Easy is an illusion
Look at this excerpt from “Brave the Wave”
I emphasize this because we live in a world that uses catch phrases or words to sell products. They grab people’s attention. The most commonly used words in advertising are free, now, you, save, money, easy, proven, and guarantee.[i] We’re bombarded with ads using these words all the time. People are preprogrammed to look for free and easy.
Embrace the mindset that there is no free, there is no easy, there is no guarantee, and there’s not much proven out there. There are no quick and easy steps to anything. If you’re an adult who has been through any difficulty, you already know that anything of real value is difficult and requires time, effort, and energy.
[i] https://www.thebalance.com/most-powerful-words-in-advertising-38708.
We are brainwashed to look for free and easy. The average adult sees about 5000 ads a day. It’s hard to sell difficult or hard. It’s easy to sell easy. “If the road you are on is easy,” Terry Goodkind says, “it’s likely you’re going the wrong way.” If you are spending time and energy looking for easy, you are chasing an illusion. Every task of value is difficult. Really if you think about most of the things that we are doing in this life are difficult. Work is hard. Marriage is hard. Starting a business is hard. Raising children is hard. Getting a degree is hard. Relationships are hard. Life is hard.
When you seek value, and you understand spiritual principles, you EXPECT hardship. You EXPECT tough times. You EXPECT bumps and obstacles. From my own experience, the value is what lies over the hill and when the wave takes us into shore. Guess who is standing on the beach waiting for us? Jesus. He has all the insights, revelations and clarity that come from enduring those trials and those difficulties. We just have to keep trusting and believing. When we choose to Brave The Wave, we have access to power, insight, and the full expectation of greater proximity to our authentic self. We only grow through adversity. I know. It sucks. But it’s true.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33 NLT)
Notice Jesus isn’t saying you MAY have trouble. He is saying you WILL have trouble. Especially if you are doing anything about sharing the gospel and bringing others to Jesus. You are putting on a helmet and getting into the fray. Expect bullets. Expect arrows.
I will never write or speak about a topic that I know nothing about. When it comes to spiritual warfare, those battles are real. Spiritual warfare is no fairy tale and it isn’t Disneyland. (I love Disneyland.) But we are never alone.
Spiritual battles aren’t easy. We need insight, revelations, clarity and power in order to be effective in battle. Those things never come easy. Easy is an illusion.