This is a photograph of the San Marino fortress. It has nothing to do with what I want to share with you today except that it helped me picture in my mind what the ancient Greek city of Sardis might have looked like. I read a story about Sardis in Having A Mary Spirit (by Joanna Weaver, chap. 5, pp.57-74) that God has used to speak a great truth to my heart. I hope it gives you pause for thought as well.
Sardis was once an imposing fortress as it stood high above a river valley in Asia Minor. It was FAR larger than the San Marino fortress in this photo. Sardis was a large, powerful, wealthy city housing prominent citizens of great influence throughout the known world of their day. For centuries this city, which was deemed one of the greatest cities in the world, was seemingly an impenetrable fortress. It's easy to imagine, as I look at the photo, how difficult it would have been for an enemy to catch the city unaware. I mean, look at the high towers and turrets that would give a panoramic view of all the avenues of approach. Then, too, the rocky crag below sure wouldn't afford an enemy much place to set up camp, would it?
In retaliation to Sardis' attack on them, the Persian army laid seige to the great citidel for more than two weeks to no avail. When it became apparent that Sardis had a plentiful supply of water and food and would not surrender, King Cyrus offered a reward to anyone who could find a source of entry into the city. One day, an alert Persian soldier observed one of the Sardinian sentries accidentally drop his helmet over the side of Sardis' massive wall. He watched as the guard came down from his post, slipped out from the base of the cliff, retrieved his gear and went back into a hidden fold in the mountain. That careless mistake by the sentry allowed the enemy to see a fault in the seemingly unbreachable wall of rock they were attempting to penetrate. Later that evening, Persian troops crept in through that same crevice and captured the unsuspecting city without a struggle. The mighty city of Sardis fell to its Persian enemies.
Most of us are just like Sardis. We have "fault lines" that run right through our souls. Weak spots that leave us vulnerable to the enemy. We may ignore them thinking they are insignificant or not noticeable to others. We may not feel a need to guard against a potential attack in that area. But, oh girlfriends, our enemy is even more alert than that Persian soldier was! The Bible says he is "like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8) The enemy can't storm the gates of our salvation, girls. We are SEALED with the Holy Spirit. So he looks for a break in our wall. He'll take what he can find. It can be the tiniest little crack. Our enemy continually searches for a weak spot that he can exploit.
What's your weak spot, girlfriend? Don't be afraid to admit it. We ALL have them. Yours is probably different than mine. I've even had to acknowledge more than one weak spot. You may too. The sad news is, Satan's not the only enemy that wants to exploit our vulnerabilities. Sin also crouches at the door, looking for fault lines, searching for a point of entry into our hearts. That's right - it's that other familiar enemy - our flesh! That's why it is so vitally important that we allow God to expose and confront the cracks in our character.
Ask God to reveal your fault line. Could it be . . .
- a prideful spirit
- a love of praise
- a touchy temper
- a willful attitude
- a fearful heart
- a jealous mind
- a dishonest disposition
- a lack of faith
- a wandering eye
- a spiritual deadness
- a love of self
Or is it something else, altogether? If you can't identify it, ask God to show you. Okay girls, hear me loud and clear. It's tough confronting our faults. But no matter what we've done or what's been done to us - no matter how deep our wounds or how damaged our spirits - we have a mighty God who is able to redeem our darkest moments and deepest fears. Our loving Heavenly Father will keep watch at our points of vulnerability. He will strengthen us when we are weak. He will use His Word to correct the lies that have led us astray. He will heal the rifts in our souls. Tune in tomorrow and we'll talk about what we can do to prevent the enemy from entering through our fault lines.
and lead me in the way everlasting.
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