Are You Well Trained?

A few months ago, I was working around our farm and opened a gate near the barn so I could drive into the pasture. I closed the gate behind me and went to work in the pasture. When I came out I opened the gate and drove out. I was in and out through that open gate a few more times and then needed to run an errand. You guessed it! I left the gate open and returned a few hours later to find the gate wide open. I first checked the barnyard for signs the cows had ventured out of the pasture (this means looking for cow pies in the barnyard). When I was convinced the cows were still in the pasture I closed the gate and finished my work. This time I dodged a close one thanks to some well-trained cows. Our cows are so used to this gate being closed that even when we have it open and they are near it, they don't even notice its open. Now if a tree falls across the fence, all bets are off. They will gradually migrate over the downed fence and explore new territories, including neighboring housing developments. Maybe those cows are not as well trained as I thought.

This experience came to mind this morning as I fed our cows and I opened this gate. As I was preparing for my day and remembering this open gate, I thought about how well trained you have to be in your spiritual life. Often times it is not the overly obvious temptations in life that get us into trouble. We usually do not have a problem avoiding the big open gates toward temptation. We are generally well trained enough to avoid the big glaring temptations to sin. We will avoid things we should not see or avoid places that would go against our faith. But like the cow that is grazing next to a downed fence, we find ourselves stepping over the less noticeable barriers to temptations. We find ourselves exploring areas that have been off limits to us, only to find out we should not have been there in the first place.

If my cows were really as well trained as I wish they were, then I would not have to worry about open gates or downed fences. If they were really that well-trained I would not need a fence at all! But just like livestock need a fence, we need barriers in our spiritual life to keep us in check. God's Word, the Bible, is full of plenty of fences that protect us from ourselves. When we learn to live within the boundaries of what is acceptable to God, we will not find ourselves limited and missing out on the "fun" stuff of this world. Exactly the opposite occurs, we find freedom. We find freedom from sin when we train ourselves to live inside of the barriers God gives us in His Word.

Today, ask yourself the question posed as the title of today's post, "Are you well trained?" Are you well trained spiritually or do you still wander through the open gates of temptation? If you find yourself struggling to live inside the boundaries God has given you in His Word, then make a fresh commitment today to do so. You'll find freedom like you have never experienced before and you'll find it inside the boundaries.


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