August 4

And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city was breached. — Jer 39:2 BSB

When even the smallest breach is made in a wall, it signals the beginning of the end. That breach can be widened until, where only a few could pass through before, a whole army can now enter.

Each of us lives within ‘walls’ of protection. There’s the wall of innocence that God places around every human soul. As long as it remains intact, we are safe. But once a breach is made, enemies pour in. It becomes easy for the entire wall to collapse, leaving the life exposed to all sorts of temptation. When that happens, the wild beasts of sin can enter the garden of our soul at will.

Conscience is another wall God builds around each soul. As long as we honor it, it provides an impenetrable defense. But if we allow even a small breach, it becomes easier to violate it again and again, until the whole wall crumbles. When this happens, the heart’s citadel is overrun, and all the beauty within is destroyed. The temple is ruined, the altar torn down, the fires are extinguished, and darkness fills the place where once God’s presence shone brightly. We must take care to guard the ‘walls of our life.’