Know Who You Are And Who You Belong To

Jude 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

For those who are fans of the C S Lewis book, The Silver Chair, one of the stories in the epic Narnia series, you may recall the evil intentions of the Queen of the Underland. She has detained Prince Caspian and his band of faithful followers in her underground mansion and uses every scheme imaginable persuading them to forget their true home and their mighty King, Aslan.

Oozing charm, the Queen of the Underland throws of handful of green powder on a warm fire, slowly lulling her victims into a semi-conscious state and causing them to struggle remembering who they are and who they belong to. Plucking a mandolin, she then strums a monotonous lilt that further makes it hard for the band of captives to think. Her sweet, quiet voice deceptively tricks them into believing there is no abode above but only the world they are in below and there is no mighty Creator who formed the world with His hands or controls the events on earth and in the heavens. Though they fight hard against her enchantment, it seems to be gathering force and getting a greater hold of them as each moment passes by. Was their belief in an overland world and faith in a glorious King really a dream?

Only Puddleglum, a little Marsh-wiggle, arouses himself to remember the truth of who he is and who he belongs to. He remembers the mighty deeds of his King, Aslan, and proclaims his faith in the One who made the sun, the stars and the moon. Puddleglum’s confession of faith had an instantaneous rousing effect on the others. They cheered their friend on and looked at each other with renewed hope and like newly awakened people. The spell had been broken and they were set free!

I often feel like this when meeting with people who are not believers. Their worldly discussion can create a hypnotic-type effect, where I willingly and passively nod along with their non-hopeful and non-Biblical dialogue. Like our companions in The Silver Chair, I am caught up in the conversation and must muster all my strength to remind myself that there is more, oh so much more, than what is being talked of.

Ephesians 6:17 And take up the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The Queen of the Underland subtly attacked the beliefs of her captives. If she could get them to doubt their deepest convictions and believe her pernicious lies, her success was guaranteed. There is an obvious message for believers here. We must guard our mind. And we must be cautious what goes into our mind. Keep out the garbage and hold fast to the truth. When we put on the helmet of salvation, we remember that we belong to Christ, that we have been redeemed by His blood and that we are now living each day saved and set free from the punishment of our sins.

The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is what we seek to continually fill our minds with, so we will never forget who we are and who we belong to. Jesus used the Word of God, in His battle against the temptations of the devil in the wilderness. We too have this offensive weapon to use in combat against our enemy when he attempts to dissuade us with his lies and wiles.

Ephesians 6:18 Keep watch thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

We live in a sinful culture amongst a people who love themselves rather than God (2 Timothy 3:4). They will use every scheme imaginable to entice us away from God and His ways in order to join Satan and his dominion of darkness. Not that it will be quite as obvious as that. Our enemy is a master at appearing as an angel of light and making what is harmful appear attractive (2 Corinthians 11:14). Hence, Paul’s command to keep watch, or alert, because, like our friends in The Silver Chair, it is easy to fall prey to the schemes of our enemy.

Do you, like me, find yourself being lulled along in conversation when, like Puddleglum, we need to speak out in boldness for what we believe? When the moment presents, we need to stir ourselves up in our most holy faith and speak the truth in love. We must pray in those times when we feel weak and doubtful of what to say, pray for the words, pray for courage, pray that God’s words will do the redeeming work in the hearts of those that listen.

May His Word be stirred in our hearts, come forth from our lips and accomplish all that God intends. To the Glory of His Name.