Tactics
Pt. 4 - Skinned
I. Introduction
In the New Testament, Paul instructs us to be aware of how our enemy works. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, he says “After all, we don’t want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief—we’re not oblivious to his sly ways!”
We are to be familiar with his tactics so that we don’t become vulnerable to those attacks. That is why you must know your weaknesses and the schemes the enemy continues to throw at you that cause you to stumble. But I have come to the conclusion that more than a fair share of us have focused so much on what our enemy is doing and how he works that we have in turn failed to recognize or become familiar with how God works. We don’t know His tactics so the result is we tend to ignore Him, fight Him, miss Him, and even think His work is the enemies work.
So, we are trying to learn how God works so that we cooperate and participate with Him! So, we have talked about worship going first. We have talked about the fact that God goes before us and prepares the way. Last week we talked about the concept that God comes behind us so we often have to prepare the way of the Lord. Today, I want to talk about one of the most misunderstood tactics that God uses. This tactic is probably the most used by God and one of the most difficult to cooperate with. God most often uses the tactic of getting "skinned"! In other words, God uses people to impact and influence people. This tactic is so difficult to embrace and participate in for two reasons: It requires enormous amounts of discernment (which requires maturity and honesty) and second because we don't always get to choose the people God chooses.
The fact is that one of God's most used tactics is that He assigns people to us. One of the ways we know this is true is that we are so familiar with the tactics of the enemy. The enemy is a perverter. He is a counterfeiter. He simply takes God's plan and offers a messed up version of the real thing. I bet everyone in here would have no issue agreeing with this statement . . . the enemy assigns people to us. Want me to stop and let you shout their name out now? We have all experienced someone who came into our lives and all they did was bring pain, destruction, and chaos and we wake up one day and realize they are toxic and on assignment from the pit. Even Jesus experienced that. Judas was on assignment from the enemy. The difference was that Jesus had the ability to turn what the enemy meant for good.
So since the enemy assigns it is easy to understand that God assigns. In fact, the wisest man that ever lived spoke to this truth. He said it like this:
II. Text
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
The idea is that relationships are tactically used by God to make us better and to get us on track. God assigns/places/commissions people to sharpen us!
One man said it like this:
In the beginning, God created you for relationships. He made you to relate to him and to others. Miss out on relationships, and you’re missing the core reason for which God put you on this planet. . . . A life without relationships may well be a simpler life, but it is also an empty life. —TOM HOLLADAY
Here is the key to understanding this tactic . . .
You cannot align a relationship if you do not define that relationship.
I believe there are basically two tactically placed types of people assigned by God to fill two important roles in our lives. It doesn't matter if the relationship is vertical or horizontal these roles must be present. Those roles are comforter and confronter.
You can examine account after account in Scripture and see these roles operating.
A Moses has an Aaron but he also has a Jethro.
A David has a Jonathan but he also has a Samuel.
Peter has a John Mark but he also has a Paul.
1. God gets skinned in Comforters.
God assigns people to your life that will help you maintain pace during hard seasons. He will place people in your life like Aaron and Hur that are there to keep your hands up. They have the right word, the right smile, the right touch that keeps you going. Without a comforter in your life mole hills become mountains and what should have only slowed you will stop you.
How do you know if someone is a comforter?
Are they absent during pain? If they are only around on your good days, then chances are they aren't assigned to you as a comforter. Now let's be clear there is a difference between their absence and you vacating. We tend to run away from folks when we are in pain. We end up running away from assigned comforters and then we want to point at the comforter and say you weren't there for me.
Do they produce hope? Or do they perpetuate hopelessness?
Do they help you feel like you can keep going?
Do their words produce life or death?
One word of caution . . . I want you to be very careful because most of us have a proclivity to confuse people who actually invite us to or usher us into complacency for people who comfort. Too often we have people that walk in who attempt to get us to settle. Someone who is assigned to comfort will make you comfortable but will at the same time they will refuse to let you settle in your issues. They will encourage you to keep going because there is more out there and better days are ahead!
2. God is skinned in Confronters
We have a tendency to embrace those who are assigned to comfort while we tend to discard those who confront. We don't like the ones assigned to confront us. However, we need to understand that both comforters and confronters are equally assigned an equally essential. Without a confronter in your life you will wander from distraction to detours and from detours to destruction!
We all need someone in our life that can rattle our chain!
How do you know if someone is assigned to you as a confronter?
Are they comfortable with your sin? If so, then they are not a confronter in your life. Their confrontation will call you to get closer to God not further away.
Are they willing to address areas and issues of your life that others just ignore or tolerate?
Are they pulling and pushing you up?
A word of caution regarding confronters . . . don't confuse or equate confronting with chaos. Assigned confronters bring correction not confusion. Too often we have people that walk into our lives that leave a path of unrest, destruction, and turmoil and we let them hang around thinking they are assigned to move us forward. A person that is on assignment from God to confront will do so without destroying. They will challenge but in a manner that pushes you to grow not cower. It's like the dog who has been abused. If every time a particular person walks into your life, you find yourself shying away then most likely they aren't assigned by God. At the same time, even though someone who is assigned to confront may not be your favorite person to hang around they are someone who pushes you and as uncomfortable as that is you also know they have your best interest at heart.
III. Close
So again . . . You cannot align a relationship if you do not define that relationship. You cannot understand, cooperate or participate in this tactic until you evaluate your relationships.
If you confuse the two and expect an comforter to confront or a confronter to comfort, then you will be frustrated and you will frustrate them. You will have to give these folks access at the right time! If you only have a confronter you will grow angry. If you only have a comforter you won't grow at all.
Who do you have in your life that is a comforter? Who do you have in your life that you thought was comforting but really they are producing complacency? Who is your confronter? Who is simply producing chaos? Who are you assigned to? In what role? You need God with skin on and you need to become God with skin on.
