In reading through a bible study that I am currently doing with women in my neighborhood, there was discussion about how we can actually be inviting unwelcome guests into our homes by the environment that we create, or tolerate. The example used was one of fruit flies that aggressively multiply in such a way that it feels like an invasion. The overripe fruit has established the perfect setting for the abundance of these pests. These unwelcome guests arrived and literally changed the atmosphere.
Some of us may have experienced, or likely know someone who has walked this path of deception and allowed what appeared good to have entry into intimate places. Places that have been our sanctuary, our peace, our refuge, and that now become quite the opposite. This one door that we have opened, has opened subsequent doors that we did not intentionally open, but which are an overflow from that first door. There has now been a breach that must be dealt with immediately to get rid of the unwanted guests and make room for what we do desire. This means we must eliminate the unhealthy fruit to make way for the healthy to flourish.
Now imagine when we establish the right boundaries and a quality environment in our homes, and we carry that same tone wherever we go. We will find that others will be attracted to our goodness because we have something worth experiencing. Jesus spoke of this in the book of John when He said, “My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.”
What grows in an atmosphere of prayer, godly fellowship, healthy boundaries, and intimacy with God will cause others to experience a craving to taste and see that the Lord indeed is good!
Psalm 92:12-15 CSB The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God. They will bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, to declare: “The Lord is just; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”