I assure you:  Anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the door but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.  The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  John 10:1-2  HCSB

Years ago, I came home from work to find a woman attempting to break into my home.  I was first alerted to the strange man in my driveway who was the lookout.  I was able to secure the man, but the woman got away only to be caught within the hour when she wrecked her vehicle.  We learned that they had been going up and down our road that afternoon and probably had seen my husband leave.  They were looking for the opportune place and time.  Our doors were locked and our alarm was set.  We even had a Rottweiler in our fence, but she was determined.  She was able to get to two doors outside of our dog’s yard and try to pry them open.  Fortunately, she did not succeed and was apprehended.

It’s sad, but in this day and age, you must do what you can to protect your home.  There are few homes that don’t have alarm systems.  Many have security cameras.  I love the new interactive cameras that immediately notify you that someone is at your door and even allows you to speak with that person.  Now, if you have plenty of security features in your home, well good for you.  But I ask you this question, how secure is your heart?

Now Mark 12:30 instructs us to love the Lord with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength.  Let me tell you that if you do this, your heart is secure.  This means that you follow the instructions in Matthew 6:33 and keep your focus on God and trust him to provide the security you need.

Now while we may visit our cardiologist and he or she tells us that our heart is in great shape, this may not be true.  Oh, it may be in great shape physically, but not spiritually.  You see, the problem with our heart is that it gets tangled up in emotions if we are not careful.  The devil or the thief can use emotions to enter our heart.  This is the “some other way” that the thief enters in.  We are forewarned in Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately sick.  That’s pretty harsh words, but if we know this in advance it can save us a lot of trouble down the road.

Now John 10:10 tells us that the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy.  You know if you are awakened by a noise at 2:00 am and some stranger in dark clothing and a mask is crawling in your window, this is not good.  This is how the devil operates, he finds when and where you are most vulnerable.  This is where he creeps in.  The devil may even use family members or close friends to get to you.  The devil is determined and even if your guard is up, he will find some other way.

So, you may be reading this and think that the situation seems pretty hopeless, but this is where you are wrong, my friend.  When we stay close to God, we are protected.  We are given discernment.  We can see the disaster headed our way and cry out to God for His protection and be guided in the proper way to handle the threat.

With no one home and a house that sat back off the road I guess the couple thought we looked like an easy target.  When we sit off away from God, we are an easy target.  When we don’t have God in our hearts, our hearts are left open for attack.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be sober-minded and watchful for the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour.  If you are not walking closely with Jesus,  my friend, you are easy prey.  God is waiting for you with open arms.  He is honest and wants to be your Father and for you to be His child. He wants to protect you.  Psalm 62:6 says that He alone is our rock and our stronghold and we will not be shaken.

The devil will use sneaky underhanded ways to gain entry into your heart, this is why you must guard your heart.  Proverbs 4:23 says to guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.  The devil is looking for a way into your heart.  When you harbor unforgiveness and bitterness and plot vengeance, you make an opening.  When you allow unclean words or thoughts in, you give him an opening. When you watch videos with inappropriate content, you make an opening for him.  And those sins that you consider to be little sins, well that will give him a foothold and he will bust right in.  Just like the masked intruder coming through your window, nothing good can come of this.  Please be careful.

Have a great day!