OPEN DOORS

The story of the Trojan Horse is a well-known Greek myth. It is told that the Greek army infiltrated the Trojan city of Troy, after a fruitless siege of ten years. They manufactured a wooden horse, which they left as a pretentious offering to the goddess Athena, outside the gates of the city.

The Trojans opened the city gates allowing the wooden horse to be brought into the city. Unknown to the Trojans, the Greeks hid elite soldiers in the belly of the wooden horse. While the city slept that night the hidden soldiers disembarked and was led loose upon the city. The citizens were killed, because the enemy used deception and infiltration against the city of Troy.

The enemy of our soul still uses the same strategy to morally destroy the nations of the world.

1. The state of our nation

What happened and what is happening to our nation? I pose this question to you the reader as a concerned South African.

Macro/micro-trends need to be analyzed before conclusions can be made. The root sources of crime, moral decay and our socio-economic declining conditions must be identified. We need introspect and self-examination. The difficult questions must be asked. We need to be transparent about our condition. Above all else we need to dare to judge ourselves.

Homicide, domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts, intergang violence over turf or control, rape and organized crime, just to mention a few, are reaping havoc on our society. Our murder rate was up by 11.5% in the first quarter of 2022 as per a Mail & Guardian article dated 19 August 2022. A crime scene site has become a to familiar sight in our nation.

Discussions must be engaged into. This must be done in all honesty or else we deceive ourselves. Critical thinking and open dialogue must take place. Ultimately we need to turn back to Jesus Christ who is the root answer for all root problems which has infiltrated our society.

2. Opened gates

The issue is that since 1994 doors giving access to the soul of our nation were opened and closed. Certain political doors were closed, and thank God for that, but with the closing of those doors other spiritual doors were opened. These doors should have remained shut, but to our own detriment, it opened a floodgate allowing spiritual powers to spin their chain webs to bind and capture our nation.

Our main text which I will use over the next few articles will be taken from Proverbs 4 vs 23 which says “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Our heart is like a spiritual gate which needs guarding. The same with our nation, which need spiritual gatekeepers. Gates and doors are access and exit points. Whatever we allow in will influence the heart and our nation. This topic can be unpacked in all its complexities and this is why I wish to start the conversation.

3. Guarding our hearts

Our text is an instruction to guard. What specifically must be guarded? Our hearts are the answer to the question. Let’s consider the meaning of the word guard. It can be understood as setting a watchman over our hearts. In modern terms it would be to have a security guard watch something precious. Checking who comes in and what goes out.

The purpose of this guard is to protect the owner from danger and harm. This type of guarding brings a certain sense of peace and safety. It cultivates an environment for progress, health, stability and growth. The individual feels protected and it is with this sense of security that the person can thrive in reaching their full potential in Jesus Christ.

Having an active guard means being able to say “no”. Saying “no” to self or someone else has become a dilemma within our society. In a lawless society saying “no” is a huge problem. This is my first encouragement to you the reader. Do not fear saying “no”, irrespective of the consequence. Anything we allow into our soul that could cause harm must be resisted.

Your spiritual progress depends directly upon what you say “yes” and “no” to. Ask God to give you the wisdom to be able to discern. That’s all I have for you today! God Bless.

Feel free to leave a comment below and I will respond as soon as possible.

Regards

R v Staden