Fallen Fences

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5

Today's Treasure: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

I don't mind telling you, I have a problem that needs some attention. Keith and I need a new fence. That's all there is to it. Why can't things just stay fixed? We replaced the fence not long after we moved into the house. OK, so it's been nearly twenty years, but it seems like yesterday.

Who in the world wants to spend money on a new fence? How boring! Not to mention expensive! If we're going to spend that much money, I either want to wear it, drive it, sit on it, or eat it for crying out loud. I can't wear a fence. I can't drive a fence. I can't eat a fence. And God sure won't let me sit on a fence. Been there, tried that. Humpty Dumpty bit the dust.

It's not fair. A huge part of our fence problem is coming from the neighbor directly behind us. They innocently planted a small line of trees right against the fence many years ago. Now those trees are about twelve feet tall. Inch by inch the roots have grown in under our fence and into our yard until the uneven ground has completely unearthed the fence posts. The branches that years ago were only twigs have now strengthened until they have dislodged the sturdy nails and pushed the slats right off the horizontal posts.

When the slats started falling, we had no idea what had happened. We thought maybe the old fence was rotting. We had no idea that the trees on the other side that were once nothing but little bushes had overgrown into our yard. They grew so gradually, we didn't notice until the slats of the fence were falling, one right after the other.

Our predicament certainly could be worse. Keith pitched me a magazine the other day and pointed to an article he said I must read. As I did, my eyes grew big as saucers. Another person's fence fell down too. What complicated her situation is that her property was next to a small wildlife park. Both neighbors had quite a lot of acreage, and she raised miniature horses while her neighbor raised a variety of "exotic" animals. How did she realize part of her fence was down? One day she looked up and a male lion was tearing her favorite horse to shreds for lunch. True story.

Tragically, we often don't realize part of our fence is down until Satan, the roaring lion, is devouring something precious to us right on our own property. Mind you, the devil has no right to be on our property, but all he needs for a written invitation is a weak spot in the fence.

What happened to our fence is exactly what happens in many of our lives when the enemy gains ground that does not belong to him. At some point prior to his complete intrusion into our lives, he laid groundwork. Like our neighbors' trees, this groundwork is often so subtle and seems so harmless that we give it very little notice. Inch by inch, the enemy grows something powerful right on the edge of our fence.

We begin to see a few little hints of weakness in the boundary here and there, but with our busy lives we often pay little attention. Here's the big one: we reason that, after all, nothing disastrous has happened before. Listen carefully, never assume that just because a smaller problem hasn't exploded into a bigger problem before, it's never going to. Wrong. Don't ever forget what a schemer the enemy is. He loves to supply us with a false sense of security. One day when we least expect it, we look up and the lion is in the yard and our "pet" is being torn to shreds. Oh, I pray that God will expose every bit of false security we have!

Let me give you a few examples coming from actual testimonies I've heard. A Christian churchgoing man views what he calls "light pornography." He keeps a stack of it in his bathroom. No big deal. "It's not the bad stuff." His wife doesn't like it, but he's done it since college. They've been married for years, and he has never been (physically) unfaithful. It "just hasn't caused him a problem." He's maintained his sport just fine. Then one day, the rules change. The lion is in the yard. False security. Things didn't stay the same.

A ministry bookkeeper borrows and pays back the bank account for a matter of years. No one knows. Only she does the books. She pays it back anyway. Eventually. She's gotten a little sloppy lately. She's let the books get a tad behind. She'll get caught up, though. Money has gotten tight at home. She has a few outstanding debts, but goodness knows the ministry has plenty of money. They'll never even miss it. It's not a big deal. It's gone on for years. Nothing has happened. It's not fair. Her husband left her with two teenagers and he refuses to pay child support. She just needs a little help until the courts get the whole mess straightened out. No one cares. No one knows. She'll pay it back before anyone figures it out. She's done it before. Then one day, the rules change. The lion is in the yard. False security. Things didn't stay the same.

In both examples, Satan first laid groundwork. He subtly planted something that appears small, as close to the fence line as possible. Over the course of time, the roots and branches strengthen, and the wall begins to dislodge. The lion gets in the yard, and often by the time we look up, he's devouring something precious. Relationships, integrity, the respect of our children, our finances, our security, our own self-respect, etc. And all because we didn't deal with the damage to our fence.

Lord, please show me now where fences are down in my life. Help me prevent the enemy from entering territory where he does not belong. There have been times when I've watched him destroy precious things that I never meant him to have access to. I'm in need of your mercy, restoration and healing. Please help me reclaim what Satan has destroyed, in the name of Jesus. Make me wiser, more discerning and more vigilant. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Adapted from When Godly People Do Ungodly Things, by Beth Moore, pages 175-179. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2002. Used by permission.