Tag: prayer

I was reading this morning on the way to work, and I felt compelled to share today’s devotional.  It comes from Dennis & Barbara Rainey:

“Do not let any iniquity have dominion over me” Psalm 119:133

“The dutch boast that God made the word, but the Dutch made Holland. That’s because nearly half of Holland’s land area was reclaimed from the sea and other natural waterways.

We witnessed this feat firsthand several years ago when we visited Amsterdam.  We toured the famous network of dikes and levees that keep the land separated from the ocean.  We also learned that, even with the most well-constructed protection, water inevitable seeps back through the dikes, requiring the use of pumps and canals to divert it back out.  If the encroaching water were ever allowed to stay – even at this slow, nearly unnoticed pace – Holland would eventually sink and be submerged.

This is much more than a lesson in geography or engineering.  We, too, are constantly bombarded by troubles and temptation, many of which find ways of seeping into our lives:  Little sins we fail to consider as dangerous…waves of doubt that make us question God’s goodness..undercurrents of discontentment that echo in our minds and whisper in our ears.

That’s why we need barriers in place to protect us from inundation by the relentless tide of unbelief and moral compromise.  Things like daily Bible reading, ongoing prayer, regular points of accountability, and written-out goals and value statements.

And we need built-in systems that pump out murky water that seeps in despite our best efforts at resistance.  We need hearts that are quick both to repent and to forgive, marriages where communication is open and honest, and weekly worship where we are cleansed by the purity of God’s presence. 

Everyone takes on water from time to time.  Be sure to keep it bailed out, or you’ll soon find yourself sinking and submerged.”

This analogy really hit home for me today.  I’m on day 9 of a cleanse.  Every time I do a cleanse it gives me time to reflect.  I know that work and wine are my water, and tend to sneak through my spiritual guard.  To protect my spirit, I haven’t had a drink in 9 days and I’m delegating some responsibility so that 12-16 hour days are the exception and not the norm.  

What’s your water?