Doing Battle With T-Bone

We have this…well…problem at our office. At first it was sort of funny—but now it has became irritating.

What is it you ask?

Well, there is a dog that lives next door named T-bone. I am not sure what type of dog he is—looks like some kind of mix. Anyway—he’s got this deal where when someone who works here pulls into the parking lot he runs over and sniffs their tires—picks the one he wants—and then takes a pee.

It’s amazing—I’ve never seen a dog tee tee so much—we could have 30 cars in the parking lot and he will literally mark his spot on every one of them! This dog either has an incurable bladder problem…OR he is serious about this parking lot being his territory.

So this morning I am pulling into the parking lot and Jared, our computer guy, has just pulled in a few seconds before me. AND low and behold here came the “tee tee dog” from behind the trailers and did his deal on one of Jared’s tires.

And then I saw him spot my car…and as I pulled into the parking place he came trotting towards MY car—not his car—MY car!

All of a sudden…and I can’t explain it—I got angry & thought, “This dog is not going to whiz on my tires in front of me.” So as soon as I put my car in park I opened the door and ran towards him, screaming as loud as I could!

I don’t think he’s stopped running yet—and probably has no more pee left in him either!

What is my point in saying all of this? That dog had no right to “mark his spot” on something that does not belong to him.

And the same is true for you if you are a follower of Christ!

As Christians we need to wake up and smell the Starbucks. (Anderson desperately needs a Starbucks—can I get an amen!) We have a real enemy—the devil, satan, whatever you want to call him. And though he cannot steal your salvation—he CAN steal your joy by marking his spot on your life. (And if he does mark his spot on the life of a believer—it does stain and it does stink—just being honest.)

I had this thought as I was walking in after scaring T-bone away, “We can do the same thing to the evil one—he has no right trying to mark something that does not belong to him…and never will.”

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26-27 to not allow the devil to have a foothold. So how are you doing?

Have you let him mark his spot in your marriage? Are you bitter at your spouse…and you don’t exactly know why? Are you avoiding conversations that you know you should have and letting the bitterness build? Are you looking at other men/women and thinking that life might be better with them? This is a foothold!

How about your dating relationships? Are you allowing him to overwhelm you with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy…so much so that you are willing to date anyone at anytime…just to feel better about yourself? Are you doing things you KNOW you should not being doing with the person you are dating. Seriously—you KNOW right from wrong—don’t play stupid!

How about in your finances? Are you spending money that you do not have, buying things you do not need, to impress people that you do not like? Are you living in a HUGE house with nice cars and all the “cool” things in life—and are so deep in debt that when someone mentions tithing you simply say, “I can’t afford that?” I have discovered from personal experiences that if you are not worshipping God with your money—then you are not worshipping.

How about your thoughts about yourself? Are you allowing the enemy to fill your mind with thoughts like, “You are an accident—there is no reason for your existence—no one would miss you if you were gone…” That is pure BULL! Go to Scripture & you will see—God does not make junk. You—LISTEN—YOU were created with a passion and a purpose—the Bible says in Ephesians that you and I are God’s workmanship—translated in the Greek it says, “masterpiece!” That is who he made you to be.

As followers of Jesus Christ we do NOT need to allow the enemy to mark us…we do not belong to him—and we never will!

And if you don’t know Christ—you do not have to live a life of misery—you were designed with a purpose in mind.

When I pull in the parking lot tomorrow there is a good chance that T-bone will be back…but I took my stand against the dog with the bladder issue this morning…and from now on I will show him that he is not the boss. (Yes, this is the redneck coming out in me!)

And as a follower of Jesus—it is my prayer today that I will not allow the enemy to “mark his territory” in my thoughts, my attitude, or the way I treat other people!

We’re on the winning team—let’s live like it!