INFERENTIAL
LEAPS
©
Morris E. Ruddick
“Take
heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be
measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For
whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have,
even what he has will be taken away.” Mark
4: 24-25
After
teaching the multitudes, Jesus took His disciples aside to instruct
them on the Kingdom. Having already been challenged on His lack
of adherence to the traditions of men, He cautioned His disciples
on what they hear.
World-views
and mind-sets are both the gateways and the limitations to our
thinking. The boundaries of our thinking determine the extent
to what we do in making a difference. It all pivots on the hearing
and discerning between pertinent revelation and what can be distorted
or premature glimpses of reality.
Jesus'
admonition is even more pertinent today, a time of not only information
overload, but of information distortion. More than any other time
in history, we need to take heed what we hear.
Strategies
of Deception
Among
the enemy's primary stratagems is deception. Hitler employed the
concept of the “big lie” as a key part of his modus operandi.
The “big lie” strategy is based on: “the more preposterous a claim;
the more likely it is to be believed.” Hitler put the free world
at the brink with his ploys of manipulation, confusion and lies.
More
recently, in an address to the United Nations, Iran 's Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad made an array of outlandish claims. They included:
*
The recent floods in Pakistan being the result of a US military
project that controls such things as earthquakes, tsunamis and
floods;
*
The US invading Iraq not only for its oil, but to harvest a lucrative
trade of organs from dead Iraqis;
*
The culprits in the recent Times Square bombing not being Muslims,
but an American think-tank; and
*
9/11 really being an inside American job.
The
Perception and Reality
Laughable?
Conspiracy theories seem to boomerang around as frequently as
the wind whistles through the trees. Not unlike Hitler's big lies,
these claims represent a grand strategy of the evil one.
In
a recent Wall Street Journal column (9/28/10), Bret Stephens cites
The University of Maryland's World Public Opinion survey results
that just 2% of Pakistanis believe al Qaeda perpetrated the 9/11
attacks, whereas 27% believe it was the U.S. government. Among
Egyptians, 43% say Israel is the culprit, while another 12% blame
the U.S. Just 16% of Egyptians think al Qaeda did it. In Turkey
, opinion is evenly split: 39% blame al Qaeda, another 39% blame
the U.S. or Israel . Even in Europe fifteen percent of Italians
and 23% of Germans finger the U.S. for the 9/11 attacks. Take
heed what you hear.
While
the storm clouds amass and distort the reality held by large population
groups across the world, what is even more alarming are the deceptions
embraced by large segments of the Body. Conspiracy theories and
big lies have an audience not only outside the parameters of the
believing community, but within. Paul described it to the Romans
as zeal without knowledge (Romans 10:2).
Shutting
the Gates Spiritually
In
Matthew 23, Jesus depicted the characteristics of those whose
actions shut out the ones genuinely seeking the Kingdom. He referred
to them as blind guides and blind fools (v 16, 17). From that
stance, He illustrated examples of practices of the bind-guides
that are short-sided; that miss the forest for the trees.
He
then summarized (v 33) by saying that over the generations, it
has been from within the ranks of God's own that spiritual myopia
has manifested, pulling down those who have been the ones truly
anointed and called. Despite the rage of the nations (Psalm 2),
the catalysts to undermining genuine advances of the Spirit have
come from within.
In
Revelations, the church at Thyatira, known to be growing and seeking
God, was admonished for being influenced by the teachings of Jezebel.
The judgment for those seduced by her influence was severe. It
punctuates “taking heed what we hear,” as we scrutinize both the
teaching and revelation that we receive.
Avoiding
Distorted Influences
So,
after teaching the multitudes, when Jesus was alone with His disciples
explaining more fully the secrets to the Kingdom; He admonished
them “to take heed what you hear.” One translation reads “consider
carefully what you hear.”
In
John 14:12 Jesus noted we would do greater works than He, because
of Him going to the Father. Hebrews speaks of Jesus entering within
the veil, as a forerunner for us. Yet, we stumble on the very
thing Jesus pointed to in Mark 7 in ignoring the words of God
for the traditions and whispers of men.
The
prophetic rightfully has regained the place in every believer
in hearing God on the decisions of life. Yet, amid a world filled
with distortion and deception is the need to “consider carefully
what we hear.”
The
example to be followed in validating claims of truth was the Bereans
in Acts 17, who searched the scriptures to verify what they heard.
The means to confirming revelation will come not only by avoiding
the seductive, impulsive influences of information overload and
distortion, but by checking the subtleties of our hearts. Proverbs
suggests that the one who trusts in his own heart is a fool (Prov
28:26). Avoiding seductive influences will come from nothing short
of spending time with the Lord and entering the maturity that
discerns between soul and spirit; and the heart-whispers of men.
The
Dividing Asunder
The
way of the Kingdom is opposite to that of the world. It is the
dividing asunder between soul and spirit. James 3 explains the
source of our conflicts: those things that press against our souls
impelling behavior that undermines God's best by giving entrance
to disorder and every evil work.
“If
you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do
not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not
that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder
and every evil thing.”
James 3:14-16 NASB
Jealousy
is the catalyst giving entrance to disorder and every evil thing.
Jealousy works together with selfish ambition, which has as its
root, competition. Just as jealousy in its extreme seeks to eliminate
the righteous efforts of another, so it is that competition out-of-control
aspires to undermine the efforts of those it targets.
Having
fallen short of God's approval, it was jealousy and competition
that marked Cain's response to Abel's oneness with God. This vile
mix is the seedbed of every power struggle. It is the source of
anti-Semitism. It is behind the high-handed ways, disguised as
righteousness, wiggling their way into undermining viable works
of God.
James
further describes the role of slander, which is the subtle art
of discrediting or of making ill-conceived judgments about others.
Jealousy, arrogance and slander lie against the truth. They are
relational manifestations of demonic power designed to bring destruction.
They short circuit the way of the Kingdom by giving entrance to
disorder and every kind of evil.
Jesus
warned His followers to be wary of those who betray. Betrayal
is when one who should warrant trust proves faithless or treacherous.
Betrayal encroaches on the freedom released through trust. It
encompasses words or actions that in short desert one who depends
on the betrayer, especially in a time of need.
Soul-Dominant
Hearing
Soul-dominant
hearing is enticed by the whispers of men and blind spots.
Whispers
of men, from within the circles of God's own, bring adverse influence
and premature conclusions. Premature conclusions result in that
which is birthed in the spirit being worked out in the flesh.
Blind
spots occur from falling in love with our emotional and soulish
impulses. Spiritualizing and pampering the soulish gives rise
to becoming double-minded. James tied it to maturity and said
the double-minded one would become unstable in all their ways
(James 1:8).
There
is no short-cut to maturity. Maturity is a result of the process
of individual transformation that comes to discern between soul
and spirit. Immaturity emerges from religious spirits, which bring
the allure of the Spirit without the cost, by depending on the
soul.
Take
heed what you hear. The whispers of men and blind spots pander
to egos and ambitions which gives entrance to the disorder and
embedded evil noted by James. They neutralize inferential leaps,
essential to sound wisdom and decision-making; and lead to invalid
conclusions that lie against the truth.
Inferential
Leaps
Inferential
leaps are a means of thinking that have a key bearing on decision-making
and innovation. Inferential leaps enable conclusions, based not
on the next logical proposition, but rather on an association
or other means of inference. Inferential leaps provide us the
ability to break the mold by leaping beyond the constraints of
the obvious.
Spiritually,
the result of inferential leaps depends on whether spiritual input
is distorted or truth. Distortion always includes an element of
truth. However, the balance between soul and spirit is marred
by the traditions of men, short-sided revelation and soul-dominant
hearing.
It
is often a fine line whereby the leap misses the reality to which
it seeks to connect. Within the prophetic, the “miss” will be
due to the subtle difference between fact and feeling; confidence
and cockiness; humility and upmanship, imparting life and put-downs;
honesty and coarseness; extending righteousness and the need to
be right. The right side of the fine line is distinguished by
the maturity that only comes by means of the Kingdom path.
“I
will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the cleverness
of the clever.” 1 Cor
1:19
Before
us lies the fulfillment of the words Paul wrote the Ephesians
of coming into maturity and the full knowledge of the Lord. Those
who rule their own spirits are mightier than those who can take
a city (Prov 16:32). Through the coming of His Kingdom, His will
is going to be done. God's Kingdom will be seen by the world through
community, as the world sees a people demonstrating His reality
and truth. Community as designed by God operates with trust as
its foundation.
So
Jesus imparted the significance of taking heed what we hear before
acting, since it will be as we give it out that it will be measured
back to us. For those who grasp His Kingdom and demonstrate its
reality, more will be given. It's the measure of His Kingdom.
Reality, trust and increase are interwoven. However, those who
heed the whispers of men and are diverted into the wide path will
have even what they have taken away.
The
best intentions, based on wrong input, will yield results ranging
from questionable consequence to the opposite of the intention.
Inferential leaps either close the gap leading into the Kingdom
path or they shut the door to it. It pivots on what we hear.
“We
do not want you to become slack, but to imitate those who through
faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Heb 6:12
_________________________________________
Morris
Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the call of God
in the marketplace. He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;"
"Gods Economy , Israel and the Nations;" “The Heart
of a King;” and “Something More,” which address the mobilization
of business and governmental leaders called to impact their communities
with God's blessings. They are available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com
and other popular outlets.
Mr.
Ruddick is also the founder of the Global Equippers Entrepreneurial
Program, which imparts hope and equips economic community builders
where God's light is dim in both the Western and non-Western world.
To schedule a speaking engagement, sponsor a workshop, make a
donation or to get more information on how you can help, contact
Global Initiatives at 303.741.9000.
2010
Copyright Morris Ruddick - info@strategic-initiatives.org
Reproduction
is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor.
Since 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has
mobilized prophetic intercessors committed to targeting strategic-level
issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous
posts or more information on SIGN, check: http://www.strategicintercession.org
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