The story below is true, and the interpretation, God inspired.

“I just moved into my new house in one of the housing estates in my city. As I couldn’t afford to pay anymore rent to my landlady that year, I moved into my house without fully completing it. This isn’t really a strange practice among new landlords. I had a roof, running water, electricity and two iron doors for the front and back door. Every other thing could be fixed subsequently, including the fence. It didn’t really matter to me that I was living in a house without a fence or gates. I was still basking in the euphoria of being the latest landlord in town. I did have it at the back of my mind to contact my bricklayer to begin the work, but the time to do it never seemed right. It was a pleasant experience for the first two months.

Then came the disturbances, the unwanted guests, as well as the unruly trespassers who decided to make the front as well as my back yard their pathway. My neighbour’s kids were another matter. They would stand right at my window and play football all day, shouting at the top of their voices. My afternoon sleep eluded me. I became cranky and angry. Even stray animals were not left out, always there to add salt to my injury. I endured, praying it would get better some of the time, and angrily chasing the disturbers away at other times.
Then came a day when I realized that the distractions and disturbances ought to be the least of my worries. It must have been few minutes past midnight when I heard a loud knock, right at my window. It was my neighbour, a single mum who occupied the third house on the block. ‘What could she possibly want by this time?’ I said to myself.
‘Pastor, sorry to disturb you sir, but please, this our second neighbour’s generator is too loud. Could you come out so we can go tell him to put it off?.
‘Madam please, I cannot come out. I’m fast asleep. Goodnight ma.’ With this, I shut my window properly and went back to bed.The following morning, I contacted my bricklayer and work began in earnest. I realized that living that way was not a wise decision especially if I could do something about the situation. I had just two iron doors which I bolted at night. My windows were not up to security standard. A diligent burglar wouldn’t need to sweat it before gaining access into the house.

You see, I didn’t invite my neighbours to play football in my compound, neither did I invite the dogs and cats to mess up my entrance. Unwanted yes, yet they came anyways because my house had no fence. There was nothing to keep them out! This experience came to mind while I was preparing a message on ‘Self-control’. Proverbs 25:28 was the main text for the study.”

“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls” (KJV)

Upon hearing these words, I began to turn the above verse over and over in my heart. How does this story reflect the situation of a man lacking rule or control over his own spirit? Why did Solomon have to compare self control with walls? And when a man is like a city without walls, what is his fate?

Beloved, when a man has no rule over his spirit, like it happened to the storyteller, such a man does not need to send out invitations to dogs, trespassers or even robbers. The sight of his unguarded spirit is enough to do just that.
Self-control is a virtue, one which often acts as a shield for the believer, manifesting in different ways and at various occasions. When he is about to take that life changing decision, or say something damning. Self-control shields the believer’s soul when the tempter comes bearing rage or ungodly outburst, pride, covetousness or greed, conceit and selfishness. And like a house with walls, or should I say fence, ungodly habits are fenced out with the help of the Holy Spirit at work in the believer.

So beloved, let your walls be high. Let nothing damage the fence that is your self- control. So you don’t get to the point where you begin to ask yourself questions, “How did pride manage to become a part of my life? Why can’t I seem to keep my temper in check? Why does it seem like my mouth has a mind of its own?” And when the dogs, cats and trespassers of life come calling, may they never meet your building unguarded in any way.

Shalom,

Sinuola.