LOCKED AND LOADED

LOCK AND LOAD

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Romans NLT 8:1-14 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

  5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

  9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

  12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.      

  Most past the age of 7 know what “Lock and load!” means, but just in case you missed it, “The firing line command to put the weapon's safety to the on position and load the weapon with ammunition and await further orders from the range officer. In combat an informal command to prepare to fight.” (Source: ANSWERS)

  When it comes to the emotion of hostile harmful anger there are people that travel locked and loaded at all times. Their ammunition of choice runs from peeved to physical action of low or high degree. Most practitioners are emotionally knee-jerk in nature and often fire randomly in all directions. (Have you ever ridden with a locked and loaded driver, or played a game with them?) Those proficient coldly choose from their arsenal, target carefully, and are capable of squeezing and releasing trigger at will.

  I was never of the undisciplined lot as I considered them crude, without panache, but was once upon a time of the latter mean proud troop.

  When did my life change? Did I arise one morning and decide against passive-aggressive behavior and to live in Christ’s freedom?

  As with most maturation in my life there was no answered alter call or commitment from the issue; it was and continues to be graduation from one field to another; not recognized during transition, but afterward. A one day “WOW! I’m not that person anymore.”

  How does this happen? I lay no claim to victory, “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” (NLT Zech.4:6) EBB4