“Going Against the Flow” Part 1: In the Same Direction

“It started out low, then it started to grow.” –“The Grinch that Stole Christmas”, Dr. Seuss

That’s pretty much how everything starts. Everything starts out small and then usually ends up exploding massively into view. Why? Because everything that comes up to our external surface for everyone to see is buried somewhere deep inside our hearts. The rebellion revolution starts to manifest itself inside.

Seeds of rebellion that begin growth are planted in different ways. Whether it’s a person wanting to be noticed; a person hating guidelines; a person trying to find their identity in the world; a person being influenced by rebellious ideas- the list could go on. “[Rebellion is] challenging the right of an authority to be there.”*

Rebellion seems to be going against what everybody else in the world is doing. Rebellion seems to be going up against the flow and making you stand out. But in the long run, those who rebel sinfully are actually going with the flow and blending in, rather than actually fighting the tide and standing out.

“Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” -1 Samuel 15:23a

Witchcraft opens up the gates of the heart to allow Satan to come in. In this verse, Samuel states that rebellion is the same as witchcraft. Rebelling sinfully opens up the ears and eyes of your heart to the lies of Satan. In doing so, we lose God’s protection because we step outside of the fortress of His strong, loving, and protective hands. Outside of the fortress we feel scared and alone; we feel miserable. Yet, we don’t want to admit that we were wrong because of our rebellion. We want to even rebel against what we know what we should do to make a matter right.

The problem has been presented. What is the remedy? The healing of rebellion comes when you come to a state of brokenness inside. How does this begin? Repentance. We must repent and acknowledge that we’ve been wrong. That act alone will be difficult enough for one whose heart has known no boundaries. The healing begins when you give up what you think your rights are and give them to God as ultimate authority in your life. His love overwhelms all sin. His love is available to you today to help you overcome the obstacles in your life.

*(Note: Quote in second paragraph is from “Reclaiming Surrendered Ground” by Jim Logan.)