War of the Weeds
I handed my credit card over to my vet for the second time in a year. It cost $800 each visit to remove the foxtails from Gracie’s ears. If you know anything about foxtails, you know the razor-sharp burs can embed into our pet’s skin and cause serious damage. Problem is, we live on 40 acres in the high desert where weeds grow freely. So what did we do?
We fenced off two acres around our house, removed the weeds, and filled in much of the ground with gravel and then waged war on all weeds on this side of the fence. The fence serves as the battle line. Weeds on the outside of the fence get to live, the ones on the inside die. The same goes for field mice and ground squirrels, but that’s another story.
Another benefit to the fence is keeping strangers out, especially with a gate across our driveway. With no access to a doorbell, we get no solicitors, and it keeps out any undesirables along with coyotes and mountain lions.
Fences bring to mind the similarities to God’s Word, as they both set up a perimeter of safety. The fence protects our property, God’s Word protects our mind, often referred to in the Bible as our heart.
When we fill our mind with God’s Truths, we place a barrier of protection around it. The enemy prowls the fence line of our mind, like a lion, looking for an opening to invade our thinking with lies. God’s Word applied places a fence around our mind and declares…”Keep Out.”
Gaps in the fence surrounding our home, is like an open door to anyone wishing to enter. Having gaps in the fence surrounding our mind is an open door to the enemy’s lies. God’s Word protects our mind, but only if there are no gaps in the fence. The only way to prevent gaps is to study God’s Word and apply His Truths daily.
If we seek God’s Word diligently, God protects the gaps in our mind’s fence until we learn enough Truth to fill them in. If not, God allows those gaps to remain unprotected resulting in “self-induced misery”…the misery we bring on ourselves as a consequence for not learning His Truths.
We have won every battle on weeds since putting up our fence. But this victory is nothing compared to the victory of protecting our mind. Only when our mind is protected, can we prevent the enemy’s lies from perverting our thinking and enjoy a life full of God’s peace and joy.
Are there gaps in the fence protecting your mind? What lies have invaded your thinking? Ask God if there are any. He will reveal them and show you the places that need fixing.
Proverbs 4:23
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” NIV
Philippians 4:7
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NIV
