Broken Walls

Do you ever feel a little out of control? I do. I’m not saying that I’m out of control in all areas of my life. I have plenty of self-control in most areas, but then there is that other area or two that really need some work.

In Proverbs 25:28 (NIV), God tells us “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”

Think about that for a minute... What happens when a city’s walls are broken down? It means their defenses are down and they are open to attack from the enemy. And isn’t that also true when you lack self-control? The enemy can just come right into your life and wreak havoc! Why are we letting the enemy in with our broken down walls? We need to gain self-control, and close up the crumbled walls of our lives. So how do we do that? Let’s look at Nehemiah, a man well known for rebuilding walls.

In the book of Nehemiah, Chapter 1, we see that Nehemiah had a heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah mourned when he found out about the condition of Jerusalem with its broken down walls and its scattered people. He prayed and fasted and confessed the sins of the children of Israel because they had not kept the commandments of God. You see, not only did the broken walls of Jerusalem leave the Israelites open to their enemy, but in that day, the condition of the city walls also indicated the strength of the people’s god. This means that the broken walls of Jerusalem reflected badly on God.

So let me ask you… Do you have broken walls that are reflecting badly on God? Perhaps we should follow the example from Nehemiah 1:5-11. Nehemiah prayed a prayer of confession and repentance. He also asked God that he would succeed in his plan to speak to the king about repairing Jerusalem’s walls. He knew that it would take God’s intervention, and it’s no different for us. We can’t repair our broken walls on our own, so why do we try? We’ve got to get to a point where we will lean on God and trust Him to help us do those things that we aren’t able to do on our own. When you are tempted to lose control, stop and ask God to help you to succeed. He will help you rebuild your broken walls into a strong fortress. God wants us to succeed and bring Him glory. Let’s stop trying to mend our broken walls on our own, and ask God for His help. Then give all the glory to God as your friends and family notice the strength you have through your new level of self-control.

Dear Heavenly Father,
You are a great and awesome God, and I thank You for Your mercy and grace towards me. Father, I confess that I have sinned by failing to have self-control, and my actions have reflected badly on You. I ask that You would help me to gain self-control. Lord, I need Your strength. My life is a reflection of You, and I want to glorify You through it. Thank You for working in me and making me more like Jesus. It’s in His precious name that I pray. Amen.