G’Day Mate. This is an expression that Australians use to greet one another. It’s a way of wishing one another well while affirming a shared experience of relaxed culture. At least that’s how I interpret it. It’s recognizing someone who’s familiar, even if you don’t know them, and affirming their well-being. Americans wish each other well in parting; we say “have a nice day,” or “have a good one.” The expressions suggest that we’re all in this together; that we share the everyday experiences of doing life; some good, some not so good. It’s a form of recognition, but in the process of that recognition an assessment usually takes place. If the person is of the same gender then comparisons are made: age, race, or perhaps visible ethnicity. If the person is of the opposite gender then some form of additional valuation may take place. In either case, beyond these basics, clues will be acquired to determine the circumstances of the person. How are they dressed? What kind of jewelry are they displaying? Is there any damage apparent? What are they carrying? A lot of information can be obtained almost instantly, and often unconsciously. We may not even pay much attention unless something unusual stands out. Exceptional beauty, an obvious wound, or unusual behavior may prompt us to look more closely, and then make a determination to either engage or ignore the person. Of course the major obstacle to this type of encounter is our fixation on what’s happening elsewhere, and when I say elsewhere I mean everywhere else. It seems to be the case that people are giving less and less attention to what’s going on around them and more and more attention to the little screen they’re holding in front of their face and the sounds being transmitted directly into their ears.

However, this isn’t a discussion about our current tendency for distraction; it’s about our assessments and how they’re acquired. It’s about the criteria we use to assess others and the conclusions we draw based on those assessments. And it’s about what prompts us to make those assessments. What are we after: pleasure, prestige, power? And what are we looking for: safety, direction, distraction? It seems to reduce to how we value life? What is the most important thing about being alive? The answer to that question determines how we evaluate ourselves—and others. I would say that left to our own devices the only goal that we’ve been able to come up with is our own survival. We fill up the time and make more people so that we don’t go extinct. Along the way we argue about how to sustain the species and move forward to what? More of the same?

I know the thought is that we’re progressing, but are we really? Enter the Dragon. Ain’t no such thing is there? It’s all on us, to determine where we’re going and why, or so they say. There’s nothing that informs us except ourselves. Or… if there is something, we can’t agree on what that might be. In America, the traditions point to God and/or the devil. But these days the tendency is to give less and less attention to those traditions; even among those who say they believe. The focus is on government as the means to gain what’s available in life. Those who are lacking, appeal to the government. Those who are threatened, appeal to the government. Those who are uncertain, appeal to the government. Those who are convinced, appeal to the government; God is ignored or given a passing nod on the way to a solution. It’s all on us. We find ourselves ensnared in a barely visible web, but a web none-the-less. It all fits together. We come from nowhere, and we’re on our way to nowhere. And all we can hope for is to fill up the time as best we can. Who will save us from the bondage of this death? You know who. He’s there but you can’t see Him unless…you look. And once you see Him you better not look away because the web will start to close. It may not be able to overcome those who believe, but it can entangle nevertheless.

Apart from this web the view is different. People aren’t just people anymore. They’re not just lost entities, they’re potential subjects, and being a subject is a good thing. And that’s the difference. You may not appreciate the term: subject. What it refers to is so foreign to us Americans that the only time it may come up is in the study of—dare I say it—history! I know I sound cynical; I’m feeling a little cynical today. The world keeps spinning. The danger keeps increasing. And all we seem to be capable of doing is more of the same: engaging distraction, arguing for what’s coming to us, sounding the alarm before the latest…catastrophe? But in the midst of it all, there’s something going on. The call is out for subjects. I’m not talking about topics as the term is often used. I’m talking about subjects as in those who are subject to something…or someone, and it’s this type of subject to which I’m referring.

Things are popping in faraway places, things that don’t make the latest news line, things that aren’t valued but are consequential nonetheless. The call is out, the Great I Am is on the move…whether you like it or not! And I hope you like it because you don’t want to get left behind. I’m not talking about the ultimate tragedy at the end of days; I’m talking about failing to recognize what’s important in the here and now. If you’re counting yourself a Christian and still giving most of your attention to what everybody else is focusing on in this culture then woe is you. The goal is not fairness; it’s not equality; it’s not even plenty; it’s not justice. It’s servanthood. It’s being a subject of a King, and not just any king, the King. And the Lord is using all the commotion across the globe to get His message out. People are begging for bibles in Africa;¹ war zones are producing vigorous attention to the One and Only;² there’s revival in unexpected places like Egypt and elsewhere.³ But the only time we hear about God in the news is when some nutcase posing as a pastor, convinces his followers to starve themselves to death! Why is that? Enter the Dragon. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one. You think that’s hocus pocus? Think again! The Bible isn’t just an answer to the question: what must I do to be saved? It’s a presentation of the way the world works; the nature of human existence in the here and now. There is a God, there is truth, there is a devil, and there is cosmic deception!

Pay attention folks! You want to make sense of your existence? You want answers to life’s dilemmas? Pay attention. Don’t wait for everything to be taken from you in order to get in step. God is on the move! Get in step. Pay attention. Bring everything under His rule. Let Him set the agenda for your life. BELIEVE what the Bible says and order your life accordingly. It’s so easy in this culture to get distracted. And the herd mentality prompted by social media affects everyone: believers and unbelievers alike. As Christians we should know better. We’ve affirmed the truth of His Word. We’ve affiliated with a church. We’ve taken issue with what’s considered “normal” in the wider world. But we still get swept up into the flow of dissipation and distraction presented by this strange place of our modern western culture. America is Number 1 so they say. We’re founded by God and sustained by God. It’s in God we trust; it says so on our money. But the God we affirm doesn’t seem to be directing traffic. Enter the Dragon. Pay attention! The means of the evil one is not the exhibition of supernatural power; not in this country. Witch doctors make people levitate in the bush, but in America the enemy’s keeping us busy…distracted…obsessed with our own fortunes or the lack thereof. Remember what Peter said:

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

He’s the “great dragon” that will be “thrown down” at the end of days, but until then he strategizes against us, and we need to recognize his strategies and take steps to counteract them. (Revelation 12:9)

We have to move against the flow. That means that we don’t just fit God into our schedule. We don’t just “pencil Him in” for an appointment. We have to take steps that give Him precedence over our lives. I know it’s not easy. I’m retired; I can spend the whole day reading and studying scripture and luxuriating in prayer without being pressured for time. But I’ve been a believer and an aggressive follower of Jesus for 50 years. You can redefine your schedule. You can give place to what’s needed to advance in your quest to know the Lord. Even parents with all the responsibilities of raising children can organize their lives, resisting the distractions of this place and time, and establish a solid basis for following after the Lord’s agenda. But whatever your circumstances, you need to be on the lookout for the strategies of the enemy: the seemingly benign distractions that steal your time, your energy, and your resources. Remember the armaments of God: truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God; exercising them with persistent prayer, alert to the strategies of the enemy. (Ephesians 6:13-18)

¹cru.org; Farai Katsande

²samaritanspurse.org

³ifapray.org