The Wolf and the Lamb

One of the most beautiful images in Scripture that illustrates the transformation of the universe with the second coming of Jesus is described in Isaiah 65:25 (NLT) where the wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. As I was reflecting on this passage, it struck me that this is also a wonderful metaphor for our own transformation as Christians. As God sanctifies us through the renewing of our mind (Ephesians 4:20-24), promotes our dying to the self (Romans 8:13), works out our salvation with “fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12-13), we gradually become more like Christ, a process called theosis. Hence, our sinful nature passions and emotions—the “wolves and lions” of pride, anger, bitterness, jealousy, envy, and lust, among many others—are “defanged and declawed.” This painful process, a fundamental element of spiritual warfare, is a lifelong battle that is never completed (Philippians 3:12-14) until we fall asleep in the Lord and are transformed into His glorious image. However, with our ongoing surrender and repentance in this life, God’s strength will work in our weakness to produce the Godly character expressed in Romans 5:3-5.

I experienced this transformation with my own internal wolves and lions of spiritual pride. One of the great saints of the Greek Orthodox Church, Saint Paisios says that the most insidious form of pride occurs in spiritual people who behave humbly, but are motivated by the desire to be praised, recognized and honored, the devil of “vainglory.” These camouflaged lions and wolves cover themselves in the rags of false humility. I was shaken like an earthquake when one of my accountability partners gave me a word from the Lord through a vision of me sitting contentedly with a hideous demon creature that I treated like a pet instead of a dangerous and deadly spirit. My head was spinning, as this reinforced the writings of Saint Paisios that I was concurrently reading on spiritual pride’s devilish presence and influence. This crushed and humbled me and reinforced that this hideous parasitical creature was real and oppressing me. As I repented and reflected, asking the Holy Spirit to uncover my true motives, I discovered to my horror how many are birthed by the need to be loved, recognized, and praised by others, and that when I did not receive affirmation, I pouted, became frustrated and angry, and condemned myself for not being worthy of approval. The Lord was illustrating the great lesson of 1 Corinthians 13 in which any action, no matter how praiseworthy, if not motivated by love, is worth nothing. My goal in so many areas of my spiritual life is at best mixed, but sadly a “little leaven" of pride spoils the entire lump of dough (1 Corinthians 5:6). However, this painful realization began a powerful transformation of freedom. My prideful spiritual scales continue to fall away as I learn to identify the presence of these wolves and lions and repent of them.

The first step in freedom in this area is to ask the Holy Spirit to give you the courage to “test the spirits” of our motives to find the areas of self-love, ego, and pride. Secondly, ask for forgiveness and repent when you discover these lions. Finally, learn to serve the Lord first and only and expect nothing in return, as Paul instructs us in Colossians 3:23-24. When you practice these principles, your wolves and lions will stop being the carnivores of your soul! To God be the glory!

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.