I was watching Sonic The Hedgehog with my six-year-old nephew, one of his faves. I was kinda paying attention, so I’d know the sitch if he brought it up. Anyhoo… this episode was about Sonic (y’all know he runs super fast) making this piercing sound every time he took off.
No one around him could figure out the problem and they couldn’t stand the noise so he had to walk. This became tumultuous for him and he got pretty down about it. Well, his arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman, was nearby and offered a listening ear. He even gained Sonic’s trust and had a solution to the problem. Contrary to what his friends thought he should do, he decided to give it a go. I mean, nobody else could help, right?
Mmmkay (I know, stick with me), Sonic goes to Eggman dude’s lab and he gives him these special shoes that don’t make that horrible noise. Sonic is super excited and starts running all over the place. No sooner than he shows off his new shoes to his friends, Eggman shows up in this huge robot thing that has an untraceable power source. After a while, they all figure out that these new kicks are powering this evil robot each time Sonic takes off.
The gag is, he can’t take the shoes off. Again, they are in a place where nobody knows what to do. Eggman then says something that made me really pay attention, he said, “I took what was your strength and turned it into your biggest weakness.” Now ain’t that evil, whew!
Okay, here’s where it gets good, that statement must’ve fueled the fire because, at that moment, Sonic starts going around this robot, nonstop, at hyperspeed. At that point, it began to wear down, as it couldn’t handle the pace at which he was supplying the energy. The evil robot goes down, good guys win again.
Redeem Your Power
My point? It’s not too late to take your power back. I know there are times when we get ourselves into unfavorable situations and allow the grief of guilt to knock us down, but get back up! Many times, we are not defeated solely due to our mistakes, but because of our mindset after the mistakes are made. So often, we are tricked into holding onto things that God has already given us the freedom to let go of. Then, there are those times when you get in a bind and go the wrong direction for help.
So, What’s the Play Call?
Don’t be duped into thinking that the other side of the fence is the side holding the solution. That is a mirage, a smokescreen, intended to trip you up. But I promise if you look to God, He can help you even when no one in your circle can. There is a hymn that simply says, “Take it To The Lord in Prayer”. Here are a few things to remember before you put the enemy’s shoes on your feet:
- Allow God to order your steps. Even when you begin to walk down the wrong path, God is able to put you back on course. Don’t be so ashamed that you continue going the wrong way instead of asking for directions. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: And he delighteth in his way.” Psalms 37:23
- You are forgiven. Sometimes, we neglect to change our ways because we have predetermined the magnitude of what we’ve done. We begin deciding our own fate instead of leaving it to God. Accept His forgiveness. “And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:48
- Move those feet. Yep, swiftly run away from where you previously allowed the enemy to ensnare you. God has anointed your feet to make the devil powerless. I recall, growing up, they’d always say “put the devil under your feet.” I get it now, and so do you. “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 4:3
- There is always a God way out. Sonic felt as if nobody could help him but the “other side”; remember that God is consistently there with an answer to your problem. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
I know you hear the enemy saying: “I took what was your strength and turned it into your biggest weakness.”, but I challenge you to remember what our Playbook says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
