My Wife’s Cat and the Door!

Ring, Ring, Boom (explained as you read)!

My wife has a cat named Anya. After observing this cat for years, I’ve concluded that she has only two brain cells. She moves and then stops. Moves and stops. After each thought or stop her two brain cells need time to re-charge.

Anya can take a half hour to walk across a room. Take a couple of steps (recharge); Oh, is that fish I smell? (stop to recharge); I should go to the kitchen (recharge); two steps (recharge); two steps (recharge). Half an hour later, she jumps on the kitchen counter.

Ring, Ring, Boom!

Fortunately, Anya has an emergency response circuit in her brain that bypasses her two brain cells and allows her to react without thinking. In this mode she can run across the room in a few seconds. Her two brain cells are bypassed, and she doesn’t have to stop and think.

Unfortunately, she fears the front doorbell. Whenever it rings it triggers her emergency response, and in a few seconds she runs to the basement door and down into the basement. She doesn’t think, she runs.

I tell her that she does not have to fear the front doorbell and no one coming to that door will hurt her. My wife has even prayed for her. I wanted to join the prayer and anoint Anya with oil, but my wife gave me her look that says, “You better not!”, so I didn’t.

Yesterday the doorbell rang, and Anya aroused from sleeping, her emergency circuit on, ran for the basement door. Unfortunately, the basement door was closed.

Ring, Ring, Boom!

Anya’s brain just couldn’t process – I’m scared; I’m running fast; uh oh, the basement door is closed; I need to stop!

She ran into the door. Ring, Ring, Boom! No, she wasn’t hurt. No, I didn’t shut the door and then go outside and ring the front doorbell.

All of us have what the Bible calls the flesh. It doesn’t think – it reacts! When it comes to the flesh many of us act like we have two brain cells. Paul writes in Galatians 2:6: “Walk in the Spirit and you will not be overwhelmed by the strong desires of the flesh.”  The Apostle John defines the flesh in 1 John 2:16 by saying it contains carnal lust, desire for riches and wealth, and pride.

If we aren’t walking in the Spirit – Ring, Ring, Boom!

A mentor of mine, who pastored for 65 years (I’m a mere infant having served only 48 years.), said that the saddest part of ministry is watching men and women become human animals. They are so consumed by the flesh that it destroys their ability to think rationally and they respond to lusts without thinking.

Then they see the door closed – addiction, disease, abused relationships – and they can’t stop!

Paul wrote in his great chapter on overcoming the flesh, beginning verse 1 of chapter 8 in the Book of Romans: “There is now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. Because the law of the Spirit of Life has set us free from the law of sin and death.”

Walking in the Spirit not the flesh! Both, more difficult and also easier than we think. Difficult because Christians try to walk in the Spirit through the flesh. Easy when we die to the flesh and let the Spirit take over. Paul writes: “Where the Spirit takes over, there is freedom.”

The secret to stop the Ring, Ring, Boom! in your life is not learning steps 1,2,3 to victory, but simply dying to self. How?

The Rich Young Ruler came to Jesus and asked what good thing – what steps 1,2,3 to victory – that he could do to earn God’s approval. Jesus said: “It’s easy. Go and sell all that you have and come and follow me.” That simple act of obedience would have set the Young Ruler free from his lust for wealth. Instead the Rich Young Ruler went away saddened.

Ring, Ring, Boom!

Today, ask God to reveal the closed doors in your life. Jesus will tell you the area of your life that needs freedom through the law of the Spirit. Obey what He tells you.

In obedience you will run to safety or you will have another Ring, Ring, Boom!

A final note: I have had many Ring, Ring, Booms in my life and God has forgiven all of them!!! Living the principle of “no condemnation” is essential to walking in the Spirit.