Inward Decisions Have Outward Consequences

The Helm

My decisions don’t hurt anybody.

Have you ever said that to yourself? Was it true?

Our decisions carry weight to them. The dominos fall after the first push, whether we see it or not. In one way or another, we’re all connected. I’m not talking about a butterfly effect where a wingflap over in the Strait of Gibraltar causes a hurricane in the Carolinas. The old joke says “the devil made me do it,” but in reality he may have just positioned you right in the middle of a crucial battlefield to see which way you would go. I’m saying our decisions have unanticipated consequences.

And I’m going to route us through the path of a DC superhero movie to get there.

Clash of Tides

It’s difficult to say whether Wonder Woman 1984 was a box office disaster because basically everything was a disaster when the movie released in 2020. With a Rotten Tomato score of 58%, we can at least look at audience reaction and judge that it’s not won any popularity contests due to its positive attributes. There was one aspect of the movie that made it stand out for me. This is why you’re reading about it today.

Spoiler Alert: I’m going to give away core plot points to Wonder Woman 1984. If you haven’t seen it and don’t want any spoilers, scroll on down to The Armory.

An ancient artifact called the Dreamstone is discovered. The Dreamstone will grant wishes to anyone who holds it, with the catch that the stone will take something in return from the wisher. Lo and behold, the villain Maxwell Lord comes into possession of the Dreamstone, eventually merging with it. He begins to manipulate others into wishing while he’s in contact with them and he takes from them, as any villain would, things like health, money, power and influence. Then, in true form for little things that wouldn’t hurt anybody, everything turns into a disaster pretty much like the year the movie itself was released in.

We could dive into all the terrible tradeoffs the characters made with Maxwell Lord, but I want to dial in on Max himself. How was his relationship with his son, Alistair, affected by Maxwell’s actions? There wasn’t even a magical element between the two of them. Alistair was straight up robbed of his father by his father’s actions. The thing is, who we become is the result of which fork we take in the road of each decision we come to.

Here’s the kick. What version of you are you creating by your actions? Are you creating a full world, a rich world, out of the choices you’re making? Is the world around you blessed by what by what you autonomously choose to do? What are the people around you being robbed of because of your private actions? Are our little, daily, in the moment choices creating or draining relational wholeness?

Satan often deceives us into thinking the sins held deep in our heart where no one can see them are private. He will tell us our lusts and resentments and bitterness are safe if only they’re kept within our heads and our chest.

But they will leak out.

How we respond in each moment of decision is like our very own Garden of Eden scenario. Will I choose the tree of life, or will I choose the tree of knowledge of good and evil? We have the choice to act like the hand of God that’s going to bless the world as He does or to act like a force of chaos as we work against the hand of God. This can be in doing something we shouldn’t or not doing something we should.

It’s in these moments of decision that we grow into life or shrivel out of it.

It’s these moments of decision that become the No Man’s Land of our spiritual warfare.

It’s in these moments we can emerge as a victor or walk like a lamb to the slaughter.

Perhaps our private actions do affect the people around us.

Armory

Whether you’ve made great choices in life or you’re regretting the choices you’ve made, both of these can be fronts of spiritual warfare. You could be tempted to guilt in not being good enough or pride for how well you’ve done. Either one can be a snare.

If you’re specifically feeling the weight of guilt, check out The Ghost Ship of Guilt and lean heavy onto Joel 2:25.

You may be going through some real stuff right now. Don’t waver. Keep your eyes on Jesus and make the effort to believe that His Word is true.

Your practical action? Pray to God, talk to Him like you have nothing to hide, and use these verses to flavor your conversation with Him.

Sunbreak Stories

This week’s Sunbreak Story is one from me.

A friend and I recently went through a rough conversation. We had a major disagreement and I was honestly wondering where the friendship would end up. The subject started around a topic I thought we’d be on the same page about but it quickly went sideways from there. Not long ago, I was wondering if we’d continue to be friends.

A few days passed, tensions died down, and we got to spend some time together without any discussion of the topic. This week we were talking and while we have wildly different reactions to subject matter, especially when it comes to what one finds helpful the other finds harmful, we were able to affirm the friendship. It’s important not to get lost in the ideas when you’re trying to find a friend.

That’s where the sun broke through the clouds this week.

What about you? Do you have a similar story where the darkness did not win that you’d like to share on Fightin’ Poseidon?

Dropping Anchor

Thanks for taking the time to read this tiny newsletter. I appreciate all the feedback and positive comments and emails y’all send me.

If you want to help me build Fightin’ Poseidon, forward the link to someone who would be encouraged by it.

I’ll leave you with my sign off thumbs up. I may wax poetic about these nautical themes but I sure am turning into a salty old sea dog.

Don’t forget to come back for Below Deck: The Deep Dive. I’m excited to see what comes of what I’m sharing there.

Stay Anchored and keep fighting the good fight,

~ J.P. Simons ⚓️

Below Deck: A Deep Dive

In The Story Behind The Story of the Marsh Boy, I mentioned having the idea to have a small group focused around spiritual warfare. The primary resource to the group would be the book Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks. As it was published in 1652, the book is now public domain. Each week, I’ll be sharing a section here for our deep dive.

This week is Brook’s opening salvo: A Word to the Reader.

Dear Friend!

Solomon bids us buy the truth (Proverbs 23:23), but does not tell us what it must cost, because we must get it though it be ever so dear. We must love truth both shining and scorching. Every parcel of truth is precious as the filings of gold; we must either live with it, or die for it, As Ruth said to Naomi, "Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge, and nothing but death shall part you and me" (Ruth 1:16, 17); so must gracious spirits say, Where truth goes I will go, and where truth lodges I will lodge, and nothing but death shall part me and truth. A man may lawfully sell his house, land and jewels—but truth is a jewel that exceeds all price, and must not be sold; it is our heritage: "Your testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever" (Psalm 119:111). It is a legacy that our forefathers have bought with their blood, which should make us willing to lay down anything, and to lay out anything, that we may, with the wise merchant in the Gospel (Matt. 13:45), purchase this precious pearl, which is more worth than heaven and earth, and which will make a man live happily, die comfortably, and reign eternally!

And now, if you please, read the work, and receive this counsel from me.

First, You must know that every man cannot be excellent, yet every man may be useful. An iron key may unlock the door with a golden treasure behind it; yes, iron can do some things that gold cannot.

Secondly, Remember, it is not hasty reading—but serious meditating upon holy and heavenly truths, that make them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the bee's touching of the flower, which gathers honey—but her abiding for a time upon the flower, which draws out the sweet. It is not he who reads most—but he who meditates most, who will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian.

Thirdly, Know that it is not the knowing, nor the talking, nor the reading man—but the doing man, that at last will be found the happiest man. "If you know these things, blessed and happy are you if you DO them." "Not everyone that says, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven—but he who DOES the will of my Father that is in heaven" (John 13:17, Matt. 7:21). Judas called Christ Lord, Lord; and yet betrayed him, and has gone to his place. Ah! how many Judases have we in these days, that kiss Christ, and yet betray Christ; that in their words profess him—but in their works deny him; that bow their knee to him, and yet in their hearts despise him; that call him Jesus, and yet will not obey him for their Lord.

Reader, If it is not strong upon your heart to practice what you read, to what end do you read? To increase your own condemnation? If your light and knowledge be not turned into practice, the more knowing a man you are, the more miserable a man you will be in the day of recompense; your light and knowledge will more torment you than all the devils in hell. Your knowledge will be that rod that will eternally lash you, and that scorpion that will forever bite you, and that worm that will everlastingly gnaw you; therefore read, and labor to know, that you may do—or else you are undone forever.

When Demosthenes was asked, what was the first part of an orator, what the second, what the third? he answered, Action! The same may I say. If any should ask me, what is the first, the second, the third part of a Christian? I must answer, Action! As that man who reads that he may know, and that labors to know that he may do, will have two heavens—a heaven of joy, peace and comfort on earth, and a heaven of glory and happiness after death.

Fourthly and lastly, If in your reading you will cast a serious eye upon the margin, you will find many sweet and precious notes, that will oftentimes give light to the things you read, and pay you for your pains with much comfort and profit. So desiring that you may find as much sweetness and advantage in reading this Treatise as I have found, by the overshadowings of heaven, in the studying and writing of it; I recommend you "to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32).

Your soul's servant in every office of the gospel,

Thomas Brooks