Sophie, The Beeping Dog

Our neighbors have a new dog. Her name is Sophie, and she is very cute. She is a Bichon Frise, and for those of you who don't know what they look like (I had no idea, before I met Sophie), I've included a photo. Recently I was getting ready to mow our grass, and my wife said "Now you know Janet & Will got a new dog, right? Her name is Sophie. So if you see her, be nice. Oh, and don't call her over to the fence if she's out". I was going to ask why I couldn't call her over to the fence, because I'm a dog lover and it seemed cruel to just stand and look from afar at a dog that cute. But she continued with her explanation: "They have one of those buried fence things." In my mind, I was already forming the image of me calling the dog over to the chain-link fence to pet her and watching in horror as 240 volts of electricity coursed through her body and turned her rigid before my eyes. What a terrible thought. But my wife continued: "They don't use the shocker thing, but when she starts to get close to the buried wire, her beeper starts going off. Then she knows she's too close to the edge." How very cool is that? I thought to myself. As it turned out, Sophie was inside for the afternoon while I mowed, so my yard work was completed without incident. But I kept rolling that idea around in my head for several more days.

Since that day I've been mildly obsessed with the idea of having something attached to our person that would warn us when we're about to get in trouble. Something to let me know I'm close to danger. Something to remind me when there's a hidden boundary in front of me that I really shouldn't cross. I keep thinking that if there was something that would ring or "beep" when I was about to click on a very bad link on the Internet, or an alarm that would go off right before I use foul language at work, I could avoid a lot of the sin in my life. Sophie is so lucky, I think to myself, I want a beeper, too.

Jump to one week later. I'm at work, in the middle of solving a mini crisis, and I go to one of the other managers to ask if they'll come and help me. After all, I'm always willing to help them, and I've got a bigger problem than they do right now, so why wouldn't they help? But I asked, and then got the response "Nah, I really have a lot of stuff I need to get done today." And they turned back away and continued to do....nothing. I was walking away, fuming, seething, forming all the right things to say to verbally abuse this guy, and as I turned back around to let him have it, a very strange thing happened....

My "beeper" went off.

I stood there, very aware of what was happening to me physically, and felt as if my entire being was screaming at me STOP! No good can possibly come of this. I realized that the little hairs on the back of my neck were standing up as I listened to that little voice inside. But I was also breathing faster, my fists were clenched, I was biting my own teeth so hard my temples hurt, and I have to believe my face was red. But my beeper was still going off. Relax. Walk away. This isn't a fight you need to fight. This is not a new thing, so why is it affecting you this way now? And that was it. Hands relaxed, breathing slowed, face back to normal color, I turned and walked away. It wasn't until several hours later that I made the connection between Sophie's beeper and the little hairs on the back of my neck.

I've had that feeling before, but not always in times of extreme anger or anxiety. I normally feel that when I'm talking to someone about my relationship with Jesus. Or I feel it when I give a short message at church about something I'm passionate about. And sometimes I feel it when I do something very good for someone without anyone knowing about it. Sometimes I feel it while I'm typing a post for this blog. I've always professed that I feel that when the Holy Spirit is close....when I'm in tune with God...when I'm doing something very right. I've always believed that feeling was directly connected to my conscience, thereby making my conscience the medium through which the Holy Spirit guides me and lets me know when I'm on the right track. But this was the first time I felt it when I was facing something that was dark, bad, and just ugly. I've never thought to ask God for that type of Early Warning System. I've always just asked Him to forgive me for leaning into sin, shoulder first, thinking I'm strong enough to resist.

Lead us not into temptation....

I should have known that He could help us avoid bad things sometimes. I should have known that I'm not doomed to failure every time I'm faced with that possibility.

And deliver us from evil....

Deliver us. Deliver me. Not just "fix me after I break myself", but deliver me, unharmed, back to the folds of the saved.

We have a beeper. God gave us an Early Warning System. It's probably something a little different in all of us. Maybe your beeper batteries are dead. Maybe you don't hear the "beep" and you need to tune in to God a little closer like I needed to do. But we've all got a beeper. God hasn't set us up to fail. Granted, we realize how badly we need Him when we do, but He takes no pleasure in our failures, injuries, or shortcomings.

Oh, and just so you know, I'm not jealous of Sophie any more either. I've got a beeper, too. I just wish I was as cute as she is.

Peace,

Mike

Slippin' One Through

James 4:7
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

It's the little things that get overlooked.

I was recently an "almost" victim of credit card fraud (actually, debit card, which I believe is worse). My wife and I had just returned home from a weekend getaway. There was a message on the answering machine for me from my bank. The message stated that I needed to call back as soon as possible regarding possible illegal use of my debit card. I called the toll-free number and reached a customer service representative (on a Sunday night, no less).

After identifying myself to the representative, she informed me that the Security Team at the bank had flagged a transaction 2 days prior as an attempt at card theft. When I asked how she could be sure, she explained that a transaction had come through for $1.00 for a purchase from an online music service. I told her that I frequently use that particular service, and each song happens to be 99 cents. I wondered if maybe they mistakenly flagged one of my own legitimate purchases by mistake.

She explained further that the person who attempted to use my card number was asked to enter their zip code at the time of purchase. The zip code entered did not match the zip code on my bank account. She said that this has started happening so frequently that it automatically gets flagged as a theft attempt.

I told her I appreciated the fact that they had intercepted and declined the transaction and subsequently froze the account, but I couldn't understand why someone would only try to steal $1.00. She said that the $1.00 transaction was only to "ping" the account. The thieves run a very small, innocent looking purchase through and if the transaction is completed, if they manage to "slip one through" they then know that the card is active and available for further use. She said "And then that's when they really wipe you out". She said that people rarely notice or investigate a $1.00 discrepancy on their account, so by the time they realize they've been robbed it's too late.

How interesting.......

So what in the world does that have to do with a life with Jesus Christ? Or with discipleship? Or with right-living?

Think about it.....how many times do we let a "little sin" or a random negative thought pass through our lives? How often do we treat someone unfairly or think something really vile about someone, only to brush it off as less than significant?

I believe that Satan understands this concept perfectly. He doesn't use what power he has to try to make us all murderers. He doesn't put opportunities for adultery in front of us every day. We're often faced with temptations that are easily justifiable. He just doesn't go "all in" right from the start. No, his method is much more cunning. And unfortunately, much more effective on me.

You see, Satan will start out with one tiny little seemingly unimportant seed. But once we've become tolerant or worse, even comfortable with that one tiny little bad thing that's in our life, I think our hearts harden just a tiny bit. Our senses get a little dull. Then a little more.....bit by bit. It's like I've heard people describe football....it's a game of inches. Satan knows that he can't win my heart in one swift, massive blow. But he does know that if he can slip enough little blows through "under the radar" so to speak, he might just lull me into complacency and get me all wrapped up in sin before I realize what has happened. And many of us know how hard it is to recover from that.

So what should I do? What should we all do? As always, God has given us the answer. This time, I believe it's in Ephesians 6 in The Message:

^10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

^13-18 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Paul knew. The apostle Paul knew that if the Ephesians didn't make a conscious effort every day to protect themselves from the little sucker punches that Satan dishes out, they'd be in trouble. And I think that God is giving us the same message today through this passage from His Word.

So watch yourselves out there. Don't discount the "little evils" that Satan tries to slip through on you. Talk to God about His idea of protecting yourself. And pray for those around you, that they, too find the armor they need to resist sin.

I like to think of it as a neighborhood watch for our souls.

Peace,

Mike