Christian Living

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I recently read a story about a woman who heard a knock at her front door. She looked out the peephole to see a man standing there. She asked who it was and he replied that he had a package for her. She asked to see the package. He held it up. Then she asked to see his ID. He wearily said to her, “Lady, if I wanted to break into your house, I would have just used these.” He pulled out the keys she’d left in the door.

This makes me think about my spiritual life. It causes me to think about those areas of my life that are vulnerable to the enemy. I often think that just because I haven’t committed any heinous crimes that I am above blame, or even sinless. I am so careful to guard against the blatant temptations of life and I am eager to believe I have my “house” locked up tighter than Fort Knox. But it isn’t that simple.

Like you, I stand condemned of at least a few of the “Seven Deadly Sins”: PRIDE, ENVY, GLUTTONY, LUST, ANGER, GREED, SLOTH. I am only fooling myself to think otherwise is. It certainly isn’t fooling God.

Its so easy for me to view myself as a model of spiritual perfection because I want to think sin is only things I do. This attitude is tantamount to leaving the keys in the door of my heart, knowing the enemy of my soul is watching and waiting for an opportunity to walk in and pull up a chair. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 27 tells us, “don’t give the devil an opportunity.” What are we doing that is, indeed, giving the enemy an opportunity?

We are like the Pharisees Jesus warned in Matthew 23: 25-28 – “…You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy – full of greed and self-indulgence!” And, “You are light whitewashed tombs – beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. You try to look like upright people outwardly but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Pretty harsh words, don’t you think? But I know in my heart of hearts, this often applies to my own life. My failures come in my attitudes toward others whose sin is “worse” than mine. They come by my attitude toward my husband or children when things don’t go my way. I am guilty of impatience as I’m driving down the streets of my city, or standing in line at the grocery store.

To believe my human weaknesses are not sin is a danger to my walk with Christ. The Spirit that dwells within me deserves a place that’s surrendered completely to His will and to His Presence. He cannot live where sin abounds. By overlooking the “log” in my own eye (Matthew 7:3) I can easily fall prey to Satan’s advances and his goal for subtly wooing me away from my Savior.

I am determined to do do all I can to protect my heart from those things that would keep me from all God has for me -- To remove any opportunity for the enemy to come in and steal, kill and destroy.

By protecting my heart with the Word of God I will learn to recognize the enemy’s schemes and lies. I must DAILY ask the Holy Spirit to make me aware of those areas that I can so effortlessly ignore or excuse. I want to be a vessel that’s clean on the inside AND on the outside. I want my life to reflect the living presence of the Holy Spirit.

I’m taking my keys out of the door. Where are yours?

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