Brothers and sisters, consider the wall. There are two kinds of walls. THere is , first of all, a bearing wall. A bearing wall is a wall you cannot do without. A bearing wall is designed to bear the weight of the structure, THe wall with the window in it is a bearing wall because it holds up the weight of teh roof. But it cannot be a bearing wall unless it is inextricably fundamentally connected to the foundation. Now, if the wall that is around yrou life is not connected to teh foundation, it is not a bearing wall. If the walls around yoru life are not connected to the rock, it will not sustain the weight of yoru problems, your difficulties, yoru trials. You need to be connected to the rock. " For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid which is Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 3:11. THere is a bearing wall.

THere is also this other wall of which ephesians 2:14-18 speaks. It is the middle wall. It is the interior wall. You can move that wall. and the building will stand. NOw, the problem with the interior wall is that we create them. We make up our own middle walls. And what is the middle wall? the middle wall is there because discrimanation is there. because hatred is there.

How are you going to have yoru walls broken down? THe wall is only broken down once you acknowledge your humanity, once you realize that you are no more than anyone else. Your wall comes down when you acknowledge that there is nothing to hide and no defense mechanism can secure you.

We need a word that will be redemptive. And the word is that God never leaves us with the middle walls in our lives, because of something that we put in every middle wall. Every middle wall in our lives has one thing in it. A DOOR! It is connected to your heart. But nobody will come burstiung in . nobody will break down yoru door. the Lock is not on the outside its on the inside. And Jesus says, " Here I am! I stand at the door and knowck: Revelation 3:20

Great thread Jess . You have encouraged me today with your thread ! Nobody who serves Jesus Christ is exempt from the trials that wage war against our faith . But if we hold on tight to the word , we are also going to be victorious with him who called us ! Mike

My favorite part is your last line. I like how you said the lock of the heart is on the inside not the outside. True and interesting. I've never heard someone use that metaphor before. Very sweet sister thank you for sharing.

Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever

Matthew 17:20
He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [ that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

Amen!, how very true!

Reminds me of one of my all time favorite Hymns. On Christ the Solid Rock.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand all others is sinking sand!

Peace be with you,
Your Brother in Christ,
John.

Ephesians 2:14-22 (New International Version)



14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.





Revelation 3:19-22

"I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."