The Spin Stops Here
Luke 7:22 “So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”
When John’s disciples came, and asked Jesus if He is the one prophesied of, or should they look for another – it is interesting to see the answer that Jesus gave them. He tells them to go tell John what they have seen (action/miracles) and heard (apologetics); that the sick are healed, the blind receive sight, the lame walk, etc. In other words, we need to have both. People need to see miracles taking place as well as hearing systematic argumentation and discourse in understanding the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ (apologetics).
We are to go out and meet the world. We are to be influencers and Jesus showed us some of the principles that will make a difference in the world. Often what it means, is to be just the opposite of what we see in the world.
For example, where there is the spirit of pride, exhibit humility; where there is stubbornness, exhibit flexibility; where there is an unforgiving spirit, exhibit forgiveness. In other words, we are to exhibit the opposite of the ungodly spirit that is being manifested. We are in a spiritual warfare and we are to use our weapons wisely.
For the last couple of weeks, I have seen in several families a spiritual battle taking place in how what is said is being spun leading to strife within the marriage.
Praying over this I have come to realize that there is a Leviathan-spirit and one of its main tactics is to twist our words and spin the truth. This spirit causes misunderstanding and strife within relationships. It is like a crocodile that gets its kill in its mouth and will spin as fast as it can to bring its kill under its control. We see this spirit being played out in the political and media realm in how truth is being spun.
One of the most successful programs on the Fox News has been Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin Zone. He has now been fired by Fox, because of sexual innuendos. How true those accusations are I do not know, but what is interesting to me is that his “No Spin Zone” is no more. Could this be a spiritual battle taking place?
We live in a world where there is so much deception and the possibility of being deceived is great, because the truth is being spun. Did not Isaiah speak of a day like this?
Isaiah 59:14-15 “Truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.”
When John the Baptist’s disciples came to Jesus asking if He was the real one, the true one, what did Jesus do? He showed them that He was – by what He was doing.
In all of the spinning taking place in the world today as well as in our families – what are we to do? We show the opposite spirit. We put up ‘no spin zones’ in our area of influence within our families, jobs, professions, etc., and we say to the Leviathan spirit: ‘the spin stops here!’