Our House
Before you
read any more of this article, stop for a couple of minutes and see how
many items that you can see within the picture frame.
One of
the first things that you may notice
is the thundercloud, with lightening,
the rain, and wind. The reality is that storms will come against
us in our lives. "Then said
he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come:
but woe unto him, through whom they come!"
(Luke 17:1). People will offend us some, not meaning to do so and some
will do it on purpose. The devil will often use those who are the
closest to us to bring offense against us. Jesus also said, "These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the
world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome
the world" (John 16:33). We will experience our share of
trouble.
Jesus
describes us as being like a house on several
different occasions. Here is one example. "Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every
one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it"
(Matthew 7:24-27).
The house, as
illustrated, is also built upon the
solid rock. There is only one true foundation and that is Jesus. "For other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 3:11).
As Jesus said, any other foundation is unstable. When an individual
gives his life to Jesus as his Lord, God lays the foundation of Jesus
and the individual is to begin to build his life upon Jesus, the solid
rock.
The roof of the house as illustrated,
represents our body and physical health. The four walls are to support the roof (the body).
1.
Balance of good nutrition (unrefined foods and hydration and sunshine).
2. Balance of exercise, rest,
and sleep.
3. Environment that
inhabitable (free from excesses
of stress on the mind and body).
4. Peace (with relations God,
other
people, and self). If one or more of the walls collapses, the roof (our
health) may also be in danger of failing.
You may also note that there is a door and two
windows. The door is to keep the enemy out, but let the love of
God in.
The windows are like our eyes to let light in and allow others to see
Christ in us. "The
light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy
whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body
also is full of darkness" (Luke 11:34).
In my illustration, the
basement of the house is
built upon the foundation of Jesus. "He is like a man which built an house,
and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood
arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake
it: for it was founded upon a rock" (Luke 6:48). I can also see
that we may have a basement as being the place where we store our
memories. The stairs is our
means of recalling them to the conscious
level. What we consider to be or "bad" memories, we put into the big
black garbage can on the left and the
"good" ones we put in our treasure chest on the right. The problem is that
garbage cans stink and produce mold which can effect the whole house.
Some people spend all their time and energy trying to hold down the lid
of the garbage, but they just wear themselves out.. Others try to dump
the garbarge, but just to make a big stinky mess. After all, it is
still their garbage. Some try dumping the garbage on someone else, but
just more garbage will come back in return. Time does not make the garbage go
away,
but usually allows for things to become worse. Furthermore, to get to
the treasure
chest you must walk past the garbage can. There are other who medicate
themselves with some addition: drugs, alcohol, sex, entertainment,
work, or even ministry. What can you do???
Here is a brief outline:
1. Pray
and ask God to show
you what is in the garbage can. "Search
me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my disquieting (anxious) thoughts: And see if there be
any way of pain in me, and lead me in the way everlasting"
(Psalm
139:23-24 a literal translation).
2. Walk through forgiving those who
have offended you and put their judgment in the Father's hands and also
ask the Father forgive them for their offense toward you. "For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew
6:14).
3. Ask that
God to forgive and cleanse you of our own offenses including holding
unforgiveness toward others, yourself, and even God.
4. Ask God
to restore the ground that the enemy has taken through the experience. "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in
the paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (Psalms
23:3).
5. Then take legal authority over the powers of darkness,
then bind
them and cast them out in the name of Jesus. "And
I will give unto thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed
in heaven" (Matthew 16:19).
6. Ask the Holy Spirit
to
validate your freedom.
7. If you are not free, ask the Holy Spirit,
"What is connected to the bondage?"
8. If you are free and the wound
has
been cleansed, then ask the Lord to take away any hardness in your
heart and to give you a new tender heart. "A
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you an heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).
9. Finally,
ask the Lord how
you can bless your offenders and see God work in their lives. God can
take the garbage and make a treasure out of it. "And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose"
(Romans 8:28). You now transfer the new treasure into your
treasure chest. The way we do that is to begin to thank God
for everything that happens in our lives. "In every thing give thanks: for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (I
Thessalonians 5:18).
The balloon with the string
represents our
visions and our dreams. Without a vision we perish. "Where there is no vision, the people
perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he"
(Proverbs 29:18).
We also should make sure that the vision or dream is from the Lord.
There is a time to hold on to the string and a time to let go. Usually
God births a vision or dream in us. There is often a delay in it. This
is often followed by a self effort to fulfill it. This is then followed
by a failure to fulfill it. Next, there is a death of the vision or
dream. Finally, if we trust in God, there is a supernatural
resurrection and a supernatural fulfillment. If we don't have a vision,
we can ask. "Call unto me, and I
will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou
knowest not" (Jeremiah 33:3). God has a good plan for each
of us. "For I know the thoughts
that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of
evil, to give you an expected end" (Jeremiah 29:11).
The chimney
represents the fireplace which we don't
see. The fireplace could be a picture of comfort by the Holy Spirit. "And
I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:
but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will
not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (John 14:16-18). "But
the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John
14:26). "But
when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall
testify of me" (John 15:26).
