Mountain View - Lock Up By Leyla Williams
Writer Author Church On The Mountain
Christian Column
:
Christian Living
- Fiction No
My friends left for the week and asked a neighbor to feed their cat. The wife gave instructions to “go on in, we leave our door unlocked”. Unknowingly, the husband gave contradicting instructions for his employee to “please lock up every night after returning the tools”. Faithfully the employee locked up at five each evening. Faithfully the lady that was to feed the cat came at six. Perplexed but determined, she found a ladder, climbed to the upper deck, and found an opening into the house. Upon leaving, she left the door unlocked and was confused when it was locked again at six the next evening. Not until the last day was the mystery solved when the owners returned and couldn’t get into their home. The husband had given away his key and now had to climb the same borrowed ladder and scramble through the same open window.
Do we ever give mixed signals to our inner man? Do we relinquish access to our souls by giving the keys away? We are the owners of our inner life. We hold keys and determine what has access to us. Do we decide we are NOT going to get angry like that again? See that type of media again? Spend more than we have again? Eat more than we need again? Yuck. You’ve had those moments. It is over. Those things that leave the stench of shame after their stay, are marched out and you lock the door. That is IT! Not again. So why do we often leave upper story windows unlocked?
We can’t solve the ancient dilemma right this minute, but we can rally ourselves to practices that might protect us a little better. The gospel of Luke pleads “Stay alert, always praying that you will have the strength to escape all the things that will happen” (Lk 21:36). In Ephesians 6, Paul exhorts us to put on the full armor “as you pray at all times...vigilantly and persistently” (Eph 6:18). James states “Therefore, submit to God. Moreover, take a stand against the Adversary, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and he will come close to you” (James 4:7,8). Connect to Jesus! He is the ultimate locksmith. You pray, authorize Him to change your locks so the enemy of your soul is shut out, and He issues a fresh set of keys. But if we keep the window unlocked or give our keys away, we give permission to things that will ruin our inner house and destroy again.
Why are the gospels and letters declaring a need to pray, to come close to God? Because when we draw near to God, we draw near to light. All of a sudden we see. We go into prayer thinking we are a victim and I can’t believe so and so did that, and wanting God to sympathize, and then the light of Jesus reveals that the real problem is that we are stubborn. So now we are repenting….coming clean….and are relieved, with tender hearts toward so and so.
There will always be intruders. There will always be issues that are trying to break into your inner life with Jesus. Prayer is like a hyper alarm system. In prayer you learn to sense trespassers (like anger, lust, bitterness, dullness), and the flood lights come on with warnings bellowing out of the speaker system to paralyze the intruder. Prayer is one application of the “taking thoughts captive” practice. I can not pray and be fake with Jesus. If I am not honest, my heart does not come alive to Him. Being honest allows His light to shine on my darkness and I am freed. That is why prayer is so essential for your soul’s security system to function properly. The light that prayer brings exposes that wolf dressed up in sheep’s clothing and can give you the peace to stay in and lock up when he comes a knocking.
Leyla Williams is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org
Editor's Comment:
About the Writer Author
State:
California
Country:
United States
Email:
Paulafriedrichsen@live.com
Website:
www.churchonthemountain.org
Profile:
Click here!
|
|
Most Recent From This Writer
Inspired Still - Designs by LaVellaK
Design Challenged? No worries! Among many design services I offer, I'll gladly design hats, t-shirts and more for you or your organized Special Event. Email me at justask@worthfinding.com for details!
Photgraphy & Design by LaVella Kraft
|
Select Article or Story
|