In the highly volatile and dangerous moments of life, the target of our efforts to stop an aggressor must be directed at the center of their mass. Trick shots are not realistic. Only an uninformed person who does not understand the reality of what is happening will think that someone being charged by a grizzly bear can deliver a headshot or demand that a police officer shoot a charging aggressor in the leg or arm. There is only one option to stop such attacks. We must aim for the center of their mass.
This principle applies to spiritual issues. The center of mass is the heart of a person. Only when the human heart is impacted can real change take place.
Jesus said, “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person” (Mark 7: 21-23). Only God’s truth about a person can penetrate what’s inside a person’s reasoning that is causing them to believe a lie and not believe God’s truth about who they should be and how they should live.
Our response must aim at what is deceiving a person. We are called to focus our aim on their deceived heart, responding in the opposite spirit of what has led them astray. We aim with God’s intent to redeem people from their deception. Only God’s truth can hit that target. Our response to such attacks must be to aim our response at our aggressor by speaking God’s truth to them, aiming our response at the center of their spiritual life, the heart.
Over the years, I have personally seen this happen repeatedly. When an attack comes attempting to destroy our credibility or when a betrayer attacks us with dishonor, only a shot to the heart can defeat their attack.
One reason we don’t see this happen more often is we try to take a headshot of a charging spiritual grizzly or aim at the hand of a spiritual aggressor in an attempt to stop their attack. If we respond that way, we will miss God’s intent. None of this works. Only by aiming at the heart of the matter, the center of a person’s spiritual life, can a transformation take place that will appear to onlookers that a miracle from the Lord has taken place.
Thank you! I had one such conversation with someone the other day and was wondering if I truly hit the heart of the matter. No pun intended. Your post has just confirmed to me that it was the Lord that led me to say the things I did. Once again, thank you.