LAW 29 PLAN ALL THE WAY TO THE END The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead. Ephesians 2:10 states that believers are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that they should walk in them. So then, making plans is all well and good, but when doing so, our top priority ought to be to ensure, as best we can, that what God plans for us and what we plan for ourselves is exactly the same thing. This might seem like a bit of a bummer at first. But, when you think about it, the greatest sense of purpose and self-fulfillment in life is likely to come from accomplishing that for which one was created. Also, since God will be supporting the effort, this is probably where each person will have the greatest impact in this world. And finally, since we will spend forever in eternity, it makes more sense to plan to receive the greatest rewards then rather than now, since anything enjoyed here will be temporary, whereas whatever we enjoy there will last forevermore. (By the way, we shouldn't even want the glory, but should be content to give it to God.) Scripture flatly says that: "The steps of a man are established by the Lord," not to mention: "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." So, whatever we plan, it's important to be flexible—to be ready, willing, and able to go in another direction if prompted by God to do so, whether it matches the ending we envisioned for ourselves or not. Psalm 119:105 says that God's Word is "a lamp to our feet," meaning that it shows us only the next step for us to take and not the whole journey ahead. This is like holding a torch and walking along a dark road. We can see only a little bit of the path at a time—just enough for the next step. To see more of the road, we have to move forward in accordance with the limited amount of direction we have already been given. That's why we need to be listening for and seeking guidance from God at all times. GotQuestions.org states that there is only one place in Scripture where God is said to speak in a "still small voice," and it was to Elijah after his dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal. Told that Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, king of Israel, was seeking kill him, Elijah ran into the wilderness, after which God sent him to Horeb, where He instructed Elijah to stand on the mountain in His presence. Then the Lord sent a mighty wind which broke the rocks in pieces; then He sent an earthquake and a fire, but His voice was in none of them. After all that, the Lord spoke to Elijah in the still small voice, or "gentle whisper." The point of God speaking in the still small voice was to show Elijah that the work of God need not always be accompanied by dramatic revelation or manifestations. Divine silence does not necessarily mean divine inactivity. Zechariah 4:6 tells us that God's work is "not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," meaning that overt displays of power are not necessary for God to work. So in conclusion, PLAN ALL THE WAY TO THE END should probably be changed to: PLAN ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF YOURSELF, THEN LET THE SPIRIT OF GOD TAKE OVER FROM THERE.
LAW 30 MAKE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS SEEM EFFORTLESS Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work - it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you. There were certainly times in the New Testament when leaders accomplished things with almost no effort. Like when a band of soldiers and some officers arrived to arrest the Messiah, and he came forward to ask them, "Whom do you seek?" Then, after doing nothing more than saying to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. And of course, there was the time when Paul was bitten by a viper on the island of Malta. But, instead of swelling up or suddenly falling down dead, as the native people were waiting for him to do, he simply shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. And clearly, there were countless times in the Tanakh when the Israelites tasted the thrill of victory without so much as lifting a finger (almost), like when Jehoshaphat and his army "defeated" the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir by doing nothing more than appointing a group in holy attire to go before them singing praises to the Lord. But, in most all of these Old Testament accounts, the success of the people demonstrated, not their own ability, but the power of God. And when it came to the likes of Yeshua or Paul, we see a mixed bag. For there were also times like when Jesus wept, or when He was in so much anguish that as He prayed His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground, or when He evidenced the frustration He experience from His work in a world that was full of human failure by asking, "How long am I to bear with you?" Likewise, we find Paul listing his troubles, how five times he received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one, three times he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, three times he was shipwrecked; a night and a day he was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from his own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure—and apart from other things, there was the daily pressure on him of his anxiety for all the churches. Moreover, Paul called himself a wretched man (figuratively speaking) and identified himself as being foremost among sinners. Indeed, it might be argued that, for many folks, their favorite leaders are not people whom they regard as perfect, but are instead leaders with whom they are able to identify the most—and that the people we most admire are not those who are able to rise to the top almost without effort, but rather, the ones who do so after overcoming great adversity. Personally, I think I tend to reserve my greatest loyalty, not for leaders who are the most godlike, but rather, the ones who are the most human. And as for teaching no one your tricks, the way to have the greatest impact on the planet is to do the exact opposite, it's to duplicate yourself, over and over.
LAW 31 CONTROL THE OPTIONS: GET OTHERS TO PLAY WITH THE CARDS YOU DEAL The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: they are gored wherever they turn. Oh yes!!! And the Messiah was a master at this! But, why does it have to be a deception? There is a difference. When I problem solve with young people, I routinely give them options—but I am genuinely giving them some degree of agency over their fate. I would contrast this with when I served on a school district community board, where the district gave us so many detailed guidelines directing our decision-making process that we were inevitably steered, not to what we ourselves would have chosen, but to the exact outcome the district had in mind before we even got started—what a joke! It was a mere façade so that they could pay lip service to having sought input from all stakeholders…such baloney! In contrast, Christ got others to play with the cards He dealt because His cards reflected the reality of every situation… "…to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave…” "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." "If the Christ is the son of David, how is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?" [Paraphrased] "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above." "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?" No, controlling the options is more like not allowing others to force you into a false dilemma (or false dichotomy), a fallacy where they try to get you to make a choice based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available—to reason from an either-or position without considered ALL the relevant possibilities. So, whenever men tried to trap God, He would simply turn the tables, like when the religious leaders tried to interrogate the Lord in Matthew 21, and He said he would agree to answer their questions if they would answer one His questions first. But of course, with His being God and all, the question He asked them completely stripped away all of their authority.
LAW 32 PLAY TO PEOPLE’S FANTASIES The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes from disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing, that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses. It's my understanding that when you're about to deliver a presentation, if you want to capture your audience's attention, you need to ensure your introduction sends an emotional message convincing them that what you are about to say will help them become happier, freer, or more successful people. So then, why the need to play to people's fantasies? Simply play to the version of themselves that they genuinely hope to become—whether in terms of freedom, happiness, or success. I see no reason why anyone should need to resort to fantasy to do this. Indeed, sometimes truth is better than fantasy. (John 8:32) In fact, me thinks that playing to fantasy will not bode well in the long run. Sooner or later, people figure out you're full of baloney, and from that point on, the only way you can keep them in check is by means of pressure, intimidation, fines, banishment, fraud, jailing, or even worse, the way socialists do (i.e., Fidel Castro, the Kim dynasty, Meo Zedong, Pol Pot, Joseph Stalin, Hugo Chávez, etcetera). Of course, if you don't mind living your entire life looking over your shoulder, going to bed each night knowing you're no better than a tyrannical oppressor—play on!
LAW 33 DISCOVER EACH MAN'S THUMBSCREW Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usually an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage. How about discovering our own thumbscrews and then doing everything within our power to remove them from our lives? (1 John 2:16) Adam Clarke Commentary The lust of the flesh — Sensual and impure desires which seek their gratification in women, strong drink, delicious viands, and the like. Lust of the eyes — Inordinate desires after finery of every kind, gaudy dress, splendid houses, superb furniture, expensive equipage, trappings, and decorations of all sorts. Pride of life — Hunting after honors, titles, and pedigrees; boasting of ancestry, family connections, great offices, honorable acquaintance, and the like. Is not of the Father — Nothing of these inordinate attachments either comes from or leads to God. They are of this world; here they begin, flourish, and end. They deprave the mind, divert it from Divine pursuits, and render it utterly incapable of spiritual enjoyments. Coffman Commentaries on the Bible For ages, students of the New Testament have seen in this triad suggestions of the triple temptation of Eve: the fruit was good to eat ... beautiful to see ... and would make one as God, knowing good and evil; and likewise the triple temptation of Christ: he was hungry ... Satan showed him all the kingdoms of the world ... such an exhibition of Jesus' power as that of leaping from the parapet of the temple unharmed would have been a vainglorious triumph. From such comparisons, the things mentioned by John in this verse have come to be called "the three avenues of temptation." The sins in view have been variously classified: sensuality, materialism, ostentation; appetites of the body ... desire to possess material things ... egotism, etc. A number of scholars are reluctant to allow that any correspondence of this passage with the temptations of Eve and of Christ is intended; but David Smith did not hesitate to affirm that, "Here is a summary of all possible sins, as exemplified in the temptations of Eve, and of our Lord." Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible The lust of the flesh - The word "lust" is used here in the general sense of desire, or that which is the object of desire - not in the narrow sense in which it is now commonly used to denote libidinous passion. See the notes at James 1:14 (NAS) The phrase, "the lust of the flesh," here denotes that which pampers the appetites, or all that is connected with the indulgence of the mere animal propensities. A large part of the world lives for little more than this. This is the lowest form of worldly indulgence; those which are immediately specified being of a higher order, though still merely worldly. And the lust of the eyes - That which is designed merely to gratify the sight. This would include, of course, costly clothes, jewels, gorgeous furniture, splendid palaces, pleasure-grounds, etc. The object is to refer to the frivolous vanities of this world, the thing on which the eye delights to rest where there is no higher object of life. It does not, of course, mean that the eye is never to be gratified, or that we can find as much pleasure in an ugly as in a handsome object, or that it is sinful to find pleasure in beholding objects of real beauty - for the world, as formed by its Creator, is full of such things, and he could not but have intended that pleasure should enter the soul through the eye, or that the beauties which he has shed so lavishly over his works should contribute to the happiness of his creatures; but the apostle refers to this when it is the great and leading object of life - when it is sought without any connection with religion or reference to the world to come. And the pride of life - The word here used means, properly, ostentation or boasting, and then arrogance or pride. - Robinson. It refers to whatever there is that tends to promote pride, or that is an index of pride, such as the ostentatious display of dress, equipage, furniture, etc.
In other words, do as you say and not as you do. How about you start doing everything within your power to remove your own weakness, insecurity, uncontrollable emotion or need, aka your own self-serving, self-righteous religious belief?
LAW 34 BE ROYAL IN YOUR OWN FASHION: ACT LIKE A KING TO BE TREATED LIKE ONE The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: in the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself, and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown. Ephesians 5:4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light Coffman Commentaries on the Bible A royal priesthood ... Jesus Christ is the true king, and therefore those "in Christ" are a royal priesthood, being themselves also, through their union with Christ, in a sense, even "kings." A holy nation ... Nothing can diminish the obligation of Christians to be in fact what their lawful title implies, a truly "holy" nation. It is the absolute and invariable necessity of this that underlies the oft-repeated dictum in the word of God to the effect that people shall be judged "according to their works," as Peter, Paul, Jesus and all of the New Testament writers declared over and over again. Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible A royal priesthood - The meaning of this is, probably, that they "at once bore the dignity of kings, and the sanctity of priests." It may be, however, that the word royal is used only to denote the dignity of the priestly office which they sustained, or that they constituted, as it were, an entire nation or kingdom of priests. They were a kingdom over which he presided, and they were all priests; so that it might be said they were a kingdom of priests - a kingdom in which all the subjects were engaged in offering sacrifice to God. It is such language as one who had been educated as a Jew would be likely to employ to set forth the dignity of those whom he regarded as the people of God. An holy nation - The Hebrews were regarded as a nation consecrated to God; and now that they were cast off or rejected for their disobedience, the same language was properly applied to the people whom God had chosen in their place - the Christian church. James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Revelation 2:10(c) "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."