Shutting Up Rooms
by David Cross
How amazing! God wants to live with me.
Many years ago before Ellel Ministries took on Ellel Grange it was lived in by an elderly lady who was unable to maintain the house in a weatherproof condition. As damp penetrated into different parts of the building, rooms were vacated, closed up and left to deteriorate. She eventually found herself living and receiving guests in just one or two of the many rooms that had originally been part of this grand dwelling.
Things happen in life: issues that leave us traumatised, fearful and sometimes ashamed. Instead of looking for help to restore the damage, many of us have closed up the unpleasant rooms in our life and pretended to ourselves, and to others, that what’s left is essentially all there is. The trouble is that the adverse conditions, in the parts of the house that have been shut up, tend to spread, leaving less and less space to live in and share with others, even God! This restricted living space is not what He planned for us but thankfully it’s never too late to get His help in restoring the whole house and opening up the abandoned rooms.
If we choose to inhabit all the living space which He made for us, however unpleasant some of these rooms have become, He can deal with all the trauma, fears, shame and even vermin that have accumulated. Then the house can begin to operate as it was designed to do, becoming completely filled with light, life and a wonderful divine guest!
Prayer: Father, show me where I’ve dealt with the past by shutting up rooms and pretending that the remaining space is just fine. I want to become a whole new dwelling place for You, restored and ready for life in abundance. Amen.
David Cross David is part of the Executive Leadership of Ellel Ministries, with particular responsibility for the Ellel centres in Western Europe. He is married to Denise and they have three grown up children and eight grandchildren. David has been a civil engineer and ski-touring instructor in the Highlands of Scotland. He is passionate about the teaching and practice of the healing and deliverance ministry of Jesus and has written several books: Soul Ties, Trapped by Control, God’s Covering, The Dangers of Alternative Ways to Healing(co-authored with John Berry), an A to Z Guide to the Healing Ministry, What`s Wrong with Human Rights? and, most recently, God`s Way out of Depression. You can follow a daily thought from David on Twitter: @dmcross62
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