Breaking of the Wild Stallion by Bryan Craig
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6
Two years ago, I decided to join a men’s fitness group, called F3. This is a grassroots organization which holds peer-led, free men’s bootcamp-style workouts early in the morning, outdoors, in parks all over the country. I heard about this group through our Influencers out in South Carolina, where F3 originated. I was 54 years old at the time, and after losing my dad to COVID, I started thinking about my physical health more seriously. I was not a gym guy, but F3 was different- something about these guys working out together and encouraging one another, really appealed to me.
But I was so out of shape that I found the workouts very difficult. They were just things like push-ups, sit-ups, Burpees, a little running, but to me, it was so intimidating. For some reason, an internal battle raged within me. My flesh screamed out in protest against my new idea to start working out. As a matter of fact, the night before every workout, dread fell upon me. I wasn’t in a very good mood, I couldn’t hardly sleep, and many times, I thought, “Just quit this nonsense!”
Way back when, someone told me that if you do something 15 times in a row, it will become a habit. So, I decided I would workout 15 times, and only then would I give myself permission to quit. I was counting down the workouts, keeping a log in my phone. Interestingly, as hard as it was, before the 15th workout, my flesh finally surrendered to this new rhythm and lifestyle, and my commitment to this group outweighed any thoughts of quitting.
Now, two years later, I was driving home from a workout, and I started realizing something. The workouts are still painful and challenging, but now, I just accept it as normal. There’s no more dread or fear or doubt- I have surrendered to the fact that this is good for me, and I would not think of not doing it. As I pondered this, my imagination took me to the show, Heartland, that my family watches together, about a family who raises and trains horses. At first, when the horses come to Heartland, they are restless and wild, and they do not trust the one who is trying to break them. Amy, the “miracle girl” horse whisperer has a way of moving them toward submission and earning their trust. She deals with their fighting and jumping and wrestling, until finally, they surrender and come to a place of peace in their spirit. Then, there is a connection between the horse and the Master, and a new horse is formed.
Isn’t this a great description of the Abiding process? Before we find Christ, we are wild and we think we are free, even though we have no clue of the danger we are in. When the Master comes into our life, He wants to show us a new way. When we take individuals on The Journey, we want to show them a new way. We tell them to start spending time in the Word, seeking Him, taking time to journal their thoughts, to pray. For most everyone, this is a foreign concept and very unnatural. Like me when I started F3, their flesh screams out in protest. They cannot sit still with their Bibles and the Lord. Their minds race, thinking of all the things they need to be doing. They also start thinking of all their habits and sins, which they love so dearly, and they fear they might have to change. Some run for the hills.
But for the ones who finally surrender to a new path and calm their spirits and come to the Master with personal abandonment and absolute trust, a connection is formed. They quit fighting God, and they begin to submit to His Will. Before long, they find a new peaceful rhythm to their life, one which also brings great joy and love. Soon, they are one with the Father, and they have a new identity. They wouldn’t think of turning back, for they know they have found a better way.
So, if any of you wild stallions are still struggling, trying to hold onto your own life and freedoms, suspicious of the new life God might have for you, I encourage you to surrender. This Master, this “Soul Whisperer” is one who loves you more than you know, and He wants to take you to a place you are longing for. Let Him take you there.