Bill Dogterom
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
The Strategies of Terror
Terror has long been a strategy in warfare. A small force with fear on their side can easily rout a much larger and better equipped force. Gideon’s army is a case in point – three hundred, armed with torches and trumpets, overwhelmed an army of Midianites numbering in the tens of thousands and possessing the latest in military hardware. Fear, fueled by unconfirmed rumors and coming on top of pre-battle jitters and restless sleep, caused the Midianites to misprocess the information their senses provided. They assumed that each torch and trumpet represented a company of fighting men, rather than the unarmed solitary soldier. Their assumptions had them in heading in all directions at the same time – running into armed strangers in the dark with whom they engaged in battle – defeating themselves. Completely. Fear destroyed the army of Midian.
Our enemy has taken a page from God’s play book. God’s ploy against Midian has become the favored strategy of the devil against God’s people. With limited resources, terror is an ideal tactic. Fear, supercharged by rumor and restlessness, pushes the people of God to misprocess reality, often leading us to fight and destroy each other. We forget who we are, Who God is, and who the enemy is. Our unchecked assumptions make us easy targets for the enemy, going about like a roaring lion seeking some weak, isolated, prey to devour.
What is the counter-strategy to terror? We begin by standing in what is true. We are deeply and truly loved by the King and Creator of the Universe. All power has been given to our Lord and King who is present with us always and in every circumstance. We can’t lose – even if we die!
Next, we can acknowledge what is true about us. We are sinners who sin – but who have a Savior committed to us, even knowing all there is to know about us. He is not surprised by our sin. By bringing the skeletons of our full reality out of the closet and making them dance at the party of grace, we nullify the fear of discovery. The enemy hates redeemed reality – and that is where we live!
If we would take just a minute and stand in what is true, we would be less likely to engage in the kind of self-destructive behavior that sets the corridors of hell echoing with what passes as laughter. And terror would cease to be an effective weapon against us. Hear the angels, “Fear not!”
Our enemy has taken a page from God’s play book. God’s ploy against Midian has become the favored strategy of the devil against God’s people. With limited resources, terror is an ideal tactic. Fear, supercharged by rumor and restlessness, pushes the people of God to misprocess reality, often leading us to fight and destroy each other. We forget who we are, Who God is, and who the enemy is. Our unchecked assumptions make us easy targets for the enemy, going about like a roaring lion seeking some weak, isolated, prey to devour.
What is the counter-strategy to terror? We begin by standing in what is true. We are deeply and truly loved by the King and Creator of the Universe. All power has been given to our Lord and King who is present with us always and in every circumstance. We can’t lose – even if we die!
Next, we can acknowledge what is true about us. We are sinners who sin – but who have a Savior committed to us, even knowing all there is to know about us. He is not surprised by our sin. By bringing the skeletons of our full reality out of the closet and making them dance at the party of grace, we nullify the fear of discovery. The enemy hates redeemed reality – and that is where we live!
If we would take just a minute and stand in what is true, we would be less likely to engage in the kind of self-destructive behavior that sets the corridors of hell echoing with what passes as laughter. And terror would cease to be an effective weapon against us. Hear the angels, “Fear not!”
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