Just Forget It!

Aside from speed, one of the computer’s most vital features is memory. It consists of two elements: RAM (random access memory), equal to the brain’s short-term memory, and the hard disk storage, or long-term memory. Computer operators can record words, pictures, sounds, video-clips, spreadsheets and other complicated files and store it in the memory. Everything works fine—-as long as they understand the delete key. With a single stroke, a file that took hours or even days to put together can be wiped out. And the computer does not know the significance of one file over another. It doesn’t know a good letter from a bad one, a priceless picture from a worthless one.

Do you ever wish you had a delete key connected to your brain? Wouldn’t it be great to just hit a key, and suddenly ugly, painful memories would vanish? What would you wipe out if you could? An abusive relationship? A stupid mistake? An ill spoken word? The death of a loved one?

Our minds do try very hard to erase painful scenes from memory. The problem is that we don’t do a very good job of it, and the pain often gets shoved into some other form. Hence, we have the following terms:

• Denial: An attempt, sometimes subconscious, to tell ourselves that something didn’t happen;
• Repression: Pushing a bad memory back so far that it cannot be recalled without intervention;
• Rationalization: Fabricating elaborate explanations for one’s own or someone else’s failure.

In addition, we have compulsions, delusions, displacement, fantasy, projection, withdrawal, regression and other terms pertaining to psychological matters. All are ways that people try to forget the things that cause them pain. We want to alter the state of things in our mind.

These mechanisms rarely work. Most of the time they make things worse. People commit crimes, have nervous breakdowns, or even take their own lives because they cannot forget.

So, how does forgiveness work? How can we forget something that really happened and will not go away? How can we forgive someone of hurt when our mind keeps bringing it back? How can we truly be free if our memory won’t allow us to forget?

There are some things that we cannot forget: We must never forget the things God has done for us. We must never forget the Word of God; Deuteronomy 4:23 “Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD”; We must never forget God Himself; Deuteronomy 6:12 “Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

There are some things that we must forget: Philippians 3:13 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

What is the secret of forgetting the painful past? Three things must be remembered in order to forget.

The cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. The blood, constantly applied, counteracts the past. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9.

The elevating power of the Spirit of Christ. He will lift us up out of our memories. Ephesians 2:1-6 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world… But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

The constantly abiding presence of God. Lean on Him! Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Consistency (Yawn)

“Given his history of injuries, and his familiarity with the grind of a 162-game season, he seems especially impressed with the toughness and durability of Ripken. “He was just a consistent player—he was the grinder. He just went out every day and did his job. He’s probably the most consistent guy, because that’s what he was—Mr. Consistency. He was in there every day, and he just grinded it out.”  So said Fred Lynn, 1975 American League MVP and Rookie of the Year, in an interview with Sean Kennedy.  Consistency.  (Yawn.  How boring.)

Success for any endeavor hinges on many things. Some say it is cleverness. Others say it takes motivation. Others believe it to be money, favor, chance, or good looks. But in the entire spectrum of human activity, one virtue always shows up in the equation. It’s called consistency. It is the one trait that makes everything else work. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

We know consistency is important. Yet, maintaining it often requires agonizing struggle. Why? If we personalize consistency, several reasons present themselves.

Self-image is a huge problem for consistency. It sees itself as a stepchild in the family of behavioral traits. Other qualities always get more attention. No one loves consistency like they do a charismatic personality, a brilliant playmaker, a talented performer or a guy who can bankroll a project. Because it lives in the shadows of more exciting and celebrated family members, consistency often considers itself unimportant.

Moreover, consistency carries other baggage that makes its job equally hard. It is frequently told that it is too weak, too tired, too anemic and too sick to carry on. It is informed that the mountain is too high, the valley too low, the river too wide, the current too strong, the costs too great and the help too meager to succeed.

A constant barrage of temptations to quit rails on consistency. It feels overlooked, unappreciated and unfairly used. It continually hears itself called worthless, silly and stupid. It rarely sees the fruits of its labor on a daily basis. Without an encouraging word, it regularly feels like throwing in the towel.

But let me tell you the real truth about consistency, not in baseball, but in church work. Pastors, Sunday School superintendents and other church leaders value consistency as much or more than any other trait. They know that brilliant, innovative and talented people often fizzle as quickly as they rise. Music directors like great voices, but they realize that choirs depend upon those faithful, regular, consistent members who never miss a practice. Pastors love ushers whom they don’t have to call every service to see if they will be in attendance. They appreciate tithe-payers who may not have a big amount to give, but their envelopes are there every week. They are grateful for the consistent saints who make it to church rain or shine, sick or well, rich or poor. Outreach directors thank God for the person who goes out on visitation without fail.

It may take a while, but consistency builds its equity over time. Like the stock that the investor sticks with over the long haul, it eventually pays handsome dividends. It may not break records, draw standing ovations or leave them rolling in the aisles, but it gets the tough jobs done year in and year out.

The inconsistent person blames people and circumstances for failure, but he really falls prey to his own inconsistency. The scared, the temperamental, the distracted, the erratic and the in-and-outer create impossible legacies for themselves. They can’t trust themselves to follow through, keep going, hang on and do things right. They are like the halfback who runs tentatively for fear of fumbling the football. Or the infielder who lets the grounder get by him due to lack of confidence. The inconsistent lose before they ever get started.

On the other hand, the believer who builds consistency into his life will always win the battle. When he gets started on something, the notion to quit never enters his mind. He expects it to be tough. He anticipates long, dry spells. But he sees the sweetness of consistent living as its own reward. Satan trembles when a consistent saint of God embarks on a spiritual quest. He knows consistency is formidable.

Cultivate consistency. It wins ballgames.  Even though you consider yourself a person of average ability, consistency makes you superior. You will discover that, whether it graces your personal life, your walk with God, your service in the church or your ministry, it will be the ingredient most vital to your ultimate victory.

My Mug Collection

My wife has her hundreds of gorgeous teapots all over the house, her Precious Moments assemblage, her extensive sets of china dinnerware and her Thomas Kincaid pieces. Then there’s my stuff. The only two things that rate high enough to be displayed close to her collections include my grandfather’s railroad watch, and a two hundred dollar pen that I bought on the Monterey Peninsula in California . (Once the gold plating started to wear off, I archived it. You never trash a pen you actually paid for, let alone one that cost that much!)

Setting aside my 2,500 volume library (that, my friend, is totally work-related), you have to come down a few notches on the collectors’ scale to assess the few trinkets I keep. Still, of all my treasures, I love my collection of coffee mugs that lines a cheap wooden case mounted on our basement wall the most. These mugs, from the Hershey Bar to the Flag of Greece, from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police piece to the NASA Space Center mug from Houston , hale from places I’ve been fortunate enough to go. Whenever I visit someplace in the world, it’s always an added pleasure to shop for a mug that is unique, a beautiful piece of art, or even something that just carries the signature of the locale. Sometimes I get all three in one, as in my favorite, an exquisitely painted Fife and Drum Corps mug, from Colonial Williamsburg. (Then again, I really like my man-sized mug from Pebble Beach Golf Links!) My mugs only get used for hot liquids on very special occasions. Most of the time they sit on the shelf, collecting dust and meeting the needs of the soul rather than those of the stomach. One glance takes me to exotic places, warm people and great experiences. It’s amazing how a piece of painted porcelain can instantaneously become a touchstone to awaken dormant memories.

This collection represents a larger principle, a lesson for the character. They ensure that I never travel through life and return empty-handed, as if all the things I saw, and heard, and felt and that happened to me were nothing. I feel a deep-down obligation to take something away from every experience God grants me. Whenever I visit memorable places, meet marvelous people, or engage in truly meaningful experiences, something in me must register the impact. To shrug my shoulders and say, “No big deal,” or refuse to be affected by the things that happen to me would put my shallowness and selfishness on display.

I have been extraordinarily blessed to meet and know great men of God in my travels. Some, like Oliver Fauss, Oscar Vouga, R. G. Cook, L. J. Roshon, W. R. Starr, M. M. Hudson, George Chambers, George Glass and my father, Victor L. Jordan have gone on to their reward. Each one left an indelible mark on my life. When I think of patience, strength, wisdom, love of doctrine, gentleness and integrity, their faces and names occupy permanent perches in my memory banks. Now, I am privileged to serve on boards and committees with exceptional men of God. They exude spiritual values which continue to affect me. When I wrestle with a problem, I am likely to pick up the phone and seek their advice. Someday, I will reverently display their condensed wisdom on the walls of my life.

All of us travel across the varied terrains of our individual callings. Sometimes, we remember the tough stretches of the road the most. No one likes valleys, but all of us go through them. What we learn from them and what we take home from the trip is the important question. The deep valleys of life, however painful, forge invaluable memories that we ought to keep close at hand. We must come away from such trials tightly gripping our mementos of prayer experiences, freshly gained self-insight, and a renewed vision of God. Intense suffering instills qualities within our souls that can be acquired no other way.

But, for every valley, a mountaintop has made up the difference. It’s easy to come away from great times and successful ventures with heady feelings and a sense of fulfillment. It is far better, however, to be humbled by our successes than to be exalted by them. Pride, arrogance and an inordinate sense of self-sufficiency would be ugly blights in my display. Gratitude and humility fit the collection much better.

The incremental passage of time makes history only in the chronological sense. In reality, experiences are timeless—-they will always stay with you. You may not recognize it, but things that have happened to you will inevitably wind up displayed prominently somewhere in your identity, your value system and your soul. You alone are the one who decides what stays and what goes. It all depends on what you take home with you.

C. Neil Strait says, “That man who deposits experiences carefully in his memory will draw rich returns from his life. A flashback from such a past will be rewarding not remorseful. The memory can store the good things from experiences and draw dividends from them throughout life. Or, it can choose to store the horrible experiences and have only a dismal past to recall.”

Don’t take everything home. I recall some hideous masks that looked like witchdoctor’s paraphernalia that I bought in the Philippines . They were carved out of some exotic wood, beautifully stained, and I could picture them hanging on my office wall. That’s when my wife spoke up. No way. To this day, I can’t remember if I gave them away or stuck them in a trash receptacle at the airport, but I do recall that they never made the flight back. Don’t be afraid to leave some experiences in the graveyard of bad days. They would only downgrade the value of the good things you need to display.

Where have you been, lately? What intriguing person have you met? What excruciating experience have you endured? What lesson have you learned? What will you take home with you? It’s up to you.

Is That Blood On Your Shoes?

“Who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant…an unholy thing?” Hebrews 10:29

After Saddam Hussein’s statue had been toppled in central Baghdad ’s Paradise Square , pent-up emotion burst forth from those who had felt the scourge of the Iraqi dictator. Many expressed their disdain of Hussein in a way commonly understood in Middle Eastern culture: they stomped on anything tied to him. One news story reported that “Kuwaitis have been vilified in the Arab world for supporting the US led war but locals now feel vindicated by TV pictures of jubilant Iraqis stomping on images of Saddam Hussein.”

The bible uses graphic images to convey penetrating messages. These images often become universal symbols. In this way, the feet, and by association, the shoes, represent power and authority over something or someone. Joshua called for the men of Israel to “Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. (Joshua 10:24.) The prophet Malachi wrote “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet. (Malachi 4:3.) This symbol culminates in a powerful verse in Romans 16:20 , “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.”

With this tradition comes a warning: be careful what you step on. Anything you put your shoes on means you despise it. Indeed, God indicated this very thought to Moses in Exodus 3:5. “And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” God was saying to Moses, “Take care how you stand in my presence. Don’t be crude, insensitive or uncaring of my holiness. Let your very demeanor acknowledge who I am.” While God reached out to Moses via the burning bush, he demanded profound respect from Moses.

This warning bears repeating today. In their zeal to expand the frontiers of evangelism, some have confused free salvation with cheap salvation. But we must not re-cast God’s grace into a Big-Lots-type buyout frenzy. Shoving aside the essence of God’s perfection, whether ignorantly or presumptuously, imperils our relationship to God. Is it possible for anyone who has known the grace of God to fall from that grace…or for a friend of God to become his enemy? Paul thought so. “Christ is become of no effect unto you,” whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4). The smaller the impact Calvary makes on our lives, the more it shrinks into insignificance. Gradually, salvation becomes a meaningless exercise in semantics.

Do you have blood on your shoes? Do you hate your brother? Do you love the world? Are you abiding in Christ? Are you continuing to commit sin? “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15-17.) What about s ins of commission? Sins of omission? Prejudice and racism? An attitude of superiority? Sowing of discord? Gossip and backbiting? Hypocrisy? Stealing? Lying? Pornography? Cursing? Withholding God’s money? Defiling the temple of God ? Trusting in uncertain riches? Check your shoes.

Where is the blood of Christ in your life? “ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7). We need to clean the precious blood of Christ from our shoes and apply it to our hearts! When we walk in sincerity and purity, we walk in power! It is not enough to be doctrinally correct. We must have purity in our lives as well. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Titus 2:11-15.

Watch Out for the Plateau

“Plateauing” entered the language way back in frontier days, when wagon trains often pushed along in mountainous terrain for many long, grueling days. Suddenly, the punishing pathway opened up into a high, level plain or plateau, bringing a welcome relief to the climb. Today, business analysts use the term to describe flat lines in their growth charts. All of us use it to describe a period of time in our lives when we’re not climbing any higher and we’re not going downhill. We’re just taking a break.

Spiritual plateaus, however, do not bode well for believers. They yield a false sense of security and beguile weary travelers with smug satisfaction. On a plateau, distant goals lose their luster, the stretch of tomorrows in the trail ahead blurs together with numbing sameness, and the temptation to stop and camp is nearly irresistible. Here are some thoughts, with interpretations, that signal a perilous plateau.

I have a good understanding about the basics. (Read: I don’t need to learn any more.) People often take two illusory courses of action with regard to the Word. Either they lose interest in reading and studying the Bible, or they venture off into novel and radical doctrines. I firmly believe in reiterating the basics of the Gospel, of salvation, of the nature of God, of living a separate lifestyle, of discipleship and of all the fundamentals of the faith. Never lay aside the basics as though you have no need for rehearsing them yet again. God has packed more treasure in the bedrock foundations of the church than you will deplete in your lifetime.

I have my personal life in order. (Read: Relax! I am not going to do something stupid.) Pay attention to basic discipleship. Why? Because indeed you will do something stupid if you assume you won’t. The fundamentals of prayer, church attendance, giving, Bible reading and ministering to others are not little things that will take care of themselves. You must take care of them. Personal responsibility never stops being important in your heavenward journey.

I have achieved a level of respect. (Read: Everybody thinks I’m okay.) No one is saved by his reputation. Regardless of the favorable opinions others may have of you, your spiritual welfare is between you and God alone. Please God, period. Reject the elixir of popular opinion.

I have accomplished something of significance. (Read: I’ve done enough.) None of us has done enough. God may have rested on the seventh day, but man still labors on in the sixth. Your tasks may change or the expectations of your performance may diminish over time, but you haven’t arrived until the pearly gates close behind you. Work for God and resist the temptation to look behind you and admire your accomplishments.

I have nothing to prove. (Read: I have no more real battles ahead of me.) Satan never gets discouraged and walks away, even after years of hassling you unsuccessfully. He continues to probe for a point of entry. When major transitions take place in your life such as graduation, marriage, children, new job, pay raise, moving into a new home, death of a loved one, and so on, brand new battles will crop up on your horizon.

I have no pressing spiritual needs. (Read: No need to pray, fast and study). Because the plateau has no discernible inclines or declines, you may feel cocooned into security. But other threats such as the wind, sun and approaching enemies loom larger than you might expect. The danger is not the climb; it’s the respite at the end of the climb. Just as eating and sleeping are daily needs, so also your spiritual life makes constant demands. No one matures past his or her spiritual needs.

I’m not perfect, but I’m not as bad as others. (Read: Actually, I kind of like myself.) This is the favorite refuge of the flesh. Don’t forget that there are infinite ways to fail, but only one measurable way to succeed. We have to continually reference our progress to Christ, himself, not to the bad guys, or even the good guys around us. You may be more perfect than your neighbor, but that’s not the point. Our goal is to be remade into the image of Christ.

One final danger that plateaus represent: loss of spiritual momentum. Sometimes momentum carries us through a crisis when nothing else can. The only way to keep up momentum is to keep climbing. Jesus said, “While men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares.” Matthew 13:25. Stick with the task. Stay “on message.” God’s will in our lives does not reside in maintaining the status quo, but in the unrelenting reach for higher ground.

Faith in the Parenthesis

(For we walk by faith and not by sight.)  II Corinthians 5:7

How far away is the mountain?  How long is the railroad?  How tall is the tree?  Even our eyes cannot send enough information to our optic nerves to guarantee us the correct facts and figures.  At some point, our depth of field perception fails us.

The same thing is true with communicating.  Try as we might to speak and write clearly, sometimes it seems impossible to say what we want to say. That’s why we use a little mechanism called parentheses to help convey our meaning. A parenthesis is a statement or expression that is beside the main point. Often, it is a key to understanding the point that has just been established.

In this passage, the Apostle Paul probes into the dark enigma of death. Death wreaks havoc, devastation and grief. When it happens to those of us who profess Christianity, it seems to explode our entire position on the superiority of our faith. This is a faulty impression, however, and it results from a forgetfulness about faith. The inspired writer makes a powerful and revealing point by using this parenthetical reference to faith.

We know much about faith. For example, we know that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1). What we find in II Corinthians 5 is not a theological problem about faith, but a tactical one on how to use it. This is not a matter of misunderstanding faith, but knowing when to apply faith to the circumstances of our lives.

Why, then, do people abandon their faith? Why do people give up in the middle of their spiritual journey? Why do people pay more and more attention to their circumstances? The Apostle Paul links this difficulty with faith to walking by sight. Let’s analyze the following limitations of sight:

• Distance. The farther we are from an object, the fuzzier it becomes.
• Size. Small objects are more difficult to see.
• Light. Dimness or darkness make it harder to see.
• Time. The aging process affects our ability to identify people.
• Perception. Things look different in various surroundings.
• Perspective. People see things differently from different vantage points.
• Optical illusion. Our eyes lie to us.
• Visual barriers. Objects block our sight.
• Sleight of hand, trickery. Others can fool us.

In all of these instances, it is critical that we do not rely upon natural sight and human perception as our sole point of reference. Neither can we depend upon our human perception for spiritual success. Faith emerges as our only reliable tool for spiritual navigation.

Under what conditions must we walk by faith and not by sight?

• When we do not know where we are going. (Genesis 12:1-3).
• When we face extreme hostility. (Acts 7:57-59).
• When we are confronted by visible evidence contrary to our beliefs. (Acts 14:8-9; Romans 4:22).
• When it seems the establishment is against us. (Acts 14:22 )
• When something happens which hurts us. (Ephesians 6:16; II Thessalonians 1:4).
• When we become disappointed or disillusioned. (I Thessalonians 3:5).
• When we are assailed by feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness. (Hebrews 10:22-23).
• When the enemy triumphs over us in battle. (I Corinthians 16:13).

John F. Kennedy, Jr.’s tragic death in a plane crash has been officially ruled as pilot error. Investigators surmise that he flew his craft at a near perpendicular angle into the ocean. Kennedy, along with his new wife and her sister, crashed in a twilight fog, which made the horizon impossible to see. Some say he was not fully trained on navigating by instruments. Some wonder whether he bothered to look at the instruments. Whatever the reason, it is certain that he did not deliberately destroy himself and his passengers. What he saw must have differed dramatically from reality.

Sometimes, the view from the window of life looks dramatically different from our scriptural training. The visuals seem to contradict the needles and gauges. In these conditions, it is possible to be so overly confident in our visible assessment of the surroundings that we disregard the instrument readings. In spiritual matters, we cannot rely upon our natural eyesight. We need a power beyond carnal ability. Faith is the radar, the para-normal instrumentation, the only link we have to divine navigation. We must not only use it, we must protect it. Ignoring the parenthesis of the superiority of faith over sight may truly be a matter of life and death.

Christians Now Expected to Act Like Christians

In a shocking bit of news yesterday, several people were told that they “actually had to practice Christianity.” The incident occurred when some residents of the community who call themselves Christians encountered a series of outbursts from hecklers and church dissidents in a local restaurant. According to witnesses, the verbal assault included name-calling, accusations of wrong-doing, some mild cursing and threats. Minor scuffling evidently took place, consisting mainly of pushing and shoving. Some thought that one or two punches were thrown, but that could not be confirmed.

It is not certain at this time what initially provoked the confrontation. Some reports say that poor service the church group allegedly received led them to berate the servers and shift manager. Others believe that a dispute over the bill caused the scene to erupt. The remark that they ought to “practice Christianity” came from one of the police officers dispatched to the scene. The officer who claims to be somewhat of a “Bible buff” quoted several scriptures in attempting to calm down the combatants. His efforts met with vocal opposition from the church members. They openly scorned his taking the role of a preacher.

“It’s outrageous,” one of the Christians said later, in an interview. “Who does he think he is, anyway? We’ve never had to really do this ‘Christian’ thing in real life. We’re sick of this stereotype we have that, you know, we have to take whatever is dished out and, you know, ‘turn the other cheek’ and stuff like that. Well, I’ll turn another cheek alright, but it won’t be my cheek. I’ll turn his cheek black and blue if I get a chance.” The man, who declined to give out his name, was clearly agitated, pacing back and forth in front of the restaurant and repeatedly smacking his fists into his hands. An unconfirmed report was that he was one of the leading members.

“Right,” said a lady who was another member of the church and also spoke anonymously. “Our parents and grandparents were Christians all their lives and they never had to act like one. All of a sudden, here in the twenty-first century, we get this dumped on us. It is offensive, bigoted, prejudiced and motivated by hate.”

Several other church members declined to be interviewed, but threw out statements loudly enough to be overheard. “Just because we’re Christians doesn’t mean we have to take this junk,” one said. “Yeah, what about Christian’s rights?” another yelled. Some began to chant, “Justice now,” but the cries did not catch on.

Bystanders who saw the blowup develop seemed to be genuinely confused. One man told this reporter, “I don’t get it. What about all this love and forgiveness that they talk up in their churches? They ought to be the ones showing the world how to react with peace and orderliness in situations like this. Instead, they’re acting like prima donnas, like the world owes them some kind of special treatment.”

The small crowd that had gathered at the place of business gradually dispersed peacefully to their cars and left. No charges were filed pending investigation. The owners of the restaurant may still take legal action but they were not sure how or when to proceed. No word yet from the author of the Bible on his opinion.

Make It Count

“… I do not fight like a man beating the air.” I Corinthians 9:26 (NIV)

Shadow-boxers who flail against the air score points with every punch. They breathe hard and break out in a sweat with flurries of activity. They swing at nothing and succeed in hitting it every time. Measured in form and style, dips and jabs, fades and rolls, they put on an impressive show. But, imaginary targets always produce imaginary triumphs. If you measure actual results, they fail miserably. After all, it is only air.

We live in a world of air beaters. Political sparring, poll-driven campaigns, demagoguery, symbolic fights, spin games, negative ads and slashing rhetoric dominate the cultural scene today. Wooden-handled placards that display dire messages, protest marches, cream pies in faces, shouted epithets and shocking one-liners attract as much, if not more attention than legitimate news stories. Media manipulation such as trial balloons, test messages and focus group opinions pass for substance. In fact, none of these tactics have much to do with substance at all. They deal in words, noises and creating of perceptions.

Not only does modern man tolerate such fluffy creations, he clamors for it. Opportunists have answered with huge special effects movies, gigantic slight of hand (magic) shows and pro-wrestling shams where people not only pay big money to be deceived, they get involved in the fakery themselves with stupefying sincerity. Journalists write the stories they want you to believe. Scientists massage statistics so as to shape your opinions. Historians revise the past until it conforms to their political philosophy. Imagination has blurred together with reality until many people don’t know and don’t care about the difference.

The Apostle Paul insisted that his ministry bear no resemblance to an air beater. He was not high stepping through meaningless motions calculated to impress his superiors, peers or followers. In fact, he deliberately shunned “enticing words of man’s wisdom” so he could emphasize the “demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Air-beating Christianity is fruitless—-and maybe even fraudulent. Why? Three things make the Christian shadow-boxer a pitiful spectacle.

First, he only imagines his target. Don’t conjure up imaginary targets for your spiritual focus. Don’t be more concerned about Satan, a defeated enemy, than with the flesh, a living menace. When you look around the obvious enemies in your life, like anger, jealousy, or carnality, and go after shadows, you indulge in self-deceit. Moreover, your most dangerous enemies may not be antagonists on the job, Satanists or purveyors of false doctrines. Most likely, you should look to your own lack of discipline, fleshly indulgences or pride.

Second, he expends much energy in doing essentially nothing. Genuine Christians should use their store of energy to score real victories and make real spiritual progress. Some people yield to fits of holy fervor that leave them essentially where they started with the same old unresolved issues and knotty problems. Prayer meetings should not be measured in noise, but faith and results. Spiritual demonstrations that don’t translate into solid gains become fanaticism.

Third, he is quite convinced that he has won a major victory. A false sense of victory actually means grave danger. The scriptures teach that the person who thinks he stands should be careful because he may fall. His attitude sets him up for a blind-sided attack. Until he sees metered progress in his thinking and living, he has only spun his wheels. “Let this mind be in you as was also in Christ Jesus…”

Inflated rhetoric, religious hype, and sound and light shows cannot define a genuine experience with God. Jesus Christ did not come to the world as a first century Madison Avenue ad-man who dealt in splashy colors, catchy slogans or artful logos. No illusions, no empty promises, no blind alleys. Jesus spoke true words, performed real miracles and committed himself to a complete mission.

As a child of God, you must make your spiritual life and work count. Focus on real, not imaginary targets. Measure your goals by the Word of God, not by fancied thoughts or dark impressions. Gauge your walk with God by how you think and behave after you leave a Sunday night service, not just how you feel during the service. When you do, those around you will see real truth in action.