I heard this in a promo for a new TV show...

 The seasoned Detective begins …inside every man there are two dogs fighting…the one who wins is the one you feed. So, I wondered about the story and found a more original form a

 Cherokee Legend.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

 You may be familiar with the story but I was not except a similar tale from the Bible as told by countless writers. It’s the tale of the double minded.

In this day and time as in all others there are so many competing opportunities and influences. It’s not just a choice of one or two options but of hundreds. One way to deal is to multitask, the art of doing more than one thing at a time. The younger generations consider themselves accomplished at this multitasking. They also think they are as competent multitasking as if they only did one. A lot of us think that way too. It just our way.

The Bible speaks to our multitasking.

An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8 HCSB

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! James 4:8 HCSB

Jesus although he never used multitasking spoke to those who were multitaskers or double minded when he said,

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

It’s the same old story we tell ourselves. We have to multitask because the world we live in requires it. That wolf from our story above continues to thrive because we feed the idea that if we don’t do it we won’t win. We won’t have the best or be the best or live the best. The Bible speaks clearly regarding where and on what our minds should be focused. It is not our task. It is to love God with all that we are and to love man as we love ourselves. To concentrate on those two things is to feed the wolf of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

Often we tell ourselves that the fight is wrong. We should be (oh I hate that phrase should be) at peace meaning without struggle but peace the Bible speaks of is not without struggle but certainty within the struggle.

I believe the struggle is the evidence of the Gospel at work within us transforming us into the image of Christ. The struggle is the old man who is stubborn and strong willed battling against the new creation. Both need energy to fight and that is where we come in. We can influence the speed of the outcome. God will be faithful to complete the good work he began in you. The outcome is certain however we have the opportunity to feed the opposing teams. It is the focus of our minds and hearts that feeds the foes. When we look to Kingdom of God with a laser like glare we feed the new creation. When we look any other way we feed the old self.  Consider what is in your sights?      

In His Service and Yours

The Rev