Stiff-legged is not a good look for me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyReSMJw5MI

I hope you watched the short video I posted above.  The quality is not that great, but it was the only one I could get to load from youtube.  The link is a different video and one I recommend highly that you watch!   You really should visit youtube for yourself and look for fainting goats.  I hurt myself, I honestly hurt myself laughing.  It seems these goats have a genetic anomaly that causes all their muscles to contract and stiffen whenever they are startled or scared. This causes them to fall over with all 4 legs sticking straight out! (I snorted when I saw it, I admit, it is snort worthy)   I'm not sure what purpose this would serve in the wild, but I do know it makes for some hilarious viewing! I'm sure I got my ab work in for the day.

Of course, you should know by now, I can't just leave it at that.  You see, I first saw this phenomenon while watching Mythbusters with Scamp.  They set out to see if it was true and they did so in typical Mythbuster fashion.  Through his hysterical giggles Scamp mentioned how funny it would be if people were like that.  After laughing with him, the cogs in my tilted brains started turning.  Some people, if you think about it, are just like those fainting goats; immobilized by fear.

How many times have you been tracking along the path the Lord has laid out for you, happily minding your own business when suddenly the enemy pops out from behind a tree, yells "boo!" and we promptly freeze in our tracks and fall over?  Those goats didn't have to be in any real danger, they just had to believe they were and their bodies took over and down they went.  You might say it is their default setting.  There have been times in my life, I must admit, when I too spent more time frozen, stiff legged on the side of the path instead of walking on with the Lord. 

Fear can immobilize like nothing else.  Remember when you were a kid and you went through a haunted house or watched something too scary on tv?  Remember that feeling when your adrenaline started pumping, your mouth went dry and your stomach was in your throat?  Remember how you felt frozen in place?  I guess it's a sort of if-I-don't-move-you-won't-see-me reaction.  Well that doesn't actually work.  If there is a crazed, brain-eating zombie stumbling around your living room, sitting completely still is not going to make you invisible.  It does, however, serve the devil's purpose if you fall over stiff legged every time he makes a face at you.  It's kind of hard to accomplish a whole lot from that position.  Can you imagine it?  You're trying to tell your neighbor about the Lord, the devil sticks his tongue out at you and - BOOM! - down you go.  You're trying to spend a little time in the word and prayer when the enemy pops up and  - PLOP!- you hit the floor.  While it might be entertaining for someone watching, it wouldn't be very productive and yet, so many times, that is what we do. 

It's time to rise above our tendency to hit the mat.  We are the children of the king, we have nothing to fear.  The word puts it this way in 2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.


We have no reason to give in to the spirit of fear.  It does not come from the Lord.  I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of falling over all the time.  Picking dirt from my teeth and leaves from my hair is getting a little old, not to mention the unnecessary bruising!  My goal will be to stay on my feet and remind myself of the scripture above, and the next time the devil tries to his scare tactics I'll remember those goats and do better at remaining upright.  Stiff legged is not a good look for me.


So till next time, I'll be here, staying upright and trying to get the grass stains out of all my clothes. 


Soaked in His blessings,
 Spokenfor