Fire Jumpers

The blazing fire was across the canyon, too big to be controlled. Suddenly, with a turn of wind, inferno raced over canyon and river – straight toward the smoke jumpers. Thirteen lost their life that true day, three survived. Two found cover in a rock crevice. They lived, but one created his own cover by stopping, igniting the grass around him, and then lying down in the center of his own smoldering insulator. Blaze went around his pre-burned area; he made it safe.

The true story is not a new one. I’m sure you have heard of it. I read it again in a book by Jonah Lehrer titled, “How we decide.” Lehrer is unfortunately an evolutionist, but uses the story to illustrate the power of the rational mind to create, when emotion is “beat back.” Interestingly, the creative fire survivor had never used the survival principle till that day. Nevertheless, he invented it by employing it, and now it is taught to all smoke jumpers.

Really? Do we mean to say that this man had touched the impossible? Somehow touched his pristine innards? Lehrer quotes neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, “allowing evolution to do the thinking for you at first, you basically buy the time…” Gag! Evolution can create? How can something that does not exist create a rational thought, much less a life saver? Not gonna convince me. Then how do we explain this obviously real and historical happening?

Have you seen Clint Eastwood in “Grand Torino?” Walt Kowalski sacrificed his life to save his new found friends. However, he was a soon-to-die man anyway. Nothing to lose, he was emboldened. Coming to grips with his inevitable death, his creative plan was fueled which actually worked.

Victor Frankl in death’s grip faced that death. One day he mentally owned the inevitable. His pre-disposition of mind changed drastically toward reality. He lived. Likewise, many facing death in war, did heroic things.

Contrarily, many others opted to dreaming and conjuring hope by any means; even if the means were not founded in reality. They clung to life. Thirteen followed their own fear-based plan to ultimate destruction in the fire story. If they had listened to the pleading cry of their leader to Stop! they might have lived. They couldn’t.

So let’s regroup. What is to learn? First; we need a certain predisposition or death will win in the heat. In Exodus Moses fought off panic, stood still, found rescue in the command of God. Yes He feared, but He pulled together to stop and listen. How? He was pre-prepared through ten shocking plagues done by God prior. With this conditioning he heroically raised his rod over the water obstacle. He knew that God was for him.

In The book of Daniel, three fiery furnace walkers had a pre-mindset. Like Esther a few years later, “if I perish I perish,” worked for them. They had had death dealt with inwardly, and now was the opportunity for its reality check.

Are we getting the picture? Friends, death went before us and paved the way. Hallelujah! We live beyond the grave. Death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and session are our pre-purchased premise, property, and legal grounds -– to eventuate as our mindsets. Christ did it for us; it is finished. In Him, so are we.

But folks and fellow saints, we are not beyond emotion, fear, panic and such. Then how? Well, a Man faced death, by the eternal Spirit, He offered Himself to God. The offering purged our conscience from “dead” works to serve the “living” God.

Delivered that day were all those who “all their lifetime feared death.” death is abolished , “where is thy sting?” Death lost dominion over us because He, dying once, dies no more. The fear of death went too.

So, while awaiting the day of challenge, the day of raging fire, the day of actual death, we gain, more and more, the illumination by the Spirit of God of The Word of God, brightening inside the picture of eternity, piecing together a secure mindset. Then, in the day of adversity, The Precious Spirit brings it alive fresh. We sense it, it actualizes itself in the nick, we light the match, we raise the rod, we find wisdom’s creative means.

Finally, the last enemy, death, is defeated today as we discover Colossians 3:3. “You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.” “if one died for all, then we are all dead.” 2Corinthians 5:14.  “Herein perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us.” Now, like our fire hero, and Walt Kowalski, and Moses, and others, we take our pre-built attitude and mindset and stand for the brothers and sisters facing the same. Love ya