June 6, 2013
When the Thief Uses Your Key
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin, (Psalm 32:3 NIV).
Friend to Friend
When I was a teenager, my high school was just a few miles from my home. My lunch break was a mere 35 minutes, but I enjoyed driving home and taking a respite from the hustle and bustle of the crowded hallways.
Rocky Mount, North Carolina, was a sleepy little town with a railroad track that ran down the middle of downtown, dividing it into two counties. There was a fledgling minor league baseball team that ranked in Sports Illustrated as the worst housing conditions in the league, and a Hardee’s fast-food restaurant on every corner, reminding us that the corporate office for the chain was just down the street. We slept with our windows open, left home with our doors unlocked, and as children we rode our bicycles all over town without a hint of reservation.
But times changed in the late sixties and early seventies. We began to keep our windows closed at night and our doors locked even during the day. Kids stayed much closer to home. At our house, we kept an extra key in the mailbox just inside the doorless garage. The only people who knew it was there were our family and the mailman…or so we thought.
During my high school years when I went home for lunch at 12:10 every day, I simply retrieved the key from the mailbox and then placed it back until I came home again at 3:15.
One day I came home after school at the usual time, used the hidden key, and let myself in. Before grabbing a snack, I made a beeline to the television to turn on my favorite program. When I opened the door, I realized the TV was missing.
I didn’t know anything was wrong with the TV,I thought. Mom must have taken it into the shop for repairs.
I called Mom at her craft store.
“Hello, Bee N’ Beetle. May I help you?”
“Hey, Mom. This is Sharon. Did you take the TV in for repair?”
“No, I didn’t. Why?”
“Well, because it isn’t here.”
“What do you mean, it isn’t there?”
“It’s not here. The cabinet is empty.”
“Is anything else missing?” she asked with a hint of fear in her voice.
“I don’t know. Let me check.”
I didn’t have to look far to see that a few other items were gone. When I came back to the phone to report, my mother said, “Sharon, quick! Get out of there!”
When the police came, we discovered that someone had indeed broken into our house and taken many things. And how did he get in? Why, he used the hidden key!
Apparently, someone had been watching me. He knew I came home at 12:10 and left again at 12:45. He also knew I came home from school around 3:15. So one day between 12:45 and 3:15, he simply took the key from the mailbox, let himself in, and helped himself to our belongings. Then, when he had what he wanted, the thief locked the door behind him and put the key back in the mailbox for “safe keeping.”
That’s exactly what Satan does in our lives. He watches us and knows exactly where that hidden key to our secret places lies. Then, at the most opportune time, he unlocks the door to steal our peace and joy. The Bible tells us that Satan is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Sometimes the hidden parts of our hearts, the ones that we have not given to God, are where Satan wants to sink his teeth. As long as we have that key hidden, Satan can get to it.
There’s only one solution. Don’t hide the key. Give the key to every compartment of your heart to God.
Is God prompting you to give Him the key to a hidden room in your heart today?
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, I give You the key to my heart—my whole heart. I give You the key to every secret closet, every hidden room, every messy nook and cranny of my life. No longer will I keep those keys to myself but hand them over to You totally and completely to do with what You will. In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read Psalm 32:1-11.
Is there any area of your heart that you have not given to God? A relationship? A past sin that you’re clinging to? A present insecurity? A future worry?
If so, I suggest you hand it over. One of the best ways to do that is to tell someone what you’ve been hanging onto and commit to let it go. (James 5:16a)
If you’re willing to give God the key to every part of your heart, click over to my blog page and leave a comment that says, “I’m handing the key over to God.”
More from the Girlfriends
Do you love a good story? I do! Stories tug at the heart and open the eyes to the truths of Scripture in a way only God can do. I have complied 100 of my favorite stories and devotions into one book titled, Listening to God Day-by-Day. It is the perfect book for a quick pick-me-up before you start your busy day or a sweet dreams closure before you turn off the bedside lamp at night. And here’s some good news, this book is specially priced for the month of June. Get one for yourself, and we’ll include another free for you to share. It won’t show up on your receipt, but we’ll make sure it is included in your package.
And if you’d like to learn more about how to give every part of your heart to God, check out my book, Becoming Spiritually Beautiful. In it you’ll learn how to live fully and free!
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