First off let me say that I am in no way bashing surfing or surf boarding, I am simply making this an example of being in the right place as opposed to the wrong place, and what we believe. I am also continuing to share the experiences I had while on vacation with my family, and some of the revelations and conversations I had with God while I was away. Lastly, I do not want to scare anyone away from the beaches and shores. It would be like telling you not to drive, or fly, because of accidents. Things happen to everyone so please, just hear what I'm saying and realize I was simply having one of my "God moments", where He and I were talking.
We were all just fishing off the pier when one guys string started singing. Whatever he caught grabbed the bait and took off. He started to reel whatever it was in and it was bending his pole, and giving him the thrill of a lifetime. We all started moving toward his side of the pier to see what he'd caught. To my surprise, it was a shark. When it broke through the water and started its ascent to the pier a surfer yelled, "Do you have a net?" The young man that was fishing with his son looked at his Dad, and his Dad was already shaking his head, "No". Obviously, if you can net it you can keep it. If not you have to take it to the shore, where they mark them and return them to the water. This surfer was braver than I. He shouted up to the young man, "Well then, I will walk him in for you."
Walk him in! Are you crazy? You're in the water with a shark and you're going to walk him in? I was stunned. He was swimming around the surfer snapping at him all the way in. The surfer would jerk him up out of the water and walk a ways, and then put him back in the water for a moment, then hold him up again. A crowd was gathering to see what all the commotion was about.
Walk him in! Are you crazy? You're in the water with a shark and you're going to walk him in? I was stunned. He was swimming around the surfer snapping at him all the way in. The surfer would jerk him up out of the water and walk a ways, and then put him back in the water for a moment, then hold him up again. A crowd was gathering to see what all the commotion was about.
The lifeguards showed up and then I guess a conservationist, or some trained authority arrived on the scene. She grabbed the shark with the help of a few other people, which seemed effortless while the shark was laying on the hot sand. She tagged it with a sort of tag gun, and then, walked to the water and released it.
Mind you now this shark must be pretty angry by now--and she released it! She released it back into the ocean where it came from, where the surfers were surfing. They had all just seen what was caught. They all had just seen one of their own (the surfer) walk the shark onto the shore, and they just saw it released back into the water they were surfing in? Am I really seeing this? Why would they stay out there? Why are they seemingly oblivious to this apparent threat?
Mind you now this shark must be pretty angry by now--and she released it! She released it back into the ocean where it came from, where the surfers were surfing. They had all just seen what was caught. They all had just seen one of their own (the surfer) walk the shark onto the shore, and they just saw it released back into the water they were surfing in? Am I really seeing this? Why would they stay out there? Why are they seemingly oblivious to this apparent threat?
These are all real pictures I shot with my camera. This is a true scenario. I am still in amazement. I stood there in awe and ask, "God why are they so unmoved by all of this? Why do they just keep surfing, knowing that there are not just one but several sharks out there and many are even bigger?" I mean I had looked into the water and saw several with my own eyes, with their unmistakable sway as they swam through the waters. Many fishing were catching smaller ones, and just throwing them back in.
God was faithful to answer me. "They don't believe it will happen to them. They believe they are the exception. They believe they can get away with it. They believe like all the other times it might happen to someone else but not them. They believe the fun they are having is worth the risk." They believe.
As I was having this conversation with God I finally got it! It was what they believe. What we believe determines our behavior, our choices, our actions, our decisions. It all comes down to what we believe. Even the Bible tells us when we read in Mark 5:36 and Luke 8:50 and several other scriptures tell, "believe only." What we believe matters. But, where we are also matters. If we are in the devils territory we better know what we believe. I have since learned that sharks sense fear. Their radar tells them when the electrical currency sends out fear when we are afraid, it tells the shark the animal, or person in this case, is easy prey because it is hurt or weak. The shark goes after the easy prey.
What message are we sending out to the devil? It may not be as important when you're sitting in the pew on Sunday, but what about when you are swimming in dangerous waters Monday through Saturday? What about when you are on the Mission field, or worst yet, when you are where you know you shouldn't be? Too many so called Christians are surfing in dangerous waters, forgetting what they once believed. The devil is there. We are not always the exception to the rule, but the devil will lead you to believe you are.
ACTION STEP: Where are you playing? What do you believe? How are you handling the devil when you've seeming got him on the line? Have you marked him?
God was faithful to answer me. "They don't believe it will happen to them. They believe they are the exception. They believe they can get away with it. They believe like all the other times it might happen to someone else but not them. They believe the fun they are having is worth the risk." They believe.
As I was having this conversation with God I finally got it! It was what they believe. What we believe determines our behavior, our choices, our actions, our decisions. It all comes down to what we believe. Even the Bible tells us when we read in Mark 5:36 and Luke 8:50 and several other scriptures tell, "believe only." What we believe matters. But, where we are also matters. If we are in the devils territory we better know what we believe. I have since learned that sharks sense fear. Their radar tells them when the electrical currency sends out fear when we are afraid, it tells the shark the animal, or person in this case, is easy prey because it is hurt or weak. The shark goes after the easy prey.
What message are we sending out to the devil? It may not be as important when you're sitting in the pew on Sunday, but what about when you are swimming in dangerous waters Monday through Saturday? What about when you are on the Mission field, or worst yet, when you are where you know you shouldn't be? Too many so called Christians are surfing in dangerous waters, forgetting what they once believed. The devil is there. We are not always the exception to the rule, but the devil will lead you to believe you are.
ACTION STEP: Where are you playing? What do you believe? How are you handling the devil when you've seeming got him on the line? Have you marked him?
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