Raise your hand if you ever sang the song, Hokey Pokey. You know, that catchy little ditty many of us sang as children.

You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, you put your right hand in, and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.

On a more serious note, now raise your hand if you ever play Spiritual Hokey Pokey. You know, those times when we put our whole self in for God, and we put our whole self out. Or if not our whole self, part of our self.

Sometimes, I think, when we read Bible stories of God’s people who drew close to him one moment yet pulled far away the next, we shake our heads and wonder what in the world their problem was. A Golden Calf at the foot of Mount Sinai? David staying at the palace in the spring when kings went to war? Israel during the Old Testament prophets?

Spiritual Hokey Pokey. Right hand in, right hand out.

But you know what? Many of us do the same thing. We have our moments of absolute devotion to the One True God where we are all in. Head, heart, mind, and, soul. Then if we aren’t paying attention and leave our thoughts unchecked, our thoughts can go in a direction they have no business going. Which can lead to us saying words we shouldn’t say. Which can lead us to taking actions we shouldn’t take. That is why it is said our mind is a battlefield, for truly it is.

Spiritual Hokey Pokey. Right foot in, right foot out.

David had that problem with his thoughts going the wrong direction in the spring of the year when kings normally go out to war. He stayed in the palace and sent Joab to fight. (2 Samuel 11:1-10)

I don’t believe David knew the devastating ripple effect his decision decision would cause. For one thing, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He should have been with his troops. Seeing Bathsheba led to desire. Desire led to inquiring about her. Inquiring about her led to having her brought to him. Being with Bathsheba began a deadly progression of compounded sins.

Spiritual Hokey Pokey. Whole self in, whole self out.

I don’t believe when we play Spiritual Hokey Pokey we set out to play the game. We’re told in 1 Peter 5:8-9 Satan prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart.

That’s us. The enemy likes nothing more than to have us play Spiritual Hokey Pokey. The more he gets us to put our head, heart, mind, and soul out away from God, the greater his happy dance.

But we aren’t defenseless, my friends. We are victors through our relationship with the Resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord and King. There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain, Amen?

So next time Satan tries to get us to do the Spiritual Hokey Pokey, we need to stand firm, take every thought captive, and throw away those thoughts which aren’t from Christ, call on Jesus’ name, resist the devil and he will flee.

How do you keep from playing Spiritual Hokey Pokey?

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Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:7-11 (NLT)

You can find my December Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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