Pump It Up! Live Elated, Not Deflated Through Disappointing Daysنموونە

Tell Long John to ‘Jog on’!

We must speak out the scriptures relating to our particular struggles to the pirates that are specifically threatening us. But we must come to a place where we understand and deeply believe those scriptures and are not just quoting them ‘parrot fashion’ (top quality pirate-related gag right there!). When you know the truth, the truth will set you free. We need to know the truth, not just quote the truth. I have grown up knowing of many scriptures that say I am loved and chosen, but there’s a shallow knowing and a much deeper knowing.

Dinghy days may put us at greater risk of pirate invasions, but we can emerge from our dinghy days with a much deeper security, confidence, trust, and faith in God and in the power of his word than if we’d never had dinghy time. We can come to understand, accept, know, and truly believe his word in a deeper, richer way.

Once we have gotten to grips with the pirates sent to plunder us, and accepted the truth of what God says about them, I believe we need to get feisty. Pirates don’t give up easily; they are dedicated to robbing us and causing mayhem at sea. They will daily, maybe hourly, do their worst to get their grubby mitts on your treasure. We need to wrestle them by knowing, understanding, believing, and boldly speaking out God’s truth. Then we can confidently tell Long John to ‘jog on’! (‘Jog on’ is an English phrase for saying ‘get lost/go away’!)

We must properly process our pirates and make them walk the plank, refusing to let them back aboard. We need to be spending time with Jesus, praying, and connecting with other believers who can help us stay strong. We need to be defiant in our attitude towards pirates - once they’ve been processed and have walked the plank, we must ensure we don’t entertain them again. We must learn how to ‘take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Pirates are persistent, but take heart, me hearty! With God’s help and through the power of his word, you can get to the place where you can confidently tell Long John to ‘Jog on!’. But please be mindful that it’s likely that you will have to continue to do this on a regular basis, to guard against them creeping aboard again.

Reflection

What is one scripture you could spend time reflecting on, that once you truly know, believe, and understand, will help you to confidently tell Long John to ‘Jog on’?