality to live in the better kingdom yet to come, as of now.

FUEL: What if this is the back story? What if that which they have to gain far surpasses that which they have to lose? In what ways might this be true for you?

 

Jesus ends the story in verse 23 by saying, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

The strong man was not with him. 

Who is this strong man?

Not wanting to lose his kingdom? It’s those in the crowd making excuses and testing Jesus for what they witnessed that day for sure. But, it’s sometimes you and me, too.

And who is the stronger one taking away culturally relevant securities and armor that the strong man would lose his virtual kingdom? Of course this man is Jesus.

If your son or daughter had their sights set on something – anything that is valuable and worth their effort to pursue – and you could clearly see their way of pursuing the thing would lead them further away from it, would you just sit and watch them flounder? Or would you offer an opportunity that might steer them in a better direction? You obviously couldn’t demand they choose it, but would you let that stop you from offering wisdom from your personal experience with similar things? And would you hope that they realize you are with them in this -  that they may choose to be with you, too, rather than against you? Even if in the process they experience a painful loss, would you just watch them blindly miss out on what they have to gain without offering an opportunity for disruption to serve their ultimate good? Jesus doesn’t.

JESUS DISRUPTS OUR VIRTUAL KINGDOMS FOR THE SAKE OF HIS.

OUR RESPONSE EXPOSES WHAT MATTERS MOST TO US, THE THINGS WE’VE LOST OR THE THINGS WE GAIN.

How, if at all, has Jesus disrupted and disarmed you? How have you responded?

 

FIGHT: In what ways will you fight for rest today?  

What’s that thing popping into your mind and within your power that you can do?  

When will you do it? 

What difference will it make for you and for others when you do? 

Who will you tell? 

 

I hope you’ll join me next week as we talk more about the things we want when things change.

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I hope you enjoyed this episode and that it gave you some good food for thought. Catch you next week where we’ll dive into what it memes, I mean means, to shape a strong sense of self. 

I pray this podcast has been and continues to be a blessing.