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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: WALL (02/17/22)
Some walls are built, monitored, and maintained to prevent uninvited things from getting inside. Other walls are for the purpose of keeping things inside.

Walls create divisions, separating the people or things that find themselves on opposite sides of the wall.

In the ancient world, a walled city was considered to be more difficult to conquer than one without walls.

But in the case of a successful siege, the very walls that were built to be the means of defense would become the means of life-threatening containment.

Inhabitants within the walls of a city under siege were subjected to horrid conditions and extreme means of survival (See 2Kings 6: 24, 25, 28, 29).

Not all walls are made of concrete, bricks, and or topped with ribbon-wire and towers.

Intangible walls can exist in our minds, creating obstacles that will diminish interest, opportunity, and access to hearing the unadulterated Gospel Message, and or spiritually edifying Bible Doctrine.

Sound-proofing walls that separates us from hearing the truth are built and reinforced by the spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6: 12); our own hostile fallen nature (Rom. 8: 7); alcohol and chemical addictions (Eph. 5: 18); often sincere, but misguided relatives (Luke 14: 26); false religious leadership (Matt. 15: 9); and hostile governments (Eph. 6: 12).

While being relentless in promoting their own agenda, such adversaries are equally determined to keep those who are under their authority or influence from hearing the truth that can set them free (John 8: 32).

Walls can be built and reinforced in the minds of people who have been deeply hurt, attempting to avoid the inevitable challenges associated with personal relationships.

Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ comes with not only a life-time guarantee here on Earth (Matt. 28: 20), but with an eternal life-time guarantee (2Cor. 5: 1, 8/1Thess. 4: 17) for all of eternity.

Walls of limitation can be built and reinforced in the minds of those who have been led to believe that they are not capable or worthy of achieving certain goals.

The truth is that in the spiritual realm, no one is worthy (Eph. 2: 8) or capable (John 15: 5) of doing anything apart from God.

Only by following God’s specific instructions (Joshua 6: 3 – 5) were the walls surrounding the ancient City of Jericho taken down.

Here in the Church Age, believers can identify and remove the walls (2Cor. 10: 4) that enslave (2Pet. 2: 19) or inhibit them.

Like the victors of Jericho, God provides specific instructions that will not always make sense to us when facing obstacles or experiencing adversity.
The instructions found in Matt. 5: 44 is not the first response that comes to the naturally-minded man (1Cor. 2: 14) when encountering adversity.

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5: 44 NASB).”

Not all walls are bad or evil.

Advancing disciples build walls of protection around themselves in the form of an edified soul structure (Matt. 7: 24, 25).

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock (Matt. 7: 24, 25 NASB).”

Any adversity that God allows to penetrate that wall serves a divine purpose, and is ultimately for the glory of God and the good of the ones involved (Romans 8: 29).

Adjusting (Job 2: 10) to some of the adversity that God allows (1Pet. 2: 20, 21) is one of the major hurdles to be overcome along the road to spiritual maturity.

A believer can choose to go outside of God’s wall of protection, but will suffer divine discipline (Hebrews 12: 6).

Divine discipline can range in anything from having to live with a guilty conscience (Ezra 9: 6), up to and including, physical death (Acts 5).

The primary purpose for discipline is for the correction of the offender, and or to dissuade observers from encountering the same experience.

Thank God, that in His mercy and grace, the disciplined Church Age believer retains his or her salvation (Romans 8: 1).

Through Biblical discipleship, the Church Age believer can learn to identify and reinforce the walls that are there for his or her own good, and identify the walls that need to be removed.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Laurie Kiel 
02/24/22
A very thorough and biblical analysis if walls. I liked the reminder that like Jericho’s victors, God’s instructions for pulling down walls won't always make sense. Good article.
Terry R A Eissfeldt 
02/24/22
Preach! Good stuff
Blessings
Philippa Geaney 
02/25/22
Well! That was a thorough precis of the topic. Thank you for the study and thought you've put in. I love the life time guarantee in Matthew 28; and the insight that helps us not run into some of those other brick walls.