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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: LOCKED (10/27/22)
My sister-in-law lives in a gated community. She feels safe from harm because everyone who enters has been checked at the gate by agents who decide whether or not to let them enter. The purpose of the gate is to keep evil away and turn down those elements that could harm the lovely community. She enjoys her surroundings and neighbors there, confident that no one will hurt her.

My husband and I had to pass through that inspection port when we visited her last year. The agent asked who we would see and how long we would be there. He checked our credentials and gave us a pass to unlock the gate. We could not come and go without that pass.

Did you know that our hearts are like gated communities? They have gates that decide who or what will enter them. We are the agents at their entrance who decide who or what will be allowed to enter. Consider the eye gate and the ear gate. What are we allowing through them?

In the ancient book of Judges, we see what happened when God's people forgot that He had delivered them from Egypt. Though free, they failed to utterly destroy their enemies but allowed them to live among them. Hence, they started to follow their customs and were seduced by their gods. As a result, they lived in calamity and defeat.

"They abandoned the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the Promised Land. They followed after other gods, the gods of the peoples around them. They worshipped them and provoked the LORD to anger." Judges 2:12 (Modern English Version)

You and I are no different when we forget that God has saved us from this evil world, yet we allow it to define us. When we look at, listen to, and follow the customs of the world around us, we suffer the same result: we live in calamity and defeat.

No, the gates of our hearts must be slammed shut and remain locked to the worldliness we see and hear. We cannot give it a pass to enter. Instead, our hearts must be open to God's ways and His Word. There is no other way and no shortcut to His blessings.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
11/10/22
This is a charming analogy and you make some excellent points. Instead of using passive lines, you might want to use active ones instead. You could also tighten the lines up some. For example, I might suggest an edit like this: Because she lives in a gated community, my sister-in-law feels safe because the guards check everyone who enters.
That's just a quick example to show what I mean. You did a fine job of showing your point by giving a real world example that most people can relate to. You did a fine job of writing on topic while delivering a clear Christian message.