labyrinth

Last night I was sitting in cell group, and my leader was teaching about God's purpose for our lives. She began to tell us that God has given us the authority to trample over the enemy's work if we walk with Him. In effect, the enemy has no power over us. For some reason, this brought to mind the movie Labyrinth. I know, weird connection, but I am about to make this movie biblical in nature, so watch out!

The story talks about a girl named Sarah, who after getting mad at her parents, makes a poor decision by taking her anger out on her brother, wishing him to be taken away. Jareth (goblin king aka our enemy) comes and does just that, turning Sarah's world upside down and intimidating her. He tells her "you are no match for me", and encourages her to give up before she starts. She pushes through and begins her journey through the confusing labyrinth, where she comes up against many obstacles and makes some amazing friends along the way.

Our lives are like Sarah's. We get frustrated at our circumstances and in our frustration, instead of looking to God, we look to other things. We aim our anger at the wrong things, and the door opens up to let the enemy in. He takes from us what we don't intend for him to take, and then we become intimidated by his lies. We don't walk in the authority God has given us through the power of the cross, so we end up walking through a crazy labyrinth- the enemy's territory. We are attacked, misled, and hurt. We feel like we are coming up against the wall and cannot break through. Even when we do confront the enemy, he bribes us and intimidates us- "I ASK FOR SO LITTLE. JUST LET ME RULE YOU, AND YOU CAN HAVE EVERYTHING THAT YOU WANT." (Jareth's lines in the movie...sounds like what Satan told Jesus when tempting Him...).

My favorite part, and the part that came up in my mind as my leader talked about the enemy having no power over us, is when Sarah realizes that Jareth has no power over her. That is the line that breaks his power- "You have no power over me." She overcomes his temptations. Her realization that she is not under his power and can walk out of fear into authority brings restoration to her life. Toby, her brother, is returned safely, and her heart is changed.

We need to realize and walk out in the authority God has given us. Otherwise, we allow ourselves to be intimidated and are forced to go through our own labyrinths. We also need to guard our hearts from sin and not let the enemy get a foothold.

Funny how a crazy movie from the eighties can echo God's word for our lives!