Thursday, September 02, 2004
Shackles: The Elephant Syndrome
Nepali elephant driver 
Elephants are perhaps the most powerful and mightiest creatures on all the face of the Earth. Some once asked, "Where does an elephant sleep?" Wherever they want. I mean who is gonna tell an elephant what to do or where to go? Unless you've got a high powered rifle or an M1 Abrams Tank, trying to control wild elephants it not a good proposition.
Well, truth be told your can control wild elephants. The people of Nepal give tours of the Royal Chitwan National Park on elephant back. But, how do they tame these creatures? Well, the elephant must be psychologically "broken". They do this by chaining the elephant to a post and encircle them in a ring of fire for up to 2 or 3 evenings. A skilled trainer, atop an already "broken" elephant will sing and talk to the new captive until he is fully broken. Then, he will use what's called an ankush, basically a metal rod that has been sharpened at the tip to strike a large sinus area of the elephant's skull. When struck creates loud inner reverberations. While teaching an elephant the eighteen paired commands (go, stop, sit, stand, etc.), the trainer constantly taps the skull to focus its attention. The ankush will sometimes also have a curved appendage, which can be hooked into a small natural hole in both of the elephant’s upper ears and given a hard yank. As a last resort for aggressive behavior, the sharpened tip of the ankush can be driven into the skull like a giant nail (http://www.nepal-traveller.com/).
Notice, what hasn't changed is that the elephant, even though broken, is still that same immensely powerful creature. I imagine if anyone told him the power he truly had, there is no way these elephant drivers could control them.
I will tell you first hand that Satan has use a similar tactic in my life regarding sexual addiction. I am a child of the most High God. The God of all Heaven and Earth. Even before I was saved I was still created and sought after by him. In other words, humans are they most powerful spiritual creates on Earth. Even if they are not saved they still have access to the creator of the universe through Christ.
Likewise, Satan has psychologically "broken" many into believing they can never be free from addictions. I have struggled with sexual addiction for 20 years. I'm only 28 so your talking all my life I've struggled with this. Satan did not wait until I was fully mature in all the power that Christ has given me to defeat something like this, but he started when I was only a child. Sure, I've made plenty of poor decisions over the years. Decisions I am not proud of have caused me to suffer consequences for the rest of my life. However, many of those decisions were made while shackled to a steel post, encircled in a ring of fire with a metal rod being slammed against my head, with the enemy of all that is good, whispering words of evil and deceit.
On the other hand, the recovery process is just like someone telling that elephant who he is. As if someone walked into that ring of fire and told him that power and the might that possesses. That he no longer has to be tortured and beaten and prodded and shackled. This person is Christ. I truly believe wit hall my heart that God took me out of that ring of fire. He taught me who I was and the power I had in him. I encourage anyone that is struggling with any kind of addiction that there is help and recovery. You can have life. Just don't stop trying.
Elephants are perhaps the most powerful and mightiest creatures on all the face of the Earth. Some once asked, "Where does an elephant sleep?" Wherever they want. I mean who is gonna tell an elephant what to do or where to go? Unless you've got a high powered rifle or an M1 Abrams Tank, trying to control wild elephants it not a good proposition.
Well, truth be told your can control wild elephants. The people of Nepal give tours of the Royal Chitwan National Park on elephant back. But, how do they tame these creatures? Well, the elephant must be psychologically "broken". They do this by chaining the elephant to a post and encircle them in a ring of fire for up to 2 or 3 evenings. A skilled trainer, atop an already "broken" elephant will sing and talk to the new captive until he is fully broken. Then, he will use what's called an ankush, basically a metal rod that has been sharpened at the tip to strike a large sinus area of the elephant's skull. When struck creates loud inner reverberations. While teaching an elephant the eighteen paired commands (go, stop, sit, stand, etc.), the trainer constantly taps the skull to focus its attention. The ankush will sometimes also have a curved appendage, which can be hooked into a small natural hole in both of the elephant’s upper ears and given a hard yank. As a last resort for aggressive behavior, the sharpened tip of the ankush can be driven into the skull like a giant nail (http://www.nepal-traveller.com/).
Notice, what hasn't changed is that the elephant, even though broken, is still that same immensely powerful creature. I imagine if anyone told him the power he truly had, there is no way these elephant drivers could control them.
I will tell you first hand that Satan has use a similar tactic in my life regarding sexual addiction. I am a child of the most High God. The God of all Heaven and Earth. Even before I was saved I was still created and sought after by him. In other words, humans are they most powerful spiritual creates on Earth. Even if they are not saved they still have access to the creator of the universe through Christ.
Likewise, Satan has psychologically "broken" many into believing they can never be free from addictions. I have struggled with sexual addiction for 20 years. I'm only 28 so your talking all my life I've struggled with this. Satan did not wait until I was fully mature in all the power that Christ has given me to defeat something like this, but he started when I was only a child. Sure, I've made plenty of poor decisions over the years. Decisions I am not proud of have caused me to suffer consequences for the rest of my life. However, many of those decisions were made while shackled to a steel post, encircled in a ring of fire with a metal rod being slammed against my head, with the enemy of all that is good, whispering words of evil and deceit.
On the other hand, the recovery process is just like someone telling that elephant who he is. As if someone walked into that ring of fire and told him that power and the might that possesses. That he no longer has to be tortured and beaten and prodded and shackled. This person is Christ. I truly believe wit hall my heart that God took me out of that ring of fire. He taught me who I was and the power I had in him. I encourage anyone that is struggling with any kind of addiction that there is help and recovery. You can have life. Just don't stop trying.
# posted by funbun @ 6:03 AM 
