Weak Door

As she wrapped up her "guest list" lesson on the Event Planner series, she rolled right into her next topic of interest: the security.
For good security is a must at a grand event. Someone to watch the doors and make sure there is no one admitted who does not belong, and has not been invited. Pam, my bible study teacher at Second Baptist, has a clever way of putting her lessons on the lowest shelf so that most anyone can relate. This lesson was no exception. May you be blessed and encouraged by this summary as I was with this lesson.

She outlined the lessons into three basic headings:
I) The Security Breach: it relates to the verses in John 10 about the gate
saying that anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by gate and climbs in by another way is a thief

II) The Head of Security:
a) Exodus 15:3 The Lord is a warrior, a strong and mighty overseer not some mansy pansy who can be walked over.
b) 1 John 4:4 Greater is he that is in you than he that is in this world.
c) Thessalonians 3:3 He is a body guard who will strengthen and protect us from the evil one.
d) She quoted Charles Stanley that reads: "if you understand that God is in control of all things and that life is unfolding according to his
master plan and purpose, then you have to look at what happens in your life and conclude: "god knows all about this. He has allowed
this to happen. God is in control of all the outcomes. He has a way through this difficulty and a good result at the end of a dark
tunnel. God is at work, fashioning all things to His glory. He is going to work all things for my eternal benefit.
e) Assurances regarding the enemy
1) The victory has already been won
2) The attack of the enemy is limited in people
3) The attack of the enemy is limited in duration
4) The benefit that God has planned will be far greater that
the immediate results of the attack
5) the lord will fight for you and with you


But the part of this lesson that hit my heart deeply was the next part: III) the Weak Door. And I loved it because I do have some weak doors that need extra security. She explained weak doors as negative patterns, or unmet desires or shattered dreams. These are weak doors that need to be heavily guarded because this is where so many of us are so vulnerable. We tend to look around at others and take our focus off of what God has readied for us, in his abundance of grace and wisdom and strength, and instead look to what we desire or what others have. We establish overtones of sadness and stress and depression and if we are not careful the thief will get through the door and steal our joy, and try to stamp out the hope that God has made available. Pam encouraged each of us to bring those thoughts captive to Christ and distinguish it as a recognition that Satan is trying to get into your event (life) and sabotage it through his whispering lies and misinformed truth.

There will always be thieves and robbers sneaking around trying to find a weak door that is not guarded to sneak into. But Christ says trust me at those weak doors to be your body guard, to be your gatekeeper, to be your overseer. Let me decide what goes in and what stays out. Trust me to be the one who declares entrance and the one to see your mind free from worry or distraction or the spirit of competition. Sin is crouching at our door, just waiting for a chance to slip through the cracks and reap havoc, not in a monstrous way but in an aversive style of cunning manipulation. We are not on our game to defend it no matter how skillful we may think we are. Only Christ has the capacity to secure our emotions, our thoughts, our feelings and our desires and he does that only when we have allowed him the responsibility to be on security call.

V) Danger at the Weak Door

Satan is able, just by watching carefully, to identify our weaknesses, our individual struggles with unmet needs and shattered dreams. And when he does he uses the tools that we are all so familiar with: fear, doubt, disbelief, loneliness,and worry, just to name a few. He is a master at getting into our event, when we do not have Christ standing and guarding our doors. But it goes back to we have to be able to distinguish between the voice of Christ and the whisper of Satan. Christ's voice will trump Satans, for greater are you Christ who is in me, than the one who is in this world.
For example regarding

A) FEAR: 1) voice of the enemy: this is not okay, you have good reason to be afraid
2) voice of truth: Fear does not come from me. 2 Timothy 1:7 Fear not for I will strengthen you ,yes I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous hand. Isaiah 41:10
B) DOUBT: 1) voice of the enemy: You can't be sure that God will come through for you in this trial - no guarantees
2) voice of truth: Cry out to me and say I do belief. Help me with my unbelief Mark 9:24 Not one sparrow will fall to the ground from me. The very hairs on your head are numbered! So, trust me. Matt 10:29-31
C) LONELINESS: 1) Voice of the enemy: You are alone, you will always be alone, and you will always be miserable
2) Voice of truth: I know that even your father and mother are not there for you, but I I the Lord will take care of you and be there for you. Psalm 27:10
D) WORRY: 1) Voice of the enemy: The very thing you are dreading will probably happen
2) Voice of truth: Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything with a heart of gratitude. Let me have all your requests! and my peace will be a bodyguard over your heart and mind! Philippians 4:6-7

(and one note about that last verse...is there anything that does not go under the umbrella of "anything" or anything that does not go under the umbrella of "everything"?...those )

As I considered these voices once again, it was such a reminder of the drastic comparison of God's truth vs Satan's lie. If we really believe that the bible is God's truth and we look to that book for our basis of truth we will surely find that none of the language that the enemy uses is a viable source for truth, beginning with his conversation with Eve, Duh! But I just love it when something so obvious clicks into the reality of my often times dormant mind. Really! Satans' lies can and will be offset by truth is I stay focused and listen carefully to the voices and learn to consciously distinguish one from the other. But surely it takes practice, and prayer, and Christs' intervention.


Dear Lord, what a blessing to be taught over and over such truths. May they sink into our very soul and be the core of our trust and belief.
in you, Lord Amen

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!