I am so thankful for that door

Posted on Jun 11, 2016 in Faith Focus |

For those of you who don’t know, I work in a prison. This means there is not a day that I head off to work without considering that I might be attacked by an inmate.

I have been considering this possibility for almost eighteen years and with good reason. It has happened to others and violence is not uncommon in prison settings. As you might expect, some prisoners are quite large and have a long standing reputation for being dangerous. They think nothing of hurting people, including themselves and are not hesitant to use their words to let you know it. When I encounter a man like this, I often find myself giving thanks for the cell door that stands between us. Some men have been so angry that they have kicked, punched, and shook their cell door so violently and for so long that I have asked myself, “Is that door going to hold and what will I do if it doesn’t?” Those who are in greater danger are our prison guards because they must escort such men throughout the institution. The good news is that the officers are well trained and have various procedures and means of restraint that can be used to decrease the likelihood that they will be harmed by an inmate. They also have another thing on their side – numbers. Procedures dictate that during escorts, several officers will be present and in defensible positions. Even for some of the biggest and burliest officers, it would be unwise to escort some of our inmates on their own.

For you, you may not face the threat of physical attack every day, but you may be up against forces that thus far have shown themselves to be much more powerful than you. Perhaps you are up against emotional forces like anxiety or depression or even anger. Perhaps you face the force of lust or greed, negative thoughts about yourself, or a desire to gamble with money that you don’t have. Maybe you routinely find yourself succumbing to bitterness or resentment or you feel enslaved by your past. Maybe you are consumed each day by worry and you walk through your days with the hundred-pound weight of what could happen strapped around your waist. For some of you, maybe you feel like you are in a spiritual battle, where Satan seems to be devouring you like a roaring lion. As you read this, maybe you are thinking, “But Rob, these certainly don’t compare with the danger of physical attack, do they?” No? For some of these things that I have mentioned, they can be life threatening and for others, they can be life-ruining? That’s pretty dangerous.

My dear brother or sister, I want you to remember something. You are His. You are a child of the living God and you do not have to rely on yourself to deal with the battles of life. The Apostle Paul was often up against great opposition, whether it was from physical danger, the “thorn in his side”, or adversity from other people. In one such instance (2 Corinthians 10) he was facing adversity from within the church at Corinth and he had to address it. Sometimes it seems we feel the most hopeless when we are opposed by someone who seemingly has it in for us and Paul certainly was facing such people. As you read the account, what you don’t hear is Paul putting his hope on some carefully crafted arguments that he is ready to unload on those who oppose him. You also don’t learn that Paul was rallying people around him who were going to “have his back” when he confronted those who were against him. No, Paul was very clear where as to what “weapons” he was going to use:

“3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

 

What were Paul’s weapons? They were “mighty in God”. What are your weapons? They are mighty in God. What could Paul do with God’s power? He could pull down strongholds, cast down arguments and every high things that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” What can you do with God’s power? You can pull down strongholds, cast down arguments and every high things that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. So those anxious thoughts? Take them captive with God’s help. Those depressing ruminations? Take them captive with God’s help. That lust that plagues you? Take it captive with God’s help. The bitterness and resentment? Take them captive with God’s help.

In the work of corrections, we have taken men into custody who are sometimes dangerous. We would be ill-advised to let them run around the institution hurting others. We, as believers in Christ, are told that with God’s help we are to take what is warring within us and around us into captivity because we are often engaged in spiritual warfare and even if it does not appear to be a spiritual war, we still need the Holy Spirit’s help. We would be ill-advised to let the things which threaten to harm us roam free.

May I suggest that we prayerfully ask God to put a big sturdy door between us and our troubles? Do you have a stronghold you need to break down? Why don’t you use the mighty weapons of God? The numbers are on your side.

 

For the glory of Jesus Christ,

Rob

June 11, 2106

Leave a Reply