Spiritual war – light or darkness
The theme of the Sparkles and fairy lights podcast is balance. We have previously considered how important it is and what can happen when one’s life is out of balance. But it would be remiss of me not to mention that sometimes balance is impossible as based on the Oxford Dictionary definition thereof, which describes balance as a situation in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.
Make a choice and stick to it
There are times when you need to make a choice and stick to it – no grabbing elements in equal proportions. No, it is a black-or-white choice; it is one or the other, not a little of both. It is not cutting back a little here or doing more there. And definitely not tweaking a mind-set, rather it is a wholesale rejection of an idea, ideology, or whatever you have in mind. You are either in or out, not in and out.
Do you remember #Megxit, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the decision to leave royal duties behind? During the course and eventual outcome of the now infamous Sandringham Summit, the late Queen Elizabeth II intimated to Prince Harry that as a couple they could not be half-in, half-out – it was either all in or all out. In a way, it can be likened to being pregnant – you either are or you are not. They had to choose – no half-measures could be taken. The jury is out on how that went down, depending on your worldview.
Black or white, no grey areas
Sometimes, it is really black or white with no grey areas in between, a topic we will explore in this episode and the next. Right now, in South Africa, we have been privy to the most enthralling jailbreak of a man known as Thabo Bester and his clandestine Bonnie and Clyde-esque relationship with a beautiful doctor and his Houdini-like escape to Tanzania.
South Africans are by no means lacking in sensational news, as we are so well acquainted with news breaking about widespread and deep-rooted corruption, presidents implicated in wrongdoing, gender-based violence and much more, but this one feels different.
For starters, there is a shocking element to it – even though South Africans are so hardened to everything. Amid brazen corruption and crime, and a time when an Al Jazeera exposé is exposing embezzlement, fraud, smuggling, you name it; it seems as though the only shock factor still at play is the blatant way crime is committed, the lack of accountability and bald-faced denials of the truth.
In a country dubbed the “rape capital of the world”, where gender-based violence is a national scourge, it felt outrageous to think that Thabo Bester, a convicted rapist and murderer would be able to escape a high-security prison through now not-so-apparent suicide even more so considering authorities were informed well before the story truly broke by journalists at GroundUp, a not-for-profit news agency. It was thus an affront that this was allowed to happen given the specific circumstances.
If that was a shocker, the kicker was that the beautiful doctor was the paramour, the sidekick of this notorious escapee and simply did not look the part. The mother of two seemed to have it all; a thriving practice attracting celebrities, money, children, the right address, etc. Not only that, but she was the one who seemed to have initiated contact with him in jail …
Excuse me, it boggles the mind and I really do not understand. And she was married with a family of her own when she initially reached out to the jailbird alleged for his contacts in the beauty world. I will reserve judgement but, as you can imagine, a vast number of South Africans were left scratching their heads, totally perplexed.
The trial has just begun and we are still in the dark about much of what has transpired. According to the Times Live, the doctor faces the following charges:
- Aiding and abetting escape – of a convicted prisoner from lawful custody,
- Murder of a number of bodies that were found in her possession,
- Violation of bodies, and
- Fraud.
Turn a different corner
At this stage, it is unclear how much Thabo’s influence is responsible for her behaviour, but the usual passage to success for someone of her calibre is certainly absent here. Long ago, Wham! fronted by the late George Michael released a song with the refrain: Turn a different corner and we never would have met.
Upon self-reflection, as she sits incarcerated due to the fact that she is a flight risk, perhaps, she may ask herself, what if, indeed, she had turned a different corner, what if she had made different decisions? Perhaps, if she had never contacted him those years before she could still be living the good life? Who knows?
Sometimes, it is one bad decision that precipitates more bad choices until one is so embroiled in something, you are unable to escape unscathed. The point is that sometimes, you cannot play with fire, you can’t make half-hearted attempts to change; you have to cut something off and make a radical decision. No insipid, weak forms of action are required. To live a truly balanced life, you have to make hard decisions to protect the overall boundaries and balance in your life. Not to do so is stupidity or folly.
Folly or stupidity
The Bible warns us not to indulge in folly. Furthermore, the Oxford Dictionary describes folly as follows: A lack of good judgement; the fact of doing something stupid; an activity or idea that shows lack of judgement.
How many of us can relate to doing something really stupid that cost us dearly? Additionally, how many times have we not heard of people getting hurt or injured because they have indulged in risky behaviour and thought that they would get away with it? Think of the guy who attended a party, agreed to drive his friends home after, decided to drink and then caused a high-speed crash that cost the lives of his friends.
The guilt and recriminations probably never end, while the beauty of a life of peace and balance probably elude him. I believe, the only saving grace is literally being forgiven by God – otherwise the driver will always be doomed to wrestling with a stupid decision made one night, probably on some weird impulse.
In the case of the doctor and the jailbird, the escaped convict was allegedly freed directly as a result of her actions to get him out. Supposedly, he faked his death and she arranged for a body of a man – only identified this week – to be cremated.
She has also been linked to other crimes as well, all the while having a gorgeous and sweet façade. Many of my fellow countrymen and women were hoodwinked too and it is precisely why this high-profile case is keeping us spellbound. To boot, her court appearances have shown her kitted out head to toe in Nike apparel.
Spiritual war
Thabo Bester’s arrest has brought to light a number of illicit practices in our correctional facilities and he appears to have been running businesses out of jail. The rest of us are shaking our heads. Where did it start? Why did it start? With bad judgement on the side of the “Good Doctor” as she is known? At this stage, we do not have the details and I will move away from the sensationalism of this case and proceed to something infinitely greater. A real spiritual war raging around us whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.
Now I have been aware of the spiritual war, but this week, it dawned on me more than ever how much is going on behind the scenes, in the spiritual realm, and how it affects us all. It is a battle we engage in every day, whether we realise it or not, and it is a war we cannot afford to lose. To win, you have to be on the right side.
There is no being on the right side some of the time; you have to make a hard-core commitment to one side or the other. That decision will affect every part of your life and affect everything you do, unwittingly or not. It has been said: Everything single thing you do is a reflection of an overarching decision you have made. Said differently, with every action you take, you are either witnessing for one side or the other. Hypocrisy sets in when you are undecided.
Choices to be made
If you choose to walk the way of the light, doing the right thing and being obedient to the Word, you make decisions to stop lying, stealing, compromising, etc. and dedicate yourself to the repentance of a number of overt and covert sins. Think Adam and Eve, they committed sin that separated them from God in a big way even causing them to lose their place in paradise. Some sins we commit, ensure that we are separated from God for eternity. Let me quote Revelation 21:8 – New International Version:
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.”
And Galatians 5:19-21 has this to add:
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
There are literally acts and sets of behaviour whose consequences have eternal implications. Much like the court case of this doctor will have an outcome – there will definitely be consequences. The accusations levelled at her are serious and years of incarceration should be expected if convicted. But there is still hope, light in a dire situation – she can repent, turn to God and be saved for eternity.
Eternal separation
For her, like everyone else, if a decision is made to continue sinning, eternal separation is possible. Now I know some people may wonder what the big deal is. If people have chosen not to walk with God on earth, why should they want to go to heaven right? Think about it – if you don’t want to talk to God in prayer why would you want to talk to him in heaven? Why if you don’t like the sound of his voice through his Word, why would you want to spend an eternity with him in heaven where the Word is King?
Yet, what is the other alternative? An eternity with the devil? Some people say that they are looking forward to a life of drinking and partying, carousing in devil heaven – that they can imagine having illicit relationships and feeling free to do whatever they like. Yes, it is a godless and lawless place. But will they find love, joy and peace there? Qualities so many people crave in their lives.
Commands of God are perfect
We also miss a vital point – the commands of God have been put in place to protect us. That is what boundaries do – they set limits. The problem with mankind is that we do not like limits. We are free, but we just want to be free to do what we want even if that slowly kills us.
What do you mean you might ask? I think of the wilful act of smoking. The packaging makes it clear that smoking can kill you. But no, people light up all the time. Trying to look cool, de-stress, whatever they tell themselves. Then when cancer develops as a direct result of the smoking habit, people want to do everything they can to eradicate it and get their health back. Money and time are employed to get to a state that could have been utterly avoided. Knowing this, why do people light up to start with in the first place?
Choices, choices, choices
“A mistake repeated more than once is a choice.”
Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian writer
Make no mistake
Think of the instances, we all do it, when we tell ourselves just one more time, then I will stop. This week, I identified that I am battling with self-discipline. I confess that the snooze button is in over-use to put it mildly. I see plainly how self-gratification has reared its ugly head and prevents me from attacking my goals with gusto.
There is a choice I have to make – all in, as half-hearted simply won’t cut it. So self-discipline is another hard choice laid before us on a daily basis. I am sure I am not alone when I say that the devil makes making the wrong choice feel so good.
Yes, it’s not so easy to do the right thing, is it? Especially when confronted with enormous peer pressure to the contrary. What will motivate us to do the right thing even when everybody around us tells us it is not important or the desire to conform is overwhelming? Well, let’s see what is at stake in this spiritual war. Who is involved in this war? Who leads the war? What is the end result and who will the victor be? What does the Bible say?
Protagonist and antagonist
We know that there are two main characters in this war; one represents light and the other darkness. Both have kingdoms and angels at their beck and call, able to do their bidding. What are the traits of both and what are the hallmarks of their kingdoms? How will you know which is which and why is fighting on God’s side so hard yet so important?
As I pointed out, there are a lot of similarities. I will focus on Jesus – the one person of the Godhead – versus his arch nemesis, Satan, the devil. They are both powerful and have dominion as described in Scripture. Let us break this down.
Job 38:7 reveals more than one morning star. Both Satan and Jesus are described as such, but it is Jesus who tells us that He is the ultimate morning star. I quote from Revelation 22:16 as follows:
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
Fall of Satan
In reference to the fall of Satan, the Bible reveals the following in Isaiah 14:12.
12 “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!”
In terms of the spiritual battle, it is clear who has the upper hand. But we continue examining the similarities, this time with regard to the fact that both are defined as being princes. Daniel 8:25 is as follows:
25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
Who is this Prince of princes
Who is the Prince of princes mentioned here? Commentaries agree that it is the God of gods, King of kings and Lord of lords. Then in the English Standard Version, Ephesians 2:2 also mentions a prince, I quote:
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.“
Here, the Bible reveals the state of those following the one known as the prince of the power of the air.
One is bright light, the other destined for destruction. We are left with a choice: choose the powerful and eternal One or one that will ultimately lead to death. Have you made a choice yet? If not, which one will you choose? So what conclusive evidence is there that Jesus is life and the devil is linked to death you may ask.
I AM statements
Let us consider what the Bible has to say on this. In what is known as the I AM Statements, Jesus emphatically says that he is the way, the truth and the life as written in John 14:6. He has come to give us life to the full or in abundance. This is according to John 10:10. The same passage juxtaposes what Satan does, I quote the whole passage from the New International Version in full:
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The problem that arises when facing this is that we often cannot see how the devil is destroying us at the moment we are tempted by whatever is on offer. Only later, do we see the results of instant gratification. It is never clear upfront. Like having a lie-in instead of doing what is required, you find yourself chasing your tail, putting out fires and generally feeling frazzled, when getting up and sticking to the plan would have worked perfectly.
With the Christian life, a more cautious approach is oftentimes the route to righteousness – action is not hastily taken but only executed in wisdom after prayer and fasting. Time and again, it is a long process, God’s response to prayer is as often as not “wait” and in a time of lightning-speed internet and modern conveniences, who is inclined to want to wait? It is so hard to resist instant gratification, isn’t it? The problem though is that you and I are faced with a choice.
Next time
At this juncture, I am going to let you know that this is the end of part one. We continue our discussion of the vexing nature of choice and what it means to embrace either light or darkness in the spiritual realm next time. We also unpack some more characteristics of the ruler of each.
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