How safe is your car?

Source:http://www.catalogauto.com

I get a little careless when it comes to keeping cars secure. I see no reason why I have to lock it up if I’m just dashing into a shop for a few minutes. Sometimes I’m on alert in traffic and make sure I’m locked in, because I’ve had some near robbery experiences in Lekki traffic. I also try to remember to lock up when I park in less secure places like markets and parts of town susceptible to crime. 

But I get carefree in places that seem well guarded. Like when visiting friends in secure estates. I see no reason to lock up. But I’ve had friends whose cars have been entered and robbed in the safest of places because of their carelessness… it hasn’t happened to me, and I don’t intend to let that happen, so I make a conscious effort. You can’t imagine how annoying It is when i drive into a house with mobile police men and all sorts of security and I find myself locking up or even the fact that i have to go through the stress of locking up when i get home… it amuses me, it’s almost comical. But then, you never know who’s in the compound, you never know who’s in the mood to steal, who'll see your carefree attitude as his lucky break.

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Proverbs 4:23

source:http://www.whmg.tv

We need to show more enthusiasm in locking our hearts than i do when it comes to locking cars. Most of us are careful, we know when to bolt the heart up.  We know the company to be weary of, we know the movies and the books and the magazines to avoid. We know just how to keep it safe at the right time. We know if we’re driving to that area of town that's known to be notorious, we should be ready to lock up and be extra cautious. We know if Jane's coming over, we should guard our heart against whatever negative influence she may have on us.

But we let our guards down when we come into the secure homes, those with high fences and well guarded with armed policemen.

We let our guards down in church. 

We don’t see the need to be weary in the midst of fellow Christians. But I’ve learned that like cars, even in the most secure places, we have to lock up. Because you never know…  You can imagine the joy a thief feels when he strolls around one of those places, an innocent stroll, and just his luck, he sees a car that hasn't been locked... an open invitation to take what he can.  "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8  He may just stroll into church and peep into our hearts, looking for one that isn't well guarded, and the first chance he gets to break in, he takes it.

Its easy to think there’s no need to lock up in church, but that’s where we need to guard ourselves most. We have all sorts of doctrines floating around, we shouldn't just swallow them because it comes from our pastors, we should be able to study for ourselves to avoid falling prey. That's why you hear stories of pastors impregnating congregation members(and the unbelievable stories of how they were seduced), or Ushers playing on girls in church... or girls meeting seemingly born again boys in church and getting pregnant and dumped in the end. We have christian friends, who see no big deal in doing certain things our hearts cry out against, it's easy to be influenced, because we think "after all Sam is in the choir, there's no way what he's doing is wrong. Maybe i take being a christian too setious". Now that's the voice of a heart that has been broken into.

There's so much going on in the church, my friend once said, that church is a collection of some of the 'baddest' people around. Everyone knows there's a need for right living, and so they come in to empty out the previous weeks filth on Sunday, before filling up on more during the week, very few come in for true redemption. Don't get carried away with the facade of church many are dressed in.

One of the best security system for the heart is Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Knowing the word for yourself saves you a lot of trouble in church and when you're in the midst of Christians. You don't get burgled easily because your defense is so strong in the word, no falseness can press through. 

I pray Gods word will be a lamp to our feet and a light to lead us in our path(psalm 119:105)... That we will have the grace to study it, and allow it to lead us in the path of righteousness, and save us from having to deal with poorly secured hearts.

"Every word of God proves true.
He is a shield to all who come to him for protection." Proverbs 30:5