The Hamster Wheel

Do you know of someone who is always trying to get their life together? I suppose in some way or another, we are all doing so, but I am thinking of people who always seem to be going through different versions of the same thing over and over for several years, if not their entire lifetime. Periodically, the scenery may change, but at the core, the issues are the same.

Whether it is a perpetual cycle of excessive shopping, trying to purge and get organized, moving from job to job, relationship to relationship, always needing a vacation, always the victim, always in strife, gaining and losing weight, constantly battling health issues or any number of things that prevent us from walking in victory at all times. It seems to be the same you know what but a different day.

We can call it a hamster wheel, taking two steps forward only to be knocked three steps back, going in circles, or whatever you want. It is all the same. An exhausting and constant movement that consumes and distracts you and takes you nowhere further than another day closer to death without fulfilling your God-given purpose and living the life God wants you to have while on this earth. It is insanity and a trick that the devil uses to keep people in bondage. What is even more sinister are the distractions we have seemed to accept as a normal part of life, and therefore, we do not question it.

With all the technology available, it seems the devil does not need to work as hard to keep people deceived, indoctrinated, manipulated, and controlled. It’s like the devil has been able to press the proverbial “program” button and then the “play” button and humanity is taking care of the rest for themselves by hitting the “replay” button repeatedly. Once he gets you on the hamster wheel, he ensures that you keep so busy running and going nowhere that you don’t notice your life passing by. That is what makes it sinister and sad. It is time to stop sleepwalking through life and wake up.

When the enemy attacks, he tries to keep us so deeply involved with what is in front of us that we do not recognize or deal with the spiritual nature of it all. Even if we see it, we may find ourselves ill-equipped to claim little more than a momentary reprieve before we unknowingly, out of ignorance, hit the “replay” button again.

Let’s first acknowledge this truth. I’ve said this before in a previous blog post, but I believe it must be repeated frequently as a reminder. The enemy has led us to believe some things are spiritual and other things are natural or physical and beyond our control. He wants us to believe some things are from God, some things are from the devil, and other things are just a natural part of life. He leads us to believe we need to use things of the world to address the problems of the world. Please understand that every single thing we deal with has a spiritual root. Everything is either of God or the devil. There is no gray area.

Ephesians 6:12 says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

I can understand non-believers rejecting this, but it is amazing how many Christians and followers of Christ still believe that some things are just a natural part of life with no spiritual root. The Bible literally tells us we are not fighting flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness. The devil knows this and understands that if he can keep you so focused on the physical realm that you ignore the spiritual root, he can keep you trapped on the hamster wheel and defeated.

The way to get off the hamster wheel is that we must get to a point where we look at every single thing through a spiritual lens and begin to turn away from the things we voluntarily allow into our lives that are from the devil. Because we live in a fallen world, we all spend time on the hamster wheel at some point or another. Freedom from bondage comes when you can identify and turn away from it.

How do you identify it? You must study the Bible and live a life led by the Holy Spirit. Do not just read the Bible and be passive. Study it deeply. Believe it. Ask God to reveal the truth to you, and the Holy Spirit will help you understand what you need to know. When you get that nudge regarding something you have always done and never questioned, don’t ignore it. When you experience cognitive dissonance, don’t ignore it. It is not as simple as knowing good and evil based on what the world has conditioned you to believe. The programs of this world are what caused the deception. The Bible tells us that the devil disguises himself as an angel of light. There are many things we encounter that do not appear to be evil but, in fact, are evil.

For every single thing you encounter, do not give in to the urge to react impulsively. You will find that very few things you experience are true emergencies that require you to respond immediately. Even if you are in the middle of a conversation with someone, you can pause and reflect on the spiritual root before responding. This should be done even in situations that are not seemingly negative.

Imagine someone who always steps up to help others. On the surface, it may seem harmless and very kind because we should help others, but some people get caught up in doing so many nice things for others that they neglect what God truly wants them to focus on. Others do it to be seen and praised for how selfless they appear to be. In each situation, spiritual oppression is taking place, keeping these people on the hamster wheel of people pleasing. The first person may have a heart set on serving, but the devil will use an oppressing spirit to pervert it, and that person may say “yes” to almost everything asked of them. The second person is plagued by an oppressing spirit that is deeply rooted in their need for constant attention, praise, and approval. It never ends, and they are consistently putting on a show so others can see what a good person they are and praise them for it.

Imagine having a conversation with someone, and that person says something that hurts or offends you. The moment you are triggered, your feelings begin to take over, and you can only focus on what was said that offended you. If you entertain it, the spirit of offense will take over, and before you know it, you respond with your emotions, resulting in a situation that gets completely out of hand because you yielded to an oppressing spirit from the devil. At some point or another, we have all done this.

The person who said something to offend may have done so intentionally due to spiritual oppression. The Holy Spirit could also have led them to share something with you to help you grow. Ultimately, their motive does not matter. What matters is how you respond. When the time comes on the day of judgment, and we give account for every careless word spoken, I am not so sure that pointing the finger or playing the victim card is going to work out in your favor.

In these scenarios, if each person were to pause and get to the root of why they want to say yes to every request or why they are so easily offended, they may discover that the devil is misleading them and that an oppressing spirit is trying to control them.

Impulse and knee-jerk reactions are frequently used by the devil to cause strife or put you in bondage. When you pause and reflect on the spiritual root, you are letting the devil know that you see exactly what he is trying to do. You can shut it down at its onset, break free from that stronghold, and then follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. The more you do it, the easier it will become.

Consider the things I shared regarding perpetual cycles. There is a spiritual root for each one. If someone shops excessively, there is an oppressing spirit causing them to do so. Always trying to purge and get organized? Moving from relationship to relationship or job to job frequently? Easily offended? Oppressing spirits are preventing you from taking responsibility for overcoming the strongholds. Spiritual oppression may have a subtle and harmless appearance in some cases, but it is dangerous and will rob you of life on earth as it is in heaven. If you do not know your enemy, how can you defeat him? Once you know how your enemy moves, you can stand on the Word of God and walk in victory.

When you are equipped with the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to lead, you truly will be able to resist the devil, and he will flee. He will try to come back, but you must stand firmly with your armor properly in place. The more time you spend in the Word, the more it gets into your subconscious mind and becomes your nature. The more you put on the nature of Christ, the more you will be able to see everything in this world for what it is. Then, you can get off the hamster wheel.

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