The Devil’s Playbook: Epilogue – Fight, Flight or Stand in His Might?
Fight or flight
Walking home from school as a child I saw up ahead some older youths blocking my path. As I got nearer, I saw that they were deliberately causing an obstruction and looking directly at me. I was little. They were big. I didn’t know them, and I don’t think they knew me. But for some reason – they were probably just bored and wanted to have some fun scaring a little kid – they chose to be very intimidating. If I ran away, I’d be further from home. If I chose to fight, I’d not survive.
We are told that when under pressure there are generally two alternatives – fight or flight.
We all have moments of pressure in our lives, the washing machine breaks down and you can’t afford to get it fixed, a loved one is rushed into hospital, someone keeps intimidating you. Are you the sort of person to get aggressive and confrontational, or do you hide behind the sofa?
Is your instinct to run from trouble or attack?
While I was confronted with this group of youths, I didn’t know about the fight of flight options. No one had told me. So, I discovered a third option:
Freeze!
I got a bit closer and just stopped. I wasn’t being brave. This is more ‘rabbit in the headlights’ than ‘stand firm and hold your ground’. I didn’t make eye contact, probably looked down. They had formed a line in front of me. But the person to my far left just withdrew. Maybe they felt bad or bored, but they just hung back a bit. And then the person next to them. So now there was a gap to my left. I ran through that gap like some frontline soldier and never looked back. I think I heard chuckling behind me, but my face was too red, my head pounding with every heartbeat to really notice.
My point is, there is a third option, other than ‘fight or flight’: Do nothing! That sometimes really winds people up. If someone is deliberately intimidating you, they usually want a reaction! I have a friend who’s really good at not engaging with arguments. The person arguing with him can get really riled but he just stands and smiles and listens. He’s not being particularly clever or wise. He just chooses not to engage.
As I’ve unpacked the devil’s playbook idea most of the basis has been how to stand against the enemy.
And that’s biblical.
God will fight. You stand.
Look at the following passage again and see how many times the word, ‘stand’ appears.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17)
We are to take our stand against the devil.
Is it ever appropriate to run?
Jesus didn’t run in the garden. He knew it was his destiny to be captured and crucified. And he chose not to fight too, telling Peter to put his sword away! Peter later ran from responsibility and denied knowing Jesus. Neither of these actions (fight or flight) are painted in a good light.
In the light of all of scripture, the general rule seems to be that God wants us to stand firm and see him deliver us from our problems. Wait for him. Trust him.
I want to suggest that there are some situations where standing is wrong.
Don’t just stand there!
1: When tempted
- Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife because she was trying to seduce him.
- The Proverbs are packed with similar advice.
- Paul tells the Corinthians to flee sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)
2: When God is setting you free
- When at the Red Sea, the Hebrews did not turn around, face the Egyptians and stand firm. They had done their standing and trusting. Now God was making a way for them to… RUN!
- Flee your past old life. We need to reach the lost but there are places where some of us should stay away from and let others reach out to.
- Flee negative influences. Some people are not good for you. Again, someone else might reach them, but don’t let them reach you.
3: What about persecution?
Should we run away when we are persecuted for our faith? In the Early Church one question was whether elders should flee persecution as Jesus in John 10 had warned of those who abandoned their flock to the wolves instead of laying down their lives for them. The Church decided that a church leader could flee if it served the interests of his church. Another question that arose was whether Christians should really run into the sword, wanting a martyr’s death in order to gain a greater reward in heaven.
This may not seem relevant today but actually there are more persecuted Christians in the world than ever before. According to Open Doors, in their top 50 “World Watch List” countries,
- 245 million Christians experience high levels of persecution for their choice to follow Christ.
- 1 in 9 Christians worldwide experience high levels of persecution.
- The number of Christians who experience high levels of persecution has risen by 14% in the last year.
- 4,136 Christians killed for faith-related in the past year.
- 2,625 Christians detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned.
Could this happen to us? Maybe. Maybe not. But Jesus said,
22You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. (Matthew 10)
Notice two things. Jesus said that to follow him means to be hated by a whole bunch of people you’d possibly prefer to be popular with. Second, notice that Jesus suggested running away, but not only that. In these verses, fleeing is associated with standing. Running to stand.
It seems that Paul understood this. Look at these verses from Acts 9.
22 Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. 23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. (Acts 9:23-25)
There are times when it’s wrong to stand. But running out of cowardice or self-preservation is wrong.
Don’t just stand there! Run!!!
- Run from temptation
- Run to be set free
- Take a stand for Jesus and do your best to stay alive.
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