Racing Across the Frozen Lake: Digging Deeper into Victory Series, Part 4
"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Prov 23:7 NKJV)
If you ever lived in Northern Canada, or even visited the frozen north lands in
the wintertime, you will likely have noticed the cars and trucks that race over
the frozen lakes. In fact, many northern communities are only accessible via car
in the wintertime, when vehicles can cross on ice roads. This practice is
perfectly safe in the middle of the winter, unless, of course, you are caught up
in a winter storm, or perhaps there is an unexpected thaw!
There are many however, who see this practice as a sport--even, as a thrill. And
their favourite season for this activity is the early spring, when lakes and
rivers are already starting to thaw. The thinner the ice, the more thrilling the
ride. Or so it seems, as you watch them racing over ice that is already cracking
up, not only under the weight of their vehicles, but also because temperatures are above the freezing mark! In fact, the more likely the lake is
to swallow them up, the more fun they seem to have!
Sadly, many have met their doom while engaged in this kind of
sport, for many never
reach the other side ... The problem is, once we begin such adrenaline-filled
ventures, we just can't seem to make ourselves stop! Our unconscious minds take
over, filling us with a deep longing for more and more dangerous excitement.
The subconscious mind has a huge influence on our actions! The evil one knows
about this, too, and he uses it to his advantage. Only instead of filling our
minds with a deep longing for more and more excitement, he delights in using
real, hurtful events and factual feelings associated with these events to lead
innocent victims into a life of misery (See John 10:10).
He constantly reminds us of these, distorting them with his own interpretations.
"You are worthless! Even your own parents couldn't love you! It's because you
are just a worm. Remember..." or "You can't do anything right! Even your wife
hates you and your boss barely tolerates you. Remember..."
If we listen to him, which, for some reason, most of us have the tendency to do,
we will accept his suggestions as truth and they, in turn, will become part of
our belief system. "I am worthless!" "I am a no-gooder." "No one can love me!"
"I need to stay away from people..." And so events from the past will control us
for the rest of our lives.
Friends, strongholds are not created by facts. They are created by what we
believe happened to us, and these images created in our subconscious minds
convince us that they are true, even though they actually may not be.
These untruths become our reality, and we develop coping mechanisms accordingly.
These coping mechanisms can include such things as relational walls and fake
intimacy, with the only purpose to minimize the pain we feel. In turn, they
reinforce the strongholds--to the delight of the evil one! And so we live with a
belief system that usually doesn't fit with reality.
The bad news is, we can consciously decide to believe something different, but
unless our subconscious belief system agrees, we will not permanently change.
The subconscious doesn't just change because of a conscious choice we make. The
past truly controls our present.
Why? Because every input--every word, sound, image, or feeling--must first enter
our subconscious' minds. Watch a subliminal commercial, for example. An
attractive lady is drinking a cool, desirable and refreshing drink on a hot
summer day. Before we even have the time to consciously think about it, an
opinion is shaped. We become thirsty. We want some of the advertised drink.
In my younger years I saw a hypnotist make people do unbelievable things, like
sweat profusely in an ice-cold auditorium. How was he able to do this? He could
do this because the subconscious minds of these people believed what the
hypnotist was actually suggesting. What we believe in our subconscious mind
doesn't have to be actual true to control us, it simply has to be believed.
Remember the daredevil drivers? Their minds have become conditioned to think
that they "need": the thrill of living dangerously, and so they continue in their
dangerous endeavours. They even condition themselves to believe that nothing bad
will ever happen to them, and nothing can convince them differently.
But there is a solution. As hopeless as it seems, it is up to us whether these
strongholds become constructive or destructive. If we choose to meditate upon
God's Word and spend quality time with our Forever Friend, these belief systems
in our subconscious minds can be reversed. The key is to allow God access to our
subconscious minds over and over again. Only then can the false beliefs we have
stored there become revealed for the lies they truly are. Only then will we
experience utter freedom.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have
life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10 RSV)
If those cars can go zooming by on melting lakes, why can't I go skating on
them? Let's try! It will be a "thrilling" experience!
Rob Chaffart