Out of the darkness comes the sound—
A scraping and gnawing and scurrying around.
Damage and destruction is all he makes,
He never gives but always takes.
In the shadows and corners he will hide,
A tiny field mouse that snuck inside.

And so with media as with the mouse,
Some things don’t belong in the house.
The Master Deceiver, like our four-legged pest,
Sneaks into homes as an unwelcomed guest.
He comes in through books, music, TV
He comes through the Internet so easily.

He seeks to deaden, distract, and destroy;
He will rob you of peace; he will rob you of joy.
If it’s “not that bad” then it’s not that good,
Do without, like you know you should.
If it’s sensual or graphic or violent too
Then it’s not right, and it’s not for you!

---

I HATE MICE!!!  I hate the scurry, furry little vermin with a passion.  When I bought my house one of my requirements was that it had to be mouse free.  After about a year of living here, I had just gone to bed one autumn evening when I heard it—a faint scurry in the ceiling above me.  At first I tried to dismiss it as just being the creaks and groans of an old home.  However, the scratching continued.  I couldn’t deny it; it was a mouse! 

Needless to say, all thoughts of sleep were gone now.  I lay there getting more and more frustrated.  How did it get into the house?  How many are there in the house?  I know there is a least one, and if there is one there can easily be two; and if there are two there could soon be fifty.  I was thinking about how they can sneak in through the smallest little crack or crevasse and how destructive such a small critter can be. 

Then the thought hit me—the Devil is like that too.  He looks for the smallest chink in our spiritual armor.  Once he gets a toe hold in our lives he can be so devastatingly destructive.  One of the big ways Satan is getting to us today is through the various forms of media.  Besides the staggering number of hours he gets us to waste in mindless media pursuits, he makes salacious material that was once difficult or embarrassing to obtain readily available in the comforts of our own home.  And there is no discrimination when it comes to age either—everyone is a target.  He starts out small and seemingly innocent and the next thing you know, what was once inappropriate is now normal.  Like the quote from Alexander Pope:

 Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
 As to be hated needs but to be seen;
 Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
 We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

My parents have a wonderful barn cat named Zorina.  We call her the celestial kitty because she is so sweet and smart.  However, she really thinks she should be a house cat because she is always trying to come inside.  In fact, she is smart enough to know family member’s routines.  She knows when people are going to school or work and lies in wait right outside the door.  As soon as someone opens the door to leave, she runs inside and tries to hide. 

Satan is the same way.  God warned Cain to straighten up and repent because “sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee” (Moses 5:23).  What an amazing mental image.  Satan, like the cat Zorina or a tiny field mouse, is lying at the door—not standing where he can easily be seen but crouching and waiting to sneak into our homes and lives when we purposely or inadvertently open the door, even a crack.  And he sneaks in—down around our feet where we may not even notice, not up at eye level.  Contrast this with what Christ does.  He says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).  Christ stands at the door—in full view.  He knocks to let you know he is there.  He will not come in unless invited.  And when he is invited in, the recipient enjoys a meal with Him who is Living Bread and Living Water.

I caught the unwanted guest, by the way, and disposed of him.  My home is again mouse free.  I am at peace.  Likewise, it may be time for each of us to look at our lives—and our choices—and do a little proverbial house cleaning as well.

Written: November 2014