Send In the Clowns !

You know that time between sleep and wakefulness when you are not quite sure if you are dreaming or not... 

This morning I got up to let the dogs outside really quick, then went back to bed with the dogs thinking I still had about 50 minutes of sleep before the alarm would go off to get up. So I got back into bed, then maybe fell asleep, but I did not really have a dream like normal dreams, but I had a strange experience. The alarm clock went off it seemed like just a few minutes later, and as I came to full consciousness, I was thinking of rodeos and clowns. It was a bit strange because I am not really a "rodeo" type. (I tend to feel sorry for the animals being hog-tied and lassoed and wrestled to the ground, so I don't have much enjoyment for the sport.) But the strange thing was that I was aware that either the Holy Spirit or an angel had just talked with me about tactics of the enemy and had used rodeos and clowns in the analogy. If it was a dream, I do not remember seeing anyone, I just remember someone talking to me and explaining the tactics of the enemy, and the person did not talk very long at all but it seemed as if the understanding was downloaded into my spirit, so when I woke up, I just remember someone had talked with me and given me understanding of the matter. I believe God wanted me to understand tactics that the enemy used but also impart the critical role we play in the body of Christ. So let me share what was explained to me this morning. 

The person conversing with me was using the rodeo as an analogy to people in the body of Christ and the roles we play within the body - our "function" within the body. In the rodeo, the cowboy who rides the bull is usually seen as the star of the show. Most people really look forward to the bull riders in the rodeo. However in my "dream" or whatever it was, the person was explaining the part of the clown. The clown plays a very important role. The clown's job is to distract the bull if the rider gets thrown and to protect the cowboy from the bull until the rider gets back on his feet. The person in the dream was telling me that the tactics of Satan are not always obvious. In the body of Christ, Satan wants to take out the big players, the "generals" within the body because they do have great impact in the spiritual warfare. And this person was likening the "leaders" in the body of Christ to the "bull riders", and showing me that Satan's desire was to take out these "leaders", but the person explained in this dream (or whatever) that Satan can get to these leaders by another means...to take out the ones protecting the leaders. And the person explained that like the clown in the rodeo who's job is to protect the cowboy, if the clown himself gets distracted and does not do the job for which he is purposed, the cowboy's life becomes endangered. The person in this conversation explained that the clown's function was very critical for the safety of the cowboy, and yet the clown himself was a very laughable and underestimated person in the rodeo. It was impressed upon me that there are people in the body of Christ who may not seem to be "major players" with leadership roles, but that their role is critical in the body, because their function is so integrated with others within the body. Like the clown who plays a role in protecting the cowboy, there are many in the body who are "watchers" and protecting leaders and others through intercession and prayer. And Satan in his subtlety will try to take out these intercessors or "guardsmen" knowing that if he can take them out or distract them, then he has an opening to get to others. 

When I fully woke up with the alarm clock and realized I had this information downloaded into my spirit, I was given the understanding that we are not to minimize our function within the body of Christ. Each role has a purpose and function which integrates with others to help the total body of Christ and if we get distracted or not realize the importance of our role within the body and not fulfill our function, then it could have a great impact on others within the body. 

The clown's job is not a glamorous one, but it is a critical one for the safety in the rodeo. And our roles may not seem very important at times, but God has placed us within the body with a purpose and function that could very well be the safety and protection of another through our prayer and support of those members. Both the cowboy and the clown are important in the rodeo but both have very different roles and it is vital for the cowboy to send in the clowns! 

YOU have a vital importance in the body of Christ, regardless of where you are within the body. It is a critical role. God has purpose and function for you! 

Never minimize your role within the body. Someone else's life may depend on you, and your prayer and support may just very well be what counteracts the attempts of Satan on that person's life! 

Quick! Send in the clowns!!!