In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.
Mark 3:27
I don’t know about you, but the word plunder sounds kind of old fashion to me. It makes me think of Pirates of the Caribbean and how they steal from the unsuspecting, the rich, from one another.
Plundering is different than stealing. Stealing is where thieves take only selected things. Plundering is more random, grabbing anything that’s available.
A modern-day example of plundering would be the outbreak of “Smash and Grab”[1] incidents that’s hit all kind of stores nationwide. Gangs, using social media and texting, organize themselves, and all show up at the same time. They aren’t gangs in the traditional sense of the word. These digital gangs form just for a single hit, and then go their separate ways.
Armed with weapons and heavy tools, they arrive at the stores at the same time, coming from all different directions. They go in, breaking windows and displays, grabbing whatever they can, running away with thousands in merchandise.
Another example of 21st century plundering are all the scams and schemes used to steal from credit cards and bank accounts. According to the FBI’s latest report, there were 791,790 complaints of suspected internet crime totaling more than $4.2 billion in 2020[2].
Jesus gives some very good advice about preventing plundering of our lives.
· Tie Up –The strong must be neutralized so they can’t fight back. Once tied up, the future is open.
· Strength is Not Everything – Don’t overestimate you own strength to resist, and don’t underestimate their power or determination to break in.
· Once Inside – The big idea is to get inside. And once inside, everything they own and hold dear is available to be taken.
· No Such Thing as Totally Safe – No matter how strong, how well prepared, anyone can fall to thieves. We must be humbly prepared, knowing that we can’t do it all on our own.
Once your house has been broken into, life seems like it’s never the same. You put lots and lots of locks on doors and windows. Metal security bars are installed over windows and doors. You check, recheck, and recheck again the locks to your house when leaving. You’re always looking over your shoulder. You never can truly relax in new places, in new circumstances.
We have some very dear friends whose bank accounts were plundered by internet thieves, taking every last dollar they had. To say that it has wreaked havoc on their lives is a great understatement. And even though I already had strong passwords and other digital protections in place, I went through and created really, really strong passwords for everything in addition to adding some other high-end technical protections.
If I had to guess, I’d bet that you use locks on all your doors and windows in your house or apartment. Locking only some of them really doesn’t help. When you lock the doors on your car, they all lock together. For any locks to work, they all have to be used.
And just like our physical lives and houses, our spiritual lives and houses need to be strong and protected. How much time, energy, and money do you put into being a strong person when it comes to what you believe? Do you at least ask a question about ideas and beliefs that come into your lives over the radio? Television? Phones?
I am totally blown away at how so many people are getting their “information” about God, truth, what’s right or wrong, from anyone and from anywhere. Just because someone wins a sporting event, has a best-selling song, book, or movie, or has a large internet following, instantly becomes a trusted source for all spiritual truth and insight.
You wouldn’t trust just anyone to operate on your loved one. You wouldn’t trust just anyone with protecting and investing your life’s savings. You wouldn’t trust just anyone to look after your children.
So, be careful, be diligent, be watchful when it comes to who you listen to. What you listen to. If you don’t, you might just wind up getting tied up, and having your house plundered.
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