Assembling a Monster

In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote a novel titled, “Frankenstein”.  In this classic horror novel, scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein has a thought, and with some assistance, begins to assemble a creature out of grave-robbed body parts that should have remained dead, and through his elaborate laboratory devices, Dr. Frankenstein brought the creature to life.

I have often thought I would like to have been able to interview Mary Shelley and ask if the Frankenstein monster was a metaphor for the methods of man.

You see, we do the same thing in our lives, and I believe few escape this elaborate trap. When we are young we often become exposed to something that piques our interest and we begin to seek to satisfy that interest, just as the good doctor did in the novel.

Over time we begin to gather parts (gain experiences); this can come in many forms indeed. Of course, as curious creatures, the more we gather, the more our interest increases, because we are closer to achievement.

Then over time and generally with assistance, either directly from the adversary or indirectly through others I believe the adversary places in our path, we continue to pursue our desire. As we grow and gain those metaphorical parts, we become more eager, and far too often, we complete our monster and find a way to bring it to life.

Just as for Dr. Frankenstein, our troubles are only beginning. At first we may feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction, but then soon enough the monster we have created begins to gain strength and eventually becomes troublesome and even dangerous.

In short order, just as the creature in the referenced book, the difficulty we find is in controlling the beast. The more interaction and activity, the stronger the beast emerges and then it becomes noticeable to others.

Sadly, this assembly process begins when we are too young or inexperienced to understand that we should resist our ideas or thoughts, and more often than not, we are not taught when young the meaning of this Scripture:

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Our young people are seldom trained up knowing what submission to God means in their life, much less resisting the devil. We often fail to explain in any detail or, in most cases at all, the safety that comes with a God-centered life. We are clearly taught in Psalm 91:1-16:

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, nor shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

This is real safety, but when we go after those things that please the flesh, we are, in fact, assembling our monsters. The difficulty comes when we have suffered the monsters and make the decision to overcome them—we learn then that they are extremely difficult to kill.

Many of them, no matter how hard we try, never truly die. Yes, we can get to a place where they lay dormant, but they never fully die! Satan, from time to time in our lives, will strive to revive those monsters we so eagerly assembled, and we find ourselves doing battle once again with the beast of our own assemblage.

When the monster begins to stir, what is it that you do? Do you immediately go to prayer or do you assist in their waking, by lending them thought? I feel when the monsters begin to wake, that is the time we must remember the verses in Proverbs 3:5-6, 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

We must know the Word of God and understand His majesty. It is the Lord who is the slayer of monsters, even the ones we created for our own desires. When we find ourselves in the presence of our monsters, that is the time for prayer and fasting, remembering that the Lord is faithful and just in His ways and He will never leave us nor forsake us.

To be continued

“Live to please the Lord and not people. One day you will stand before Him and they will not be there.”

Kenneth Kellar
A Man Called by God to Teach and Disciple