An Open Door
If I leave my door open for an hour…bugs, leaves and hot air come right in. Messy. Time consuming. Expensive. And if I leave it open for a day, my living room turns into “wild kingdom!” But what if I leave it open for a few months? Or years?? Dangerous people could walk right in- anytime they wanted. Stuff would get stolen. The house would become infested with bugs, rodents and who knows what?! Everything would end up in ruins.
If the door is left open long enough, the chaos will become the new normal.
The Lord showed me today that when I sin, I open the door: “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7)
I can either shut the door quickly or leave it open for awhile. The Holy Spirit will convict me to just shut the door: admit my sin, ask for God’s forgiveness and for His strength to stop! Then I can turn around and make good choices according to His word. But the longer I leave the door open, the more my life will resemble the chaotic, unsafe house.
I can “leave the door open” so long that closing the door seems impossible! See the longer it’s been open, the bigger the mess. It becomes complicated.
But It’s never too late!
Whatever it is: gluttony, idolatry, pride, greed, addiction, lust, selfishness….God can give us strength to shut the door and put our house in order!
Gluttony: My Struggle To Keep The Door Closed
There was a time when I would go to Krispy Kreme and eat a crazy amount of doughnuts as a stress reliever. One day a friend said to me, “I would never put all of that junk in my body.” I took offense to that. Honestly my thought was, “Well la-di-da!” Her approach wasn’t my favorite, but she was absolutely correct! At the time I didn’t grasp the significance of my body as the home of the Holy Spirit and that I honor God when I take care of my body.
I took offense because #1 I didn’t think I could stop and wasn’t sure I wanted to AND #2 I didn’t understand I had opened this door and allowed all kinds of harmful things to creep into my life: blood sugar issues/weight gain…which affects mental/physical well being… which affects relationships… and so on!
If He believes I am worth dying for, then I must be worth taking care of! He says He has plans for me…so I better take care of what He’s given me to work with! I praise Him today for His patience with me and His healing touch on my way of thinking. He tells us the truth in His word and sets us free!
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
I must admit, gluttony is still a struggle for me. I have opened and shut the door too many times. Today I’m thankful for progress! I haven’t binged in months, and I have slammed the door on many opportunities to do so!
Adultery Door Slammed Shut!
There is one sin that I have successfully shut out before it has had a chance to get a foothold in my life. That sin is adultery. Thank God, years ago I heard an excellent teaching on some very practical ways to guard this particular door.
For instance, if you are married don’t ever be alone with a person of the opposite sex. Don’t ride in the car, get coffee, eat a meal, work on projects, have deep conversations (including texting), etc. when it’s just the two of you. You might say, “My gosh shouldn’t you just use self control?” Yes! But doing these things can lead to intimacy (slowly but surely) and can open the door to an emotional and/or physical affair.
It may sound very old fashioned, but I have been married for 17 years and my husband and I have guarded our marriage fiercely and strictly. It has worked! If anyone tries to flirt or become “close” through conversations, compliments, etc. we nip it in the bud immediately! Slam the door!
“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” R. Zaccharias
There are many ways we can get caught up in sin, but whatever it is, God can help us shut the door in the power of Jesus’ Name! 🙌🏻 Whatever we have done, we can repent, ask for forgiveness and know that, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23