One day a man decided to invite the Lord to come home and
stay with him. When the Lord arrived, this young man offered him the very
best room in the house. The room was upstairs and at the end of the hall.
"This room is yours, Jesus! Stay as long as you like and you can
do whatever you want to in this room, remember Jesus, it’s all
yours."
That evening after he had retired for the night there came a
loud knocking at the front door. The young man pulled on his robe and made his
way downstairs. When he opened the door he found that the devil had sent
three of his demons to attack the man. He quickly tried to close the door but one of the demons kept
sticking his foot in.
Sometime later, after a great struggle, he managed to slam
the door shut and returned to his room totally exhausted.
Can
you believe that," the man thought. Jesus
is upstairs in my very best room sleeping while I am down here battling
demons. Oh, well, maybe he just didn't hear. He slept fitfully that
night. The next day things went along as normal and, being tired as he
was, the young man retired early that evening.
Along about midnight, there came such a terrible ruckus at
the front door that the young man was sure that whatever it was would tear
the door down. He stumbled down the stairs once again and opened the door
to find that were dozens of demons now trying to get into his beautiful
home.
For more than three hours he fought and struggled against
the demons from hell, and finally overtook them enough to shut the door
against their attack. All energy seemed to fail him. He really didn't
understand this at all. Why
won't the Lord come to my rescue? Why does he allow me to fight all by
myself? I feel so alone. Troubled, he found his way to the sofa
and fell into a restless sleep.
The next morning he decided to inquire of the Lord about the
happenings of the last two evenings. Quietly he made his way to the
elegant bedroom where he had left Jesus. "Jesus," he
called as he tapped at the door. "Lord,
I don't understand what is happening. For the last two nights I have had to
fight the demons away from my door while you laid up here sleeping. Don't
you care about me? Did I not give you the very best room in the
house?"
He
could see the tears building in Jesus' eyes but continued on, "I just
don't understand, I really thought that once I invited you in to live with me
that you would take care of me and I gave you the best room in my
house and everything. What more can I do?"
"My precious child," Jesus spoke so softly.
"I do love and care for you. I
protect all that you have released into my care. But, when you invited me
to come here and stay, you brought me to this lovely room and you shut the
door to the rest of your house. I am Lord of this room but I am not Master
of this house. I have protected
this room and no demon may enter here."
"Oh, Lord, please forgive me. Take all of my house --
it is yours. I am so sorry that I never offered you all to begin with. I want
you to have control of everything." With this he flung open the
bedroom door and knelt at Jesus' feet. "Please forgive me Lord for being
so selfish."
Jesus smiled and told him that He had
already forgiven him and that He would take care of things from now on.
That night as the young man prepared for bed he thought, I wonder if those
demons will return, I am so tired of fighting them each and every night.
But, he knew that Jesus said that he would take care of things from now
on.
Along about midnight the banging on the door was
frightening. The young man slipped out of his room in time to see Jesus
going down the stairs. He watched in awe
as Jesus swung open the door, no need to be afraid.
Satan stood at the door, this time
demanding to be let in. "What do you want, Satan?" the Lord
asked. The devil bowed low in the presence of the Lord, "So sorry, I
seem to have gotten the wrong address." And with that, he and the
demons all ran away.
There is a moral to this tale.
Jesus wants all of you, not just a part.
He will take all that you give Him, but nothing more.
How much of your heart have you given to the Lord?
Any portion of it you might be keeping away from Him?
Perhaps the attacks are coming more and more each day.
Why
not let the Lord fight the battles for you?
He is always victorious.
I have found that God made man simple;
all of man's complexities are of his own devising.
-- Author Unknown
