A Dangerous Man – Part 2

One of the most dangerous jobs I have is emptying the family cryo-food bank of its various specimens. This is the cold storage unit where the various remains of the day are neatly stacked and proclaimed “leftovers”. I personally prefer my own term of “left-ins”. To me, leftovers, implies that something has left or is over and done with. Left-ins is far more accurate, for they are left in our fridge way past any reasonable timeline, a cryogenic mishap that we mistakenly imagine de-thawing and resuscitating some day in the near future. They rest dormant in the deep, cold recesses, awaiting the EPA to declare the back of our fridge a Supersite candidate or for some brave soul like myself to suit up and dive in. Fortunately, during my years of “research” of this phenomenon, I’ve come up with a few guidelines to help determine the spoilage factor of any food item.

· If it's covered with enough fuzz to knit a small sweater, it is spoiled.
· Anything that looks like cottage cheese but wasn’t before, is spoiled.
· Anything once solid but now a liquid, is spoiled (excluding ice), the
opposite is also true.
· If you can tie a slip knot in a carrot, it is spoiled.
· If fruit looks mummified and from the tomb of the pharaohs, it is spoiled.
· Anything that requires a hacksaw to remove it, is spoiled.

Alright, maybe courage is not the main requisite cleaning out the fridge. Perhaps, along with a poor sense of smell, just a willingness to attempt an unpleasant job is needed. Willingness is a huge key to any dangerous pursuit. Mix that attitude of willingness thoroughly with a spirit of conquest and you have a great combination for any undertaking. Charles Schwab, the late steel magnate, once talked about the keys to his success and stated the following:

“Have the spirit of conquest. Thus you can successfully battle and overcome difficulties”

The Apostle Paul, the late tent magnate, talking about Kingdom success, wrote in Romans 8:37:

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

The Greek word here for conquerors is “Hupernikao”. Huper which means “super” or “above”, is used as a prefix, to enhance certain words, in this case Nikao. This word Nikao, means “overcomer”, “subdue”, “prevail” or “victory”. Hupernikao then can be translated as “super-victors” or “super-subduers”!

Part of that subduing is directed towards my “self”, the self that needs to die and be consumed on the altar of His love. Which is the way it should be, for the more I die to self, the more adventurous I can become. In the movie Goldfinger this small exchange talks place between Bond, super-cool spy guy, who is tied to a table, and the baddie pointing with the nasty laser device, Goldfinger.

Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Goldfinger: No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!

The Father does expect the “self” to die and allow real life (His) to emerge in all we do.

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

When I am full with His life, the surer my steps are, and the stronger my faith is. I can be the “super-victor” He desires me to be. Like Caleb, one of Joshua’s mighty men, I am able to say and believe.

“Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30)

And I want to be able to give a similar testimony years from now. (Maybe I’ll leave the part about Moses out, no sense dating myself).

“I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” (Numbers 14:11)

That’s a dangerous man, 85 years old and still ready to kick some Anakims, who were some nasty old giants, off the land that God had promised them. Caleb was willing to believe his God for the victory and so ready to battle for what God said was his. Demonstrating by his faith, that the spirit of conquest was operating in his life. It’s this kind of radical faith that we have been blessed with as well. The Father uses it to change us into a dangerous people, ready to battle and overcome the giants of this world.

“Whatever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4:

Next time, a simple modus operandi for a dangerous man.

Blessings, Jay

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© 2008 Jay Cookingham - All rights reserved.
Jay Cookingham recently published two articles for the God's Way series. You can visit his home page at http://Jaycookingham.com

This column is used with permission.