Captivity Of The Mind: Spiritually Understanding Abnormal Human Behavior
6. Lastly: After bonding to the falconer and accepting its new identify, many hawks revert to “baby-bird chirping“. In humans, we call this “arrested” or “reversed emotional development”. In effect, the falconer becomes a foster parent and the hawk, mentally returns to a state of infancy; at this point it begins making the “baby bird” sounds when it wants food or the falconer’s attention.
Much of the problem which Pastors encounter in their congregations is this same condition in immature church members. We hear a lot of “baby bird chirping” in individuals who have reached their adult years but have not grown emotionally. In most cases where I encountered arrested (or reversed) emotional development there had been a childhood crisis or traumatizing event that paralyzed the person’s mental development. Divorced parents, serious illness, unwanted moves, sudden changes, loss of security, caused the mental difficulties.
Comparing The Hawk And The Human Problem Scripturally
1. IMMATURITY: 1 Corinthians 14:20-21: “Do not be children in understanding … in understanding be mature.” Hosea 4:6. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
2. SNARED: Proverbs 7:21-23. “With her flattering lips she seduced him. Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life.”
3. BLINDED: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
4. DEPRIVED of rest: Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
5. RETURN to infantile behavior: Galatians 5:1-5: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage …”
6. THE ESCAPE: 2 Timothy 2:24-26. “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
Scriptural References To The “Mind”
Image: Ashim D’Silva
“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26.
“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” Romans 7:23.
“Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped!” Psalm 124:7.
Isaiah 26:3. “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”
Mark 12:30. “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
Category: Living the Faith, Winter 2017
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