Chapter 12: The Triangle Part Two: The Sliding Scale 2022
The Sliding Scale, a measurement of the Triangle. The Sliding Scale is a graph, plain and simple. On the bottom line of the graph, there are five measurement lines that start at zero, up is 0 to plus 10, down is 0 to minus 10. There are five areas of measurement.
___________I_________I__________I__________I_______
Mind Body Spirit Business Family
The idea is to stay above the line. To go below zero and into the negative is a recipe for failure. Figure it like this. If you’re working a plus 10 in your business and a minus 10 in your family, draw a line from the top plus ten to the bottom minus 10, that line will look like a slide on a playground, right? It is exactly a slide, and it represents how fast you will “slide” down the scale into catastrophic failure. Long story short in this example, if the family fails, all things fail, if the body fails, same thing, if the spirit fails why bother, I’d simply quit caring, same with the mind. If any area of the scale is in the negative I will fail — that one area will draw me down no matter how proficient the other areas may be. How severe will I fail? I can’t measure that, however fail is fail. What I can measure is the angle or slope of the graph. The more in the negative on any area, the steeper the slide itself, more severe, faster, the less of an angle the slower the failure rate, more time to adjust to the positive and get that area under control and back up above zero. Without adjustment, when any area is below zero, failure in all areas — is imminent.
Keep everything above the zero, even a little bit, like plus one in one area is at least above the zero line and although not great it’s not catastrophic. Very challenging, but for those who are given much, much is required as we say. In His grace, I can do it, and so can you — if you work at it consistently.
Work the triangle, discover truth and how to keep clarity and true purpose in your life. Measure your efforts daily with the Sliding Scale.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing
move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
I call it “two degree adjustments.” Like a compass heading, making small adjustment into my path discovering a “true north.” The correct way, the correct path, a righteous walk. Slight adjustments. On a real compass in an airplane, if your compass is broken, you can end up out of fuel and in big trouble. Same with life.
Proverbs 1:7
New International Version
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools[a] despise wisdom and instruction.
Let’s recap, The Triangle has five sides, three of them you can do. Mind, Body, Spirit, read up on it in part one of this chapter. The fourth and fifth sides are pretty hard to achieve without a balanced life — knowledge and wisdom. Much more challenging for God to do any awesome Destiny work with me when I’m out of whack on the framework of the three sides? The framework, in my example, holds the lens of the 4th and 5th side, so you can focus better on the truth — Discernment with a capital D.
You might say, hey Patrick — there’s five things on the sliding scale, too and they’re different, I don’t get it.
Mind, Body, Spirit, Knowledge and Wisdom are in the example of the triangle. Mind, Body, Spirit, Family and Business are five areas listed in the sliding scale, four and five are different in each example. What’s that all about? Well, kids business and family are realized complete and secure only in knowledge and wisdom. Sides 4 and 5 of the triangle are required to succeed and line item 4 and 5 of the scale. If you truly care about your family, you will take care of your business and vice versa — no way I can do that without God — without God I will stray from the truth and blow all of it to pieces. If the original three sides of the triangle are not in order, knowledge and wisdom are not gonna happen, i.e. business and family are are 100% at risk. I say every day, “stay in order, Patrick, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, eat, rest and study wisely.” You see folks the ear gate, the eye gate are truly gates — guard them, keep them in check, where you look and what you see, what you listen to and what you hear. Even with God, I find it tremendously challengingly to behave myself.
Proverbs 2:6
New International Version
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
How do I know when I’m out of whack? The yield. Let’s use a cattle ranch as an example. A rancher knows when the fence has been breached, broken are smashed, there is a predator to blame. Not only does the rancher need to repair the fence, he has to find the predator and get it out or the herd is at risk. Same with every part of your life. If I’m not working the triangle, the fences will be down in that area and a predator may well be causing chaos. I call that the “demon footprint.” The yield from such a situation is like the air in a tire, no matter how much you pump it up, the air leaks out. Tend to the triangle, measure with the scale. Ride the fence lines, protect and guard the perimeter of your life, work courageously out in the fields of the Lord. Tend wisely with people, places and things that the Lord has given you. Listen to good counsel, manage yourself. You know there’s a thing that gets in the way of all of us — for a long time I didn’t have a name for it. I do now, and beware of this behavior in yourself and others— I call it the deaf lesson because apparently I’ve lost my hearing, or someone I’m talking to isn’t listening. Here’s the example.
I tell the teacher I have a problem, the teacher tells me
the solution, I don’t like the solution so I restate the problem.
And the cycle continues ad nauseam. A waste of time in myself and anybody deploying such a dead end conversation. However, in the balance of the triangle, the “deaf lesson” doesn’t last long, it is revealed quicker — as is many other challenges that arise in one’s day, life or moment.
Obedience and correctness is challenging, disobedience and incorrect living is a dead end and the devil knows it. If he can’t make you sin, he’ll waste your time. And time is the commodity isn’t it, you can’t get it back when you lose it and you have no idea how much you have left, might be years, might be a few minutes, nobody knows. Clearly, measuring me and my chores is a good idea. Without it I’m in charge. That’s scary. My perception of how well I’m doing is not accurate, and is dangerous to myself and all that I am responsible to.
As captured by the 19th century British politician Lord Acton
“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Without correct checks and balances all people are foolish. Common sense is not so common and stupid is really, really expensive. Hey, here’s a good one — “What’s the opposite of failing to measure one’s incorrect self?” The obvious of course: “correct measurement” and that will lead to —
Revival: Restoration to Life, consciousness, vigor strength
Awakening: The act of waking from sleep, A recognition,
realization, or coming into awareness of something…
Sounds better than being an idiot, right? Let’s recap “The Sliding Scale.” A measurement of the five sides of the triangle. How to accurately work all important areas of your life.
Those who are strong in heart learn from their mistakes and continue on a path of enlightenment. Those who choose arrogance waste valuable resources on foolish whims. Haughty and pompous personality quirks quickly return. Insolvency is the yield personally and in business. Keep yourself in order, or bad behavior will overcome you. Simply put: “a bad attitude derives pleasure from engaging itself and feels quite superior in doing so,” until of course, your luck runs out. The gospel is real and is God’s mind, for all of us to engage.
Galatians 1:11-12
New International Version
Paul Called by God
11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Chapter 12, Part One “The Triangle”, Part Two “The Sliding Scale” This chapter is the hardest of all — used diligently, it is a daily reprieve from the sneaky, unconscionable behavior that will surely be the ruin of each and every one of us, either in ourselves or in others around us. To fight it there must be a constant vigil. A light shining inside me at all times to uncover what is black and disgusting and despicable. How do I do all these things? Do I do my best? Yes, I do my best, but my best will not be good enough. I need to do better than my best. To do all of it, I need to compress time, change the very science of time and space it would seem. My best isn’t good enough to do that, I would need to “compress time” maybe even add a day to the week and that’s not possible. Or is it? It is possible. It is possible to do better than my best. Yes, truth, I can do better than my best and get it all done. How? Ask Him my friends, ask Him everyday and you will succeed the impossible list everyday. Compressing time is doing better than my best — ride the fence lines my friends, protect your life, however always, always, ride with the King.
Philippians 4:13
English Standard Version
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Amen.
