It was day 3 of what was turning out to be a hectic week. Objectives had to be met on time with the highest standard of quality expected. My computer and I have been in overdrive the past couple of days and thankfully progress was steady enough to be able to finish everything on time. On that fateful hour on the 3rd day, a message notification appeared on my computer. It was a notice that my internet firewall has been temporarily turned off due to some updates either on my machine or on the firewall itself; I was just too busy to notice. For non-tech savvy readers, a firewall is a system (or group of systems) that protects your network from viruses or malware lingering in the internet. It acts as a filter to keep your systems safe. Because I was so dead-set on getting my work finished on time, I ignored the notification and kept on working. After some time I noticed that my computer’s performance started to fail drastically. First it would constantly freeze then eventually it just completely shut down. My ignoring of the notification and continued work without the firewall left me vulnerable to a cyber attack that completely crippled my device and set me back on the progress I was able to make. All the progress that was made so far was just thrown out of the window adding to an already stressful couple of days.
And in the same sense, by ignoring our “firewall” as Christians can lead to a total shutdown of our spiritual lives. In the ‘busy-ness’ of life, ignoring to put up our filters leaves us vulnerable to attacks from the enemy that can eventually cripple our walk with Christ. Philippians 4:6-8 gives us a blueprint of what the foundations of our filters should be. Here are a few questions that will help us be on track in constantly having that firewall up.
1.) Is your firewall even turned on? – (Philippians 4:7) It is my hope that your answer here is a resounding “Yes”. Day in and day out we are bombarded with so much content. The digital age in particular has and is continuing to blur the lines between sin and righteousness. Some would even be so bold to place sin on a pedestal under the guide of TRENDS, SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGES and worse- PROGRESSIVE THINKING. Being centered on Christ shines a light that goes through this smokescreen that the enemy has put in place. Paul put it so eloquently that it is THE PEACE OF GOD THAT WILL CONTINUALLY GUARD OUR HEARTS AND MINDS. And we have the assurance that this peace will always be with us IF we choose to have Christ as our filter.
2.) Are you constantly updating your firewall? – (Philippians 4:6) The journey as Christ’s disciples does not end when we accept Him. But in every waking moment we continue to strengthen our relationship with Him. We nourish it through God’s Word and through prayer. The misconception is that once our firewall is on, that is the end of it. But it is a continuous process of improving and strengthening your systems from any new viruses or attacks that have been developed. In the same sense, our faith in Christ is a developed lifestyle. We cling to God for his continued guidance and strength as we trek through life.
3.) What are your firewall settings? – (Philippians 4:8-9) Are your firewall settings fully committed to God’s word? The operative word being “FULLY”. A reality check is that SELECTIVE obedience is dangerous. Being selective for God’s word to fit a lifestyle builds complacency and encourages compromise. Remember what happened to Solomon when he compromised? Instead, ALLOW God’s word to be THE FOUNDATION of your lifestyle. Set up your filters in a way we reflect what we receive and learn from The Lord. The more we PRACTICE what we receive from God, the more it becomes PERMANENT in our lives. Always let Jesus be your filter.
At the end of the day the decision is up to us. And I always pray that each day we constantly make a firm decision to let God be the filter of our lives. That we leave no room for sin to come in and set us back on the progress that we have made in our walk with The Lord.
