WHO ARE YOU INVITING INSIDE
Several years ago, I was one of the thousands who read the Twilight books about the Cullen family. If you are unfamiliar with that series, the Cullen family were vampires. I wrote a post about vampires and I posted the question, “if a vampire can only enter your dwelling be an invitation, is that true of the devil also?”For years, I’ve told the devil that he is not welcome in my home or around my family. But, this week, when I read a verse in the Bible, it got me to thinking that maybe the Lord is the same way.
Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
My mind was racing when I read this verse. I kept reading over and over again the part about the Lord was standing at the door and knocking to come in. That means that the Lord does not come in without first being invited. He is knocking and calling out your name. The verse says “anyone that HEARS My voice,” so I immediately imagined my Lord and Savior standing at my door saying, “Tania, are you going to let me in?” “You have to open the door and invite me in.”
I admit that I sat there with big tears in my eyes as I imagined the Lord outside my door. How many times have I left Him there? How long does He stand there calling out my name while I am busy doing other things?
Since I read that verse, I’ve been thinking about all of the ways that I need the Lord in my life. I need Him to help me navigate my daily life. He is needed to help me with my marriage. I need Him in my finances. I want Him to be with my family. But, do I actually take the time to invite Him into every situation?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Pray continually is a verse that I’ve struggled with. How can I go through life if you are constantly praying? I have to cook, clean, grocery shop, work, etc., so how can I do those things if I am continually praying?
Once I read the Revelation verse, I started to get an understanding of how to pray continually, or at least often. If I am cooking, then I need to invite the Lord to guide my hands so that I can nourish myself and my family. If I am grocery shopping, then I might invite the Lord to go with me so that He can strengthen me when I get to the cookie aisle. When I open my computer to work, I am going to invite the Lord to give me the words that are needed to reach someone in need.
As I go through my life, I don’t want to go through it without the Lord by my side. So, I am extending the invitation for the Lord to be with me, guiding me in every aspect. Without Him, I would be lost.
Have A Blessed Day!
I really needed this today, Tanya. Thank you. ❤️
I absolute loved your wisdom today… it really touched my heart ???? Thank you!!!
What a thought provoking post! I just never thought about it like that. I believe that every time we sin, we give Satan an opening into our lives but wouldn’t the reverse be true? If we try to p,ease God and give him thanksgiving and praise. Does that not send an invitation to God to come sit with us and talk and have a chance to enjoy his companionship?
This was a great post. Your Sunday posts really speak to my heart. Thank you! Please keep writing
When I started reading this post I was thinking you were about bringing evil into the heart by reading about fictional vampires. I read those also and I read the Anne Rice Vampire series as well and I read the Lord of the Rings series and each time I felt the presence of a heavy malignant spirit. There’s no room in a Christ filled heart for evil beings alongside! I prayed with my pastor’s wife about this evil spirit and she and I agreed we should get rid of these books completely. Which I did. I have a friend from a far more heavenly warfare frame of mind who prays over amazon packages before she brings them in. I just use hand sanitizer lol. But our hearts can be open to both the Lord and to the enemy and we need to be vigilant in our thoughts and avoid evil in entertainment. Resist the devil and he will flee from you! And put on the full armor of the Lord. Amen? I guess my musings mean this — make our hearts which are fickle by nature fully open to the Lord and allow him to crowd out the evil spirits that try to gain a foothold.
Also knowing this is long but important — many of us follow Susan Street’s blog (Susan after 60) and she is on a hiatus from her blog because she has contracted COVID 19. Please pray for Susan and her beloved Mr. Mickey. Susan is also my Beautycounter consultant and we’ve traded emails over the last few months. I feel I can call her a friend. Please pray for Susan.
Great post Tania.
Thanks, Shannon. I’m glad that you enjoyed it.
What a great reminder. Our relationship is definitely two sided with God. We need to take part in it, as you said by letting Him in my life. Thanks for all the scripture you included, sharing your heart and thoughts.
I am trying to work on having a dialogue with the Lord, instead of a monologue.
Sometimes, there is a post that just hits home and this one did for me today. No matter what your faith, this applies to anyone wanting to lead a more faithful life. Thanks! Just what I needed today.
That is me too, Jeannine. I just want to lead a more faithful life.
Thank you. This is a fantastic reminder. We need to be careful what we put in our spirit too, as far as entertainment. I really appreciate these blog posts. God bless you and your family.
Agreed JoAnn. There are things that I watch for a while, and then I will stop watching because they change the format. Sometimes shows will start cussing a lot, or sometimes they get dark in the story. Then they have to go by the wayside.
Thank you for this post! A wonderful reminder! I love reading all of your daily posts!!????
I am so happy that you are enjoying the blog. Please share it with your family and friends.