Padlocks are great for securing what we want protected. We can put them on our bicycles, storage buildings, and even our boats.
If we want to keep our yard secure, there’s our gate. Add a padlock, and no one comes inside.
Our home has built-in locks, one on every door. Our car? Power locks that can seal us in – and others out – at the push of a button.
We feel safer with locks. We are safer with locks. Without the combination or key, malefactors can’t get inside, and we’re protected. Our possessions are secure from the rifling hands of potential thieves. Our loved ones can rest in peace, knowing the bad man can’t get at them.
We must have the same attitude spiritually. We must be reminded of 1 Peter 5:8:
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
How does the devil devour us? We see an example in 1 John 3:4:
“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”
James 4:7 reveals the key we can turn in the lock to keep the devil at bay:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
We must be ever vigilant, for the devil will try to bypass our locks. 2 Corinthians 11:14 reveals how he slips in unawares:
“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
1 John 5:18 lets us know how we can tell our locks are secure:
“We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”
We want the devil locked out of our lives, out of our children’s lives, and out of our business dealings. We want the devil locked out of our churches and our friendships. We want God to be number one and for there to be no other that is invited into our hearts.
When we’re totally submitted to God, the devil has no way to get into our hearts.
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