Crutches

[RV]

Years ago, I found myself trying to witness to a man who obviously was not "buying" what I was selling. He accused me of various things and then followed it up with accusations of "using my religion as crutches".

He wasn't upset when I denied the accusations but, dumbfounded by what I followed it up with. I told him that God was not a crutch, He was a wheelchair! I told him that I wasn't able to do anything nor go anywhere without God. He seemed stunned. I told him about the scripture where God said that we could do "nothing" without Him and that I was living proof that the scripture was absolutely true, factual and on point.

He regained his composure and came at me verbally with other secular arguments that he had heard. I again pointed him to the word of God. We went through a myriad of topics, abortion, evolution, sexual deviation and others. Each time I referred him to the word of God. Each time he regained his composure and came up with yet another secular argument. Hours flew by seemingly without an end to his arguments.

I confess that he had gotten to me. Doubts began to race through my mind. Scripture after scripture flashed in my head as secular argument after secular argument reared up. I found myself praying for strength, for wisdom and for knowledge. Certainly I became aware that what I was involved in was not a physical confrontation but, a very real spiritual one. I realized that I was not equipped to wage this sort of battle. For the first time, I had a little understanding of what David must have felt like as he faced Goliath.

The passage of scripture where Jesus told His disciples that this type cannot be fought but, by prayer and fasting came to my mind and I knew what I must do.

You see, it wasn't my fight. It wasn't a matter of "winning" or "losing".  It had nothing to do with my skills as a debater. It didn't even matter how much scripture I had memorized. It would not be me that either "saved" nor judged the man.

It was never about me. It was always about God, His word, His gift, His salvation, His sacrifice, His atonement, His righteousness and His power. I was merely the tool that the Carpenter used to craft something.

No, God's not a crutch, He is a wheelchair!