Close the Door
How many times growing up did you hear that phrase? "Close the door!" If it involved a screen door it might be, "don't slam the door".
In the early hours of Saturday morning I woke up praying. Has that ever happened to you? I've had it happen a few times--and it always involved a dream where prayer, urgent prayer was needed-immediately. It was 2:04 AM. When I woke, I was actually praying in the Spirit and the need was critical. I'll explain in a minute.
I got up and came to the living room--knowing there was someone I needed to pray for but didn't know who. On my knees I called out to our Father in Heaven. I don't always kneel--sometimes I sit--but this feeling that I had--I felt I needed to kneel--like we did as grandchildren growing up when we stayed summers with Mama and Paw-Paw. On my knees it's easier to block out other things.
I don't remember how long I prayed--but when I finished I took my notebook and began writing all that I could recall of the dream. I don't feel impressed to share all the details this time--but I do feel you need to know the message that I felt the Holy Spirit was impressing on my heart to share with you.
Close the door. The person in my dream, who was in desperate need of prayer, was being attacked by various forces of darkness. The person was a believer in Christ. But the attacks were so severe that in his mind and heart--he was wrestling in a match of unprecedented darkness for a believer.
It was revealed in the dream that he had opened many doors. I will list the ones that I saw and recognized in the dream--but also some that are often opened unwittingly by many.
- pride
- self-loathing
- p0rn0gr@phy (I changed the letters on purpose)
- selfish ambition
- loss & grief (I'll explain later)
- depressive thinking
- materialism
- want
- covetousness
- rebellion
- laziness
- lying influence
These are just a FEW, and the man being prayed for had opened almost every one of them. I realized afterwards how many of these same forces attack believers on a daily basis.
In the dream--other people around us began to recognize doors they had opened and urgently sought prayer for closure and deliverance.
Recognition is key to being able to close the door on the enemy. He sneaks in. We would never open the door wide to him standing there holding a pitchfork --he comes in through the guise of something seemingly innocent. Let me unpack this a little better.
What are you watching on TV to entertain and occupy your mind?
What about Faceb00k or any of the other social media avenues?
I keep coming back to this because I feel like the enemy has used these things the most. Distractions have become addictions. Too many of the things we see plant the seeds of so much of the above listed "doors".
I personally have had to set up guards up against this. There are many things I can no longer watch on TV because it seems to "stick" in my head. What used to not bother me--bothers me now. I can't listen to some music genres because --even though I listened to it many years ago without it affecting me--it sticks in my head now.
One of our grandsons (precious as he is) has a tendency to allow the people he hangs with influence his thoughts and personality. When he begins acting rebellious--his mother knows exactly that there has been a change in his friendships. She will question him -and those questions bring it front and center to his attention. (Parents do still question their kids right???)
The tactics of the enemy may come in quietly--often just hiding out in a corner until enough of his teammates have come in before he launches an attack on the individual and/or family. Sounds crazy?
Have you listened to the lyrics that the music of today has? Have you actually "watched" one of the games they play on their X-box--or phone? Why do you think the games have ratings? This is a SICK and TOXIC world we live in and unfortunately the doors of much of this darkness opened when we handed kids their first gaming device. The addictions didn't start then--but left unmonitored--it happened.
I know this is truly controversial--but I stand by what I believe. The destructive distractions were innocently handed out to placate and quieten our children, but as the years passed and they grew--so did the distractions. I don't believe all games are bad. I don't believe that all social media is bad. I don't believe all secular music is bad. But I know as a parent and grandparent, I failed to monitor things as I should have in the past. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and trusted them to make wise choices. And 90% of the time, I feel like they had enough "good raising" and grounding in the Word to make a responsible judgement call. But what about the other 10%?
This is deep I know. And I may even get some flack from it--but that's okay too.
Let me go back up a few paragraphs and talk about one of the doors that I've seen left open and the enemy is using it to destroy the believers: loss and grief. Loss is inevitable. But death is not the only avenue we "suffer loss". We sometimes encounter life altering illnesses where we never return to the same "us" as we were. Accidents can also do the same thing.
Sometimes our minds become so engrossed in the loss and grief that we cease existing in many ways. I've seen it in others --I've experienced it myself. But somehow--we've got to get that door closed and allow God to heal. Only He can.
This particular door took me by surprise. I had not thought of it like this--but in the dream--it was a definite door that the enemy came into this particular individual's life to destroy his mind. I never knew what loss he suffered--only that he was not releasing it to God.
This one blog is hard to find a stopping place. I may come back to it later--but for now, let's close all the doors.
Let's ask God to show us what we've neglected to seal properly through prayer. Ask Him to point out what we need to lay aside, take a break from, or permanently delete from our lives. Don't be afraid to see what He needs to show you. I continually ask Him to show me what needs changing--or needs work. He always points it out. I'm a work in progress--but I don't want a single door opened that is not from HIM.
And--pray for others. Pray for your children-grandchildren-brothers-sisters-parents etc. They may be needing someone to pray for them or with them. We ALL need prayer to recognize where we have left a gap in our lives and the enemy has sauntered in and is trying to steal--kill--and destroy. We have the power to stop him in his tracks. Only through prayer is this accomplished
Close the door.
Photo credit: Pixabay.com
God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts.
Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10 NLT
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