“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”
1 Samuel 5:23
“An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.”
Proverbs 17:11
No man wants to stay on the path outlined by his parents, he wants his own path. He wants to forge his own way through the darkness using his own strength of will. Following the path of others is for the weak, so we think. This trail blazing mentality is a good thing.
Our rebellious nature forces us to become men, take our own paths and grow in our own ways. However, this rebellious streak can lead us directly away from Christianity. God imposes a vast number of rules and regulations on the behavior of man, and many days the man detests this in his heart, though he may never say it aloud. Many men do verbalize their rebelliousness and even boast about it, saying “I’m a rebel”. No one is impressed by the person who uses this phrase.
Rebellion is needed for the growth of the individual, but is not useful when it leads us to make decisions purely out of a desire to be independent.
Such decisions tend to lead us directly towards evil. It is one thing to go your own way in life and reject traditions passed down by your parents because you think you have better ways to act, it is another thing to reject tradition and the law of God just for the sake of rejecting it. This is what the nature of man is capable of, he does not want to be tied down and commanded. This is the nature of man that must be wrestled against.
Rebellion is brought on by a desire for something better. Israel repeatedly rebelled against God because they thought the other gods were better, or, more likely, they thought the cult prostitutes were more fun than having only one woman. Man the animal is bored to death by laws and commands, while man the spirit is willing to worship God.
The desire to rebel is build into our nature, just as the oppressive need for sex it a part of our DNA.
We must fight against this whenever it is unprofitable, and learn how to manipulate our natural rebelliousness when its effects could be beneficial.
To rebel against the world is profitable.
To rebel against God is unprofitable.
Mantra
Rebellion is an excuse for weak behavior.
Application
Manipulate your rebellious nature to your will. If you have to rebel against something, let it be the enemy. Rebel against the idea that you have to have sex with multiple women to be happy. If most people are doing something, then by not doing it you are rebelling, except in this case you are rebelling against the enemy. Identify what the masses are doing and then go the other way. Sheep will follow each other off a mountain, so you should go your own way.
Rebel against the weak who eat nothing but garbage and have no desire to change.
Rebel against the corpulent culture and be fit.
Rage against ignorance and be wise.
Your rebellious nature is to be used to gain advantage in life.
For the instances when you want to rebel against God, you must wrestle against yourself and your own nature. Yes, you want to rebel, but it will not profit you. You have to convince your mind that there are more total benefits to obeying the Word than there are in rebelling and enjoying sin.
Sometimes this nature will have to be defeated by pure strength of mind alone, and the maneuvering of forces of the mind. By focusing on the negative effects of doing what is wrong, and the positive effects of doing what is right, you can flank your mind and convince it that rebellion brings no advantage to you. Flank your mind into avoiding immediate gratification.
Strengthen the mind.
Hold the line.
Be disciplined.
Be a Man.
Conduct Yourselves Like Men.