This is the sixth and last article in
a series on the Chemical Scale.
Level 1
Level 1 on the Chemical Scale is the
Chemical Drip or Chemical Spill. This process is what gives the Scale its name.
The human body has many biochemicals that it uses for many purposes. Some are
called hormones, others are called neurotransmitters, and more have other
names. They all have purposes and ways that they influence you. Satan has
discovered how he can use some of those chemicals to mess with you and lead you
towards failure.
Changes in our chemicals are very
subtle, but recognizable with practice. Early in my attempts to notice
the Chemical Scale in myself I made the mistake of looking for emotions or
feelings at this level. As we discussed in the last article, feelings and
emotions that make you vulnerable to attack occur at Level 2. Eventually, I discovered that biochemicals
aren't recognized by feelings or emotions, but by the physical sensations that
occur with them. Feelings and emotions will join these sensations later
on, but by that point you are at Level 2.
Chemicals are so subtle and hard to notice at first that I'll provide an
extreme example that I hope will be helpful.
There was a semester during my
undergraduate studies where I was under immense stress. I was working a
graveyard shift and normally only got four hours of sleep a night. That intensified the stress from classes,
church responsibilities, a relationship, and preparing to be the director of a
summer camp that would serve over 10,000 children and teenagers and it was not
adequately staffed. During this stressful time I attended a university
devotional. Everything was fine at
first, but as I left the building I experienced my first anxiety attack. My thoughts were racing, I had the intense
urge to sprint away from the crowd as fast as I could and find a place to hide,
my heart was beating hard and fast, my breaths were quick and shallow, I felt
like there was immense pressure on my chest. All I wanted to do was curl
up in a ball and hide. After the anxiety
attack passed, I felt extremely cold.
Looking back over the “symptoms” I
experienced, almost none of them are emotional in nature. They are
physical sensations that came largely as a result of the flood of anxiety and
stress related chemicals I was experiencing.
Physical sensations also accompany the
more subtle chemical shifts we experience, and we can recognize them with
practice. It takes self-awareness and analyzing what our physical bodies
are experiencing. I have known guys who, with patient practice, can recognize a chemical shift literally in their sleep.
They then trained themselves to almost automatically wake up when they
experience that shift and do what they need to do to win.
While winning battles at Level 1 are
not necessarily easy, they are much easier. I like to compare these
battles to fighting a seven-foot tall, 300-pound gorilla-man who has a billy
club. At Level 10 you are out cold on the ground and the gorilla-man is
standing over your fallen form leering at you. At Level 5 you are lying
defenseless on the ground about to get brained with the massive club. Level 4 is fighting in hand-to-hand
combat. Skipping the other levels, if you fight the battle at Level 1 you
are 300 yards away from the gorilla-man and you have him lined up in the cross hairs
of your sniper rifle. It takes skill and practice to win at this
level. You are defeating the same enemy,
the battle isn’t any smaller or less important, it’s just a lot easier to
squeeze a trigger than to try and catch the gorilla-man in a choke-hold.
There are many ways to win Level 1 battles
once you begin to recognize the chemical drip. But whatever you do, it should
invoke Warrior Chemistry. Just like you learned in chemistry class, some
chemicals cancel out others. Warrior Chemistry will eradicate the deviant
chemicals in your body. It takes powerful good chemicals to defeat powerful bad
chemicals. You can't just try to think positive thoughts and call it good. If
you don't change your chemistry, you will soon be fighting a mood battle at
Level 2.
It's important to recognize that what
works for one warrior won't have the same effect for another. It takes
awareness and discernment to be able to recognize what strategies will help you
correct your chemicals more easily. You can use some of the following
strategies to win a Level 1 battle, but remember that they should invoke
Warrior Chemistry. It doesn’t matter if
it is the aggressive and protective side (hard Warrior Chemistry) or the
creative and connecting side (soft) of Warrior Chemistry, but you need to use
one or both to win. Thought Shields, memorized scriptures, or reciting
your reasons for fighting all work. You
can also use your Flagpole, ministering to someone, or connect with people in
another way.
Level 0
When you do these things, when you win
your battles at any level, you should end back at a Level 0. This is the level
where you are in control and are the steward of the life and tabernacle that
God blessed you with. For those who have had the priesthood of God conferred
upon them, this is the place where they can exercise not only priesthood
authority but also priesthood power. This is when you have the constant
companionship of the Holy Ghost and are most likely to recognize promptings,
inspiration, and revelation.
When you are at Level 0, you are in
full control of your soul. You cannot be tempted or beguiled so long as
you remain here. Because we are all
fallen creatures, we cannot (yet) stay perfectly at a Level 0 all of the
time. We will slip down the chemical scale and will need to fight our way
back to a place of peace and power. That
is why maintaining an excellent Border Patrol is so crucial. By having
frequent rituals throughout the day that bring you back to a Level 0, you can
be in full control more and better serve your God and those you love. This is what the real battle, the real war
is. The war is to be able to keep the Spirit of God with you. If you can win that battle, then you can win
all of the battles that will come your way.
To hire me as your life coach where we can create a plan to put the above principles into practice for you, follow this link. Fighting Like a Dragon - Life Coaching
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