Pam Woodson
minister, writer, wife, mom
"Out of the abundance [OVERFLOW] of the HEART, the mouth speaks [the blogger blogs!]" (Luke 6:45).
"Watch over your HEART with all diligence, for from it FLOW the springs of life" (Prov. 4:23).
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Date: 6/03/09
A Game of Chicken
by Pam Woodson
"He
will not fear evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is upheld, he will not fear" (Psalm 112:7, 8;
NASV).
Did you ever play a game of Chicken with someone when you were growing up? I don't mean the I-dare-you-to-do-it-or-else-you're-a-chicken
version, where someone either takes your dare, whatever it might be, or he's declared a scared "chicken." To me, there is only one
true game of Chicken, and that's the bike kind. Now, as a child I donned my cute dresses and cuddled all my dolls and stuffed
animals like other little girls, but I still was a bit of a tomboy -- so I know well the game of Chicken using bicycles.
I played it often with a boy who lived on my block.
To play Chicken, we would get on our bikes, head
in opposite directions down the street, then turn and face each other, like two old-time cowboys ready to duel it out
in a gunfight. We'd stare each other down a few seconds (a fierce tactic, I'm sure, in psyching out the opponent),
count "1, 2, 3, GO!" -- and take off towards each other. I mean, we peeled out fast and right AT each other. The first one to swerve
to the side to avoid being hit was, of course, chicken; hence, the name of the game. The winner would shout, "Chickennnnnnnn!" and
ride past, laughing.
We played this game so many times, no doubt I had my fair share of being the
one labeled chicken. Something about getting hit head-on by a speeding bike just didn't seem to appeal to me. I
am sure I swerved to safety quite often. But not one day; nope, one day in particular I won -- and I'll always remember it because
I remember WHY I won: I made a decision not to lose. I told my friend, "I'm telling you right now, I'm not swerving today." I
meant every word. He acted like I was bluffing. My friend and I assumed our usual positions in the street, counted for the take-off,
and shot out from our starting lines. I pedaled as fast as I could...and so did he. I kept going straight...and so did he. I collided...and
so did he. Bang! Down we both went to the ground. I am not sure we ever had slammed into each other before in the game. I could
tell he didn't like that much. Who would? I didn't -- but for some humongous reason I also didn't want to lose that day. He said,
"What'd you do that for?" (as though it had been my fault). I said, "I told you I wasn't going to swerve. I'm not going to at all!" You
would think we would have quit at that point just short of being dragged to an ER, but kids can be unpredicatable at times. We got
right back on our bikes and did it all again -- with one exception: He swerved. We did it again: He swerved. I didn't hear "chicken"
hollered once at me. With the game becoming so predictable, boringness finally did set in and we stopped.
At times, when the devil seems to be coming at me his hardest, I drag out this simple, childhood memory. I detest
him trying to scare me and other believers into swerving away from our course -- a course of peace and joy God has given
us. He threatens to bang into us and knock us down flat. Sometimes he's all blow and just trying to psych us out; even
if he means every word he's blasting in our mind, our response needs to be the same: NO FEAR HERE! If he
can make us afraid, he automatically succeeds in stealing our peace and joy, for a heart cannot harbor both
fear and tranquility or exuberance.
But what the devil is underestimating is that Christians possess
an inner toughness: It is obtained in our knowledge of what Jesus did on the cross and in the resurrection. Scripture
says that, on the cross, Jesus defeated the enemy and disarmed him (Col. 2:14, 15). Scripture says that, in the resurrection, Jesus
was raised and now has raised us up to new life in Him spiritually, to heavenly places FAR ABOVE all evil principalities
and powers (Eph. 1:20, 21: 2:6). Sure, the devil still comes at us. But he is a defeated foe. Christ won over him, and through Christ,
we have victory over him, too. We can stand our ground in Christ against him, and not be scared into swerving from our peace
and joy. When the devil comes at us, in one breath we should call out to God for help and then, in another, quote scripture at
the devil, telling him, "I am in Christ, and He is in me. Greater is He that is in me than you who are in the world. No weapon formed
against me shall prosper. Nothing shall by any means harm me. I am strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. God is my
refuge, and He will protect me. I refuse to be afraid. I'm in Christ, and I'm not going to swerve from my position in Him. I'm standing
firm in Him against all your schemes. Devil, if you come at me, YOU'RE the one going down, 'cause I've got Jesus on my side. YOU'D
better get out of MY way. Who's the chicken now?!"
If we don't fight the good fight of faith, as the Bible
calls it, against him, if we just lie down in discouragement and fear, we've lost the game he's trying to make us play before
we even start. However, when we go to God for strength and realize that the battle is not ours but the Lord's, we can find encouragement
and courage to face anything in life. God is on our side -- and with God on our side, we're going to make it!
Giving:
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Copyright 2009, by Pam Woodson. All rights reserved.
Living:
Jesus-Is-Lord Christianity,
Grass roots conservativism,
Red-white-and-blue patriotism
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Over My Head, Brian Littrell
I
Know You're There, Casting Crowns
Today Is the Day, Lincoln Brewster
With You, Mark Willard
God With Us, MercyMe
You're Not Alone, Meredith
Andrews
Only You, David Crowder Band
Your Grace Is Enough, Matt Maher
What You Give Away, Vince Gill
Blessings, Martina McBride
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