I don’t have anything against squirrels. I think they’re fun to watch as they scurry around my yard, chasing each other, gathering nuts… you know, doing the things squirrels do.But as sweet and cute as squirrels may seem, heed this warning: "Don’t let squirrels in your house." Let me explain…
A few years ago, Caroline and I walked into our garage. Right away, we both noticed that something was wrong. The brooms and rakes that we had stored in the garage were lying on the floor, and chunks of insulation from the ceiling were all over the place.
Being the really observant person I am, I turned to Caroline and said, “Something weird is going on in our garage!” Caroline pointed to the top of the garage door and replied, “Dad, I think I see the problem.”
And yes, there was the intruder - the cute little squirrel that lived in the big tree on our front lawn had turned into a garage wrecker! This demon in a gray fur suit had knocked over things, and almost chewed through the wood around the windows of our garage door!
I moved Caroline behind me to protect her from this vicious beast. I shook my fist at the squirrel and said, “Get out of here! This garage isn't big enough for the both of us!” I’m sure I saw that squirrel bare his little razor-sharp teeth at me, so I grabbed a broom off the floor and swung it wildly.
The little grey varmint had had enough at that point and he raced out of our garage and up a tree. I followed him outside and yelled, “And don’t come back!”
As I walked back into my garage and surveyed the damage, it hit me… not a falling piece of insulation, but this thought: All of this happened because I wasn't paying attention and closed a squirrel up in my house. The mess and the damage in my garage were a result of my casual carelessness.
Paul warned the Ephesian Christians to “not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:27) And I’m thinking they probably all heard those words and nodded their heads in agreement. And a lot of those Christians were probably expecting the devil to come banging on the front door of their lives and they figured to just wave through the window and say, “Sorry, you can’t come in and get a foothold.”
But I’m thinking Satan is too smart, and too evil, to try anything so obvious. He’s going to wait until we get casual and careless about our walk with God, and then - boom, he’s in and he’s got a foothold in our life. And when Satan gets that foothold in our life, all sorts of damage gets done.
So, we can’t allow our walk with Jesus to get sloppy or casual or careless. Every day we must pray for God’s strength, wisdom and protection to guide and shield us from the attacks of the evil one. And if the situation requires it, we've got to turn and run from evil influences (2 Timothy 2:22).
Take it from me… don't let squirrels into your house. And don’t give the devil a foothold in your life.
