For today’s “Christian Scene Analysis,” I would like to discuss one of my favorite scenes from the 2008 movie “Kung Fu Panda.” This scene primarily involves two characters, Master Shifu and Master Oogway, having one final conversation before the latter’s untimely death. In the scene, Shifu is in distress about Oogway’s vision of Tai Lung, the movie’s antagonist, returning, and feels that Po, who is prophesied to stop Tai Lung, isn’t meant to do something like this. In response, Oogway says this to Shifu: “My friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours, until you let go of the illusion of control.” When I first saw this scene, the countless verses from the Bible warning us not to worry immediately popped into my mind. One of those verses was from the book of Matthew, chapter six, verses 25-27, which read: “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant, or harvest, or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Too often, we as Christians are so caught up in our surroundings that we end up inadvertently ignoring the voice of God. We often feel like Martha in the gospel of Luke, someone who was so caught up in trying to deal with all of the things that surround her that she couldn’t bring herself to be like her sister, Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus and just focused on Him. As Oogway put it, one way to achieve the biblically ordained destiny that's set for us is to let go of the belief that we must labor ceaselessly to manipulate an outcome that only God can control. Likewise, Oogway connects this idea to a peach tree, saying that he “cannot make it blossom when it suits me, nor make it bear fruit before it’s time,” further strengthening his point about how we are not meant to dwell on an outcome that God has already worked out. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says this best: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. “

“When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”” ‭‭If I had to rate myself it would be a 2/10. I was still a bit wasteful with all aspects of life.

On Monday, when I first heard about this “weekly challenge”, I felt very drained, overwhelmed, and stuck. It felt like my desire to stay close to the Lord was slowly but surely slipping away. Nearly all the sins I’d once stayed away from started creeping back into my Christian walk, which is why —as soon as I stumbled upon the Preacher’s post— I turned my head to my Creator and asked Him to give me a verse that I can use for this week. After praying, I opened my Bible and saw it, Matthew chapter 4, verse 10, which reads, “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” In this verse, we see Jesus utilizing the sword of the Spirit, which is the written word of God, against the enemy after he miserably fails to get Jesus to bow down and serve him. I believe that God wanted me to choose this particular verse because it felt like I was in that same wilderness, a vulnerable soul in the midst of a bunch of demonic forces. Throughout my week, whenever I felt drained, demotivated, and had a seemingly irresistible urge to disobey God, I just spoke this verse out loud so that all of the unclean spirits that once surrounded me and sucked my energy dry started to flee. Even at times when I felt like I was at my lowest point, when I didn’t dare to keep moving forward, I spoke this scripture out loud because I cannot stoop this low and turn to the idols of this world. If you are still reading this, I would recommend speaking this verse, or any verse that comes to your mind, out loud whenever any corrupt, unclean, or demonic spirit tries to steer you away from God. Make it sound like you are declaring that the enemy has no authority over you or the plan God has for your life.