Four Walls to Defeat the Roaring Lion

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: -1 Peter 5:8

It can be a hard verse for our modern day minds to comprehend. The devil walking around like a lion ready to devour me? We have trained our minds to imagine the red guy with the pitchfork who comes into churches at night time and unplugs monitors and turns all the knobs on the sound system and gleefully laughs as he scampers off to wreck the services at the next church down the road. I'm afraid too many today don't "give the devil his due" to borrow a line from the late Charlie Daniels.

Our adversary is much more sinister. He's not the one who let the air out of your tires so you would be late for church or unplugged the alarm. Satan is not a gnat of distraction he is a lion who seeks to drag you kicking and screaming if he must into destruction. Your adversary seeks to destroy your home, your walk with God and your life. We make the mistake of not taking our enemy seriously if we fail to understand the stakes of our battle with the lion.

To better help us understand how to protect ourselves from such a deadly foe, let us look to the sun baked plains of Tanzania. For it is here the tribes people have a history of dealing with these predators that dates back thousands of years. Here a devouring lion is not a mere metaphor but a constant reality.

Something that always catches my eyes when these villages are shown is how well constructed the high fence around their homes are. At first glance these may seem like simple stick rows stood up to keep the livestock in at night. In reality these stick fences are an intricate living thing called a living wall.

These unimpressive looking walls are for much more than keeping livestock in. Their main purpose isn't geared toward what they keep in but what they keep out. The tribesman have long ago learned the lesson the Apostle was relaying to they church. The best way to keep a lion at bay with with a high wall.

They are protected by their boundaries!

To many of us today look at our Godly standards and the boundaries that the bible put around the lives of God as a restricting force, when in reality they are put in place for our protection. Just like the living walls in Tanzania protect every aspect of who the tribesmen are (life, family, treasure) our living walls of dedication to God protect all that we are.

It seems to me that there are four key components or wall that should separate your life from the influence of the world and stand as protection from the roaring lion. These four aspects of living our daily help to offer defining boundaries and boarders to our lives that help us to be in the world but not of the world.

First is your attitude or your mindset. For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he...Prov. 23:7

The mind acts as the gateway to the rest of the body, it is the door of the wall. Satan doesn't need to spend time tearing down your other defenses if you allow him to walk in through the front gate. Far to often the people of God have their lives ravaged because they fail to fight the battle of their own mind. In the deluge of bad news we have at our fingertips today it is easy to let your mind become overwhelmed and struggle to process this information.

While there can be many paths to victory and wining the battle for you own thought I have found a few moments meditating on scriptures helps me to clear away the fog of war and refocus my thinking. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Phil. 4:8

Second is your habits And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Luke 4:16

Humans are creatures of habits. We have our favorite places to set at the table, church and restaurants. we take the same route to work everyday and eat the same few meals over and over. We are predictable. Here's a small piece of hunting insight for my non-hunter friends. A buck deer that I can predict. One that has an easy to ambush pattern is a buck deer that will be hanging on my wall at seasons end. Don't find yourself as a trophy of Hell.

Make your habits Holy. Your habits have to be things that are protected inside of your wall. Constant ventures for entertainment outside of what is holy is bound to be a place Satan will find you as easy prey. I read a story once of a backslidden women in the early centuries of the church who had become possessed by an unclean spirit. Upon being cats out the spirit spoke out of the women "why am I being made to leave I found her in my domain?!?"

Where was that hotbed of Satan she had been frequenting? The theaters. Now before you jump ship on me for touching that the third rail of movies understand what type of plays were happening back them. They were violent, filled with rage and scenes of murder. They were sensual and lustful, often with the actors depicting sexual acts on stage before the audience. They were Godless. These plays were consistent in their use of foul language. They mocked the moral standards of their times. If this sounds like any of the scores of movies and television shows at our fingertips today it should. Satan has no new trick, he just updates his traps along with technology.

While there's probably no-one that will turn off their tele-cable as a result of this article maybe we all could use this principle to help strengthen our walls. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: Psalm 101:3

The Third wall of our lives is our acquaintances. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalm 1:1

Show me your friends and I will show you your future-John Donne

Welcome to my hobby horse. The students at MHC would tell you that my most frequent topic is relationships. To many times I have seen people with great potential go by the wayside because of the influences they allowed in their lives. As Jim Rohn famously put it you are the sum total of the five greatest influences om your life.

While we as Christians must allow our influence to reach across the walls of our lives and touch the hearts and minds of the lost world around us we must guard our hearts from allowing our unsaved friends, co-workers and family speak into our walks with Christ. Simply put it is impossible for someone who does not have their own walk with God to speak with any force or clarity into your relationship with your savior. While they may genuinely want what is best for you, their advice will always be from an unsaved perspective.

Let us remember the admonishment of the apostle Paul: Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals. 1 Corinth. 15:33 nasb

The final wall is your attire. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 1 Peter 3:3-4

Yes, I know the apostle was writing concerning the women in this verse. However given todays fashion climate and the ever evolving trends of men's fashion these scriptures absolutely apply to men and women. So much of our attitude, or influences and what we make our habits shows through in our clothing that it must be a well maintained wall in our lives.

I have heard all the rebuttals before concerning holiness and modesty of dress " God judges me for who I am not what I wear! Its what is on the inside that matter! blah, blah, blah" While these remarks may seem accurate and true at face value they totally miss the point. While it is true that what is on the inside that matters. Jesus himself called the Pharisees white washed tombs. Saying that while they appear pristine on the outside they are full of dead men's bones on the inside. You miss the point arguing about is it the outside or the inside, its not either or its both and.

We must remember we are the temples of the Holy Ghost! The God of glory has made his home inside of our hearts. This incredible act of favor of God toward us demands that we live in a manner that reflects the glory and the power that lives in us.

Read of the grandeur and splendor of the temple of Solomon. It was beautiful and immaculate. The same glory and splendor that filled Solomon's temple so that the priest couldn't even work fills these vessels of clay. That same glory should be evident on our lives. It should show up on the inside and the outside.

I have washes many dishes, I have never washed the inside alone. The inside is of coarse first and most important but it is never really ready to be finished until the outside is as clean as the inside. Do we expect God to be so careless in washing our sins away? To cleanse the sin from the inside of our body and be unconcerned with the outside of our body? Think it not so. God washes sins better than Daniel washes dishes.

We should use this principle when choosing our clothing and maybe more importantly our styles. Is it for function or attention? If for attention than why am I choosing to draw attention the this area of my body? Surely we should consider why we would put this on the temple of God.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19

I was in the corridors of a large national conference and sadly over heard the most uninspiring conversation between two preachers. It wasn't about doctrine's or principles of leadership and growth that you would expect from a minister soaked in this holy atmosphere for 2-1/2 days no, it was on clothes. Suites in particular. And it wasn't a passing comment. We're talking a full 35 minutes of suite banter that left me sure these two needed to hit the alter on their way to drop off these prized suites at the nearest Godwill store. Not because of the unholy nature of the clothing but because of the unholy nature of the men wearing them. . It was evident these men wanted the attention a suit tailored by the biggest names in fashion would bring. You see they had failed to build the wall of attire around their lives and was in the process even then of letting a major paw of the roaring lion reach into their lives, PRIDE

In closing I hope you will build around your life four walls of protection to keep you safe from attacks from our enemy. Build walls that are high and strong to protect yourself and your family. Don't look at holiness and standards as limiting what you can do today but look at them as guardians of a safe and limitless tomorrow.