Think Again!

100 • Think Again: Transformation That Yields a Return on God’s Investment

Hold Your Ground! There is a hint of this idea of returning disobedience in Eph. 6.13: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm .” You are to first withstand in the evil day (detaining thoughts of the present), but “having done all, to stand firm” (defend another round). This is not a one-and-done process, but a repeated defense of what has been demolished and detained. You must defend the ground that has been taken, standing firm against future attack. Larry Crabb said we need to shoot the adversary, “And if he doesn’t stay dead, we must shoot him again, then beat him, then tie him down in the sand under a hot desert sun, turn loose an army of red ants on his body and walk away without sympathy. And then we must do it again and again and again, till we’re home.” 56 Two Caveats As you consider 3-D forging (demolish, detain, defend), remember that not every illness is the sick person’s fault. In a fallen world, there are all kinds of genetically inherited diseases that are not caused by the patient’s faulty beliefs. This is one of the main lessons from of Job: not all suffering and disease come from sin. If you blame the victim of disease for causing their own tribulation, you are in danger of collaborating with the father of lies, making the sufferer even more miserable. Be very careful not to assume cause and effect connections that may be more mysterious than you understand. A second warning is that 3-D forging process will not be easy. Hebrews 12.11 says, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” You must be willing to go through the pain. If you do, God will equip