Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - Three out of Four, Not Good Enough

     Someone tried to steal our car stereo system night before last. The would-be thief walked up our driveway, opened the car door and tried yanking out the radio but only succeeded in breaking the frame. He/she pitched a fit because the wipers and blinkers were on and the contents of the glove compartment scattered. 

     I called the police and after seeing the movie "Courageous" I was pretty pumped to have one of these guys come around so I could thank him personally.  He took the report and advised me to do all the basic protective things we know we should do, but which are easy to let slide when nothing bad happens for a while:

     *Remove valuables from the car or hide them from view. 

     *Lock the doors. 

     *Warn neighbors so they take all these same precautions.

     *Call the police if you see any suspicious activity. 

     Believe it or not, three out of four doors on the car were locked, but that wasn't enough to keep the thief out. He didn't bother our other car which Tom faithfully locks up each night. I'm too trusting, and like many people, I think "It won't happen to us" in spite of the fact that it's already happened to us several times. But now we live in a wonderful neighborhood on a quiet street with the word 'Cove' in it, for crying out loud.  Shouldn't that make us immune from these kinds of problems?" 

     No one can hide from living in a fallen world. Paul told the Ephesians, some of the most spiritually grounded believers on his day, to put on the FULL armor.  He didn't want them vulnerable to Satan's schemes in any area of life for even a second so he repeated his instructions for them to put on the FULL armor of God.     

     "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. . . . .Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." 

Ephesians 6:10 and 13

God recently convicted our family about a television show through which Satan was pouring his filthy language. That door is now triple locked. Putting on the full armor of God means we lock all the doors, not just three out of four, and we stay vigilante to what influences our lives and the lives of our family members.  Satan's determined to creep into our homes, minds, and relationships. He seeps through any crack left unfilled, any hole we're too lazy to address, any door we leave wide open in arrogant certainty we can handle it.  I know parents who stay on top of their children's friendships but who also serve alcohol or allow complete freedom on computers or television in their own homes. Maybe they can handle these temptations, but how do they know their children can? Better to lock all the doors and put on the full armor of God; and, according to the story in "Courageous," these instructions are especially important for those in the driver's seat. 

Lord, open our eyes to areas we need to lock down.  Show us where we're vulnerable and help us cover ourselves with the armor You've provided.  Protect us and our families from Satan's manipulations and open attacks. Fill us with the desire to be 100 percent committed to You. You are mighty God and in Your Power alone can we stand against the devil's schemes. In You, we're safe. In Your Wisdom, we're at Peace. Help us courageously face whatever area You want to address in our lives and in our families.

In the Name of Jesus Who locked down Satan's greatest efforts to get in His head and make Him settle for less than God's Will.