THE DANGER OF EXPERIENCE

THE DANGER OF EXPERIENCE

We have grown up with a whole melting pot of diverse experiences in life, ranging from school, community, family, finances and other many ways. We almost always tend to boast, depend or  thrive on our experiences, to gain honor/respect, jobs, and even bragging rights before our peers. It is good to seek and have experiences. It can  make one distinct amongst others. However, have you considered how fatal experiences can be in some instances? The condition in which you put your experiences can be a blessing or a bane. Follow keenly, what this article has to inform you about how dangerous your experiences can be to you.

He defied the ranks

Goliath was undoubtedly a dangerous figure to behold. His story is captured in 1 Samuel 17:1-23. He was the hero of the Philistines. Obviously, no one can be a hero without experiences. He wore a Bronze helmet, a 57kg coat of mail, a bronze leg armor and held a bronze javelin. It should take a lot of experiences and strength to handle such amours. His ego produced results for him. He had succeeded in intimidating the great Israelite army, right from the king Saul to the least army officer, for forty days and nights. Goliath had also experienced honor from his people – he had an armor bearer and was called a champion. His people greatly revered him. His experiences in past glories, his strength, honor, and physique made him think the Israelite army is no match to him. This convinced him to make defying utterances against God’s people. David came to the scene, convinced Saul of the relatively little experience he had, depending on God, faced Goliath and killed him

 Goliath Experiences

People who have ‘Goliath experiences’ are seen as heroes in their immediate space because of their obvious achievements. They’ve had serious experiences and exposures, which have put them above their peers or their immediate space. Such people have received honor from people for a relatively long period of time. Their ego and pride of life have always achieved results for them. They are seen as ‘seniors’ and powerful people.. This has urged then on to depend solely on their experiences because of the results they have received.

Goliath might not have trained well enough. He had used 40 days and nights to defy and insult the Israelites. His experiences (honor, amours, and strength) had deceived him to ignore training, in his quest to challenge Israel. David’s courage and dependence on God proved this giant wrong to the utter dismay of the Philistines.

 When you have the ‘Goliath experiences’ (achievements and honor), you may lose out on something to everyone’s surprise, because of the higher possibility of being complacent. Your obvious achievements and honor may make you think you are better. You may be tricked not to prepare adequately for something you have won victory over, several times. You need to depend on God, despite your achievements and honor. Remember, you haven’t achieved anything more than God. Don’t be a Goliath in your  experiences.

I have never eaten anything impure

This incidence happened in Acts 10:9-16, after Christ had ascended, the Gospel began to reach the Gentiles, and the Law of Moses was being reformed. God, through a trance, showed Peter different kinds of animals- both ‘clean and unclean’. God admonished him to ‘kill and eat’. This is where Peter’s experiences clouded his judgment. He told God, “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean” (Acts 10:14, NLT). Thus, from his experience with the Jewish Law, he has should not eat such things and was never ready to eat them, even when God told him to. His experience with the Jewish Law prevented him from being open-minded about what God is doing. It clouded his judgments, thus, immediately condemning the animals, even when it was God Himself who admonished him to eat them.

Also, he failed to pay attention to detail because of his experiences with the Jewish Law. The verse 12 of the passage says, “In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds of the air” (ISV). Some four-footed animals are not unclean, according to Leviticus 11. He failed to pay attention to detail because he had an experience with not eating all ‘unclean animals’. This brought him to a hasty conclusion that all the animals he saw were unclean.

Peter Experiences

Because such people have held some laws and values so dear to their heart for a long time, they find it difficult to accept changes. Their judgments are clouded with old norms and ways of doing things, I call it ancestral traditions. Such people need practical events to change their mind, as the event at Cornelius’ house changed Peter’s mind (Acts 10:22-34).

Furthermore, people with Peter experiences tend to have a clouded judgment of a change agenda. They fail to recognize the good in every change-making process. This is because they have been caught up so much in their old ways of thinking. This prevents them from looking at things positively. They, first of all, see how impossible a change agenda is before looking at how possible it can be. Such people may never experience a real change in their life, even when it is God behind the scenes orchestrating things for their good.

In dealing with such people, make sure your change agenda is more practical than just explanatory. That’s how God dealt with Peter’s ‘unchanging mentality’ that sourced from his previous experiences.

We are also Levites! 

Korah can be said to be one of the most controversial and rebellious men in the Bible. His rebellion, captured in Numbers 16, came as a result of a number of experiences; he was a Levite, he wielded influence, he knew the Law (and knew how to challenge it), he was outspoken. Note that for a person to single-handedly begin  a rebellion against Moses and Aaron’s leadership, he should have had a track record of experiences that would urge him on to do more. It won’t be surprising to know Korah had been part of Israel’s grumblings and complains all along their journey if we were ever told. Korah, even though served in the Tabernacle, was not satisfied with his position, He began to accuse Moses and Aaron of imposing their leadership on the Israelites. He managed to organize 250 people to support him. Now, it takes one who has experience in organizing rebellion to do this. A novice won’t succeed to Korah’s extent. He used his influence and position to convince people to rebel. Korah ended up dead with his family and all those who  decided to follow him. He wasn’t only rebelling against two men – he was rebelling against God’s appointed leadership.. He rebelled against God’s decision. Be careful how you confront issues and question leaders, especially those appointed by God. You may be exhibiting your rebellious experiences against God’s own decisions.

Korah Experiences

People with Korah experience have survived and thrived in various rebellious thoughts and actions. They know how to convince people with their rebellious ideas to follow them. In dealing with such people, one must be shown a great deal of the power associated with the rebelled authority in question. Thus, the authority God gave Moses and Aaron was backed by an inherent power, which God showed to the rebellious Korah and his rebels. This humbled the whole of Israel.  When you show such people the power backing your authority, they will be humbled. This is not the idea of violence. This is discipline!

For the road

It is never bad to have experiences. Actually, our experiences make life easier for us. However, if you don’t appropriate your experiences well, you are likely to end up complacent, proud, hard-hearted, or rebellious in the end. The end results of these traits are not good. Your end in every matter is the glory of the Lord. Maintain and  appropriate your experiences well.

May the Lord mend our nets!