Build Your Fence

Fence:  1. archaic : a means of protection : defense

            2. a : a barrier intended to prevent escape or intrusion or to mark a boundary; especially :               

                  such a barrier made of posts and wire or boards

b : an immaterial barrier

Do you know you have a fence around you? No really! Well, maybe not in the literal sense, but it's there. Every day we go out in the the World, a world of Sin and Suffering and Pain. What do we have to protect us? How do we keep the harmful things from penetrating into our Core? 

Build a Fence!

Now I'm not talking about not going into the World. Jesus made it his purpose to Go into the World. I'm talking about keeping those things out that will harm us. 

A Spiritual Fence works in both ways of the definition above. 

1. To prevent escape

When I think of this my thoughts go to our urge to participate. Let's say we used to have a liquor problem. Having an intact fence can help keep Us from escaping our commitment to be sober and  indulging in that old habit.

   2. To prevent intrusion 

I think of my daily life. All the temptation that I experienced at my old job. I was constantly in people homes inspecting, giving estimates and eliminating pests.

Oh yeah, those kinds of pests. The one thing that was hard for me, and any guy, was the fact that 90% of the time I was in a house of apartment with a women. Usually married, sometimes a daughter. There really wasn't anything I could do about that, no matter how uncomfortable it was to be put in that situation. You know that old saying about "idle hands" and the devil? I had to build a fence around me to protect me from temptation. A fence that eventually I built so high that I didn't even notice when I was being flirted with. I can remember coming out of a house and a co-worker going on and on about how flirty the customer was with me. I had no clue because of my fence!

Sometimes the World batters our fence and it ends up like this:

Battered >>>>

Broken >>>>>   

Tore Down>>>  

Abused>>>>

Neglected>>

Jerusalem shows us how having a wall like the above will work out....

Nehemiah 2:17

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace."

There's only one was to keep your fence maintained and looking great. There is only one way to protect ourselves from things getting in and ending up like Jerusalem did.

Build it with Glue and Stone??

Nope. Build it with:

<<<<<<This!

Proverbs 4:23

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Colossians 3:1-2

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing(are you?).

Is your fence broken? Does it need repaired? Is it too short to keep sin out?

Build your Fence.

I'll help.