Did You See the Movie Push?

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

 

I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time, but I never could find an appropriate clip online. I trust, however, that you'll receive this post in the right timing.


Anyway, a while back, my son (who loves action-packed science-fiction) convinced me to go see the movie “Push.” It’s a movie about people who have special super-powers. There are, of course, good guys and bad guys who use their powers for good and evil respectively. No big revelation there.


Let me say, for the record, that I DON'T necessarily recommend the movie. However, it demonstrated something extremely profound to me.

The characters in the movie have some really cool special powers (healing, telekenesis, future-telling, sonic boom screaming), but the one power that seemed to be the most important was the power to “Push” – thus the title. The characters who had the power to push could literally push thoughts into other people’s heads. Pushers didn’t actually do anything, they got other people do to things by taking control of their thoughts – mostly through the power of false suggestions.


For example, there's one female Pusher who is being held captive by two bad guys - let's call them Bill and Tom. When she gets Bill all by himself, she tells Bill that Tom is actually the one who murdered Bill's brother. She even played the whole scene in Bill's head of Tom strangling Bill's brother. Next thing you know, Bill runs out of the room and shoots Tom for killing the brother.

Here’s the thing: Bill didn’t even have a brother, but this girl pushed the idea into Bill’s head that Tom had murdered this non-existent brother.

Sound familiar? It should. This is exactly how the enemy operates. He’s a pusher. He comes to us and falsely accuses people (“She never really liked you” or “Why is she looking at you like you’re crazy – she’s the one who’s crazy”). He lies to us (“You’re so far gone, why bother praying?” or “That’s a stupid idea – no one is going to get behind it”). Perhaps most discouraging is the way the enemy lords guilt and condemnation for sins we don’t even have any more because God has forgiven them and forever forgotten them. Some of us are beating ourselves up over sins that don't even exist anymore anywhere except in our heads!
Truth be told, the enemy doesn’t actually do anything. He just plots, suggests, lies, and thus manipulates people to go against the will of God.
Without giving away the whole movie, let me just say that in the end, the only thing that could free a person’s mind from the overpowering lies was love. Love helped people recall the truth; broke them from the pusher’s spell.
So the next time the enemy whispers some hot mess into your ears, suggests you’re not good enough or you’re too busy to fulfill the call of God on your life, don’t accept His lies or suggestions. Fight back with the Word – get some scriptures to stand on, throw some of that good old holy love at him!
I know I went to that movie to satisfy my son’s sci-fi itch, but I walked out of there with a new perspective on the pusher I deal with every day. The enemy comes to us with contrary news, but the love Jesus had for us has forever broken the enemy’s control in our lives. In the words of my grandmother, “Satan ain’t runnin’ nothing but his mouth!” And I know that’s the truth, Ruth!