Day 5 The Dung Gate (Ten Days at Ten Gates)

Read Day 5 in Ten Days at 10 Gates

I am loving this devotional so, so much.  Every day just speaks to me and challenges me, and blesses me.

Today, we pass through the Dung Gate.  Here is an article I read.

I absolutely could relate to the article in Ten Days at Ten Gates today.  Recently, we had to have a new septic system put in at our home.  For several months we had to have our septic tank pumped out each week.  During this time, I constantly felt like my house and property was “poopy.”  The kids and I often discussed how our lives could be like this.  During these months our home smelled, our yard smelled, and it was just yucky.  It was embarrassing and we didn’t want to have anyone over.  It was such a great day when the septic worker said to us, you should be able to flush freely now.  There was so much relief and comfort in knowing we could now just flush the toilet and all our refuse would be taken away from our home and safely dealt with by our new working septic system.

I love the parallels that the author makes about our physical need for getting rid of the filth in our system and the spiritual need to rid ourselves of filth as well.

Just as our bodies produce things that need to be cast away,

buried, and put out of sight (i.e. flushed),

so our souls do likewise.

Our souls produce thoughts, sights, words,
and attitudes that must be jettisoned or
they will produce great discomfort and
damage to our spiritual health.
The question here is, what damaging
things are you retaining that need to be
discarded from your life? Do you have an
unhealthy and poisonous attitude that
needs to go? You may not even realize that
you have such an attitude if you don’t take
the time to honestly investigate. Likewise,
are you harboring unforgiveness toward
someone? How about jealousy? Or its
opposite, arrogance? 

I have to admit that last line there really hit me hard.  I sometimes have a really bad attitude that leads to arrogance.  I often don’t even realize I am being arrogant.  In fact, usually, I just think I am standing on the truth.  Sometimes I find myself critiquing and analyzing things that it really isn’t my concern.  Recently in our morning Bible study we have been studying Matthew chapters 5-7.  One passages that has been coming back to me over and over is:

“Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5).

Grant Lutton goes on to say:

“On the other hand, many people are
troubled by their own thoughts and
attitudes but don’t know how to eliminate
them properly. So, they just purge their
spiritual waste on those around them. They
talk about things that are inappropriate to
share. They spew their hateful attitudes on
others and vent their poisonous words to
anyone who will listen. But, as the Master
said, it is the things that come out of a
person that defile him.
Imagine a home without a toilet, and the
occupants just … well, you get the picture.
(This reminds me of a song: Oh, give me a
home, where the buffalo roam, and I’ll show
you a house full of mud.) Truth be told, all
of us have been in such homes that are filled
with the stench of defilement. The spiritual
atmosphere reeks of harsh, selfish and
hurtful words between family members.”

This is exactly what my house was like when we had our septic system backed up.  But, I don’t want to have this be my life.  I don’t want to be so full of crap that it spills out on those around me.  I don’t want to be speaking unkind words, gossip, or slander.  I want to be a person who takes my anxious heart, my troubled soul, and my distracted mind to the Father.  I place all my unwanted refuse outside the gate, and I let it go.  Then I want to confess that I have held on to this sh** too long, and I want to wash my hands, and be clean, and leave the bathroom, I mean, prayer closet renewed and purified in Christ.

So, today, I pray that Yehovah will continue to show me the refuse that is keeping me bogged down, and will help me eliminate it from my life.  I ask that He will do a work within me, and cleanse me and purify me.  Help me Father, to let go of my arrogance and pride.  I pray also for all the children of Yehovah to allow You to purify them, and help them to keep their homes occupied with Your presence so that no evil will be allowed in.

May You do mighty things in us today, and may we praise you for the detox even if it is painful.

Amen

Written by Katie