Jesus, use this illustration to show me how all these courses work and how to protect those who can’t protect themselves. And, let me see how I can join You in teaching them how to protect themselves.

Jesus, my life is like my home; my house is a place where I have a certain amount of control as to who can and cannot enter. I want all of my family members to be able to come and go with few restrictions. So, I would pass out keys to all of them so they can get in.

Jesus, if one of my family members decided that a non-family member should have a key, this non-family member would be like what I did with my alcohol issues. I gave it the right to have access to my life.

Jesus, at first the non-family member (my alcohol issues) conducted themselves in such a way that they gained my trust. This was like the experiences of benefits and pleasures I received through those things that got me started down the road to alcohol struggles.

Jesus, later I discovered that important and valuable things were missing around my house. I started losing my freedom which was caused by my alcohol issues and other things. I starting realizing that my life had been invaded by people and things that weren’t a part of You and Your family. Help me identify them and let you help me get the solutions to them.

Jesus, with things being stolen, help me come up with a strategy for how to solve this probem. Help me get the people in your household together and start dealing with the problem. Let this be me going through the strategy courses and You laying out a plan for defeating my struggles with alcohol.

Jesus, let the family members in this illustration represent “right things I need to be constantly allowing to enter into my life.” Show me that You are giving me wonderful rights and privileges because I am a child of God, a member of His family, and a citizen in His Kingdom. Teach me that there are all kinds of things available to me that are much better than anything the world can give me.

Jesus, let the non-family member represents “wrong things, such as alcohol problems, I am regularly allowing to enter into my life.” Now, just like in this illustration the non-family member has a key, that means they can enter the house and do things to the family members that those locked out cannot do. Teach me the Bible so I can identify why these things are wrong so I will be willing to give them up. Teach me and empower me so I can deal with the things I allowed to come inside me.

Jesus, in this illustration the non-member (my alcohol issues) has established residency in one of the rooms of the house. That would represent “wrong things that are already in my life.” Just like the non-member and all of their possessions would have to be removed from the house AND their key would have to be taken away from them, so I need you to do the same in my life. That is what I now ask You to help me do; show me that I will need You to take me through this course so You and I can expel those things that have established residency in my life.

Jesus, in this illustration, if after being expelled and their key has been taken from them, the non-family member (my alcohol problems) start trying to get into the house through a window (outside pressures to go back to experiencing alcohol difficulties), that would represent “wrong things that are trying to get into my life that I don’t want in there.” Teach me how to not only keep my alcohol problems out, help me be able to keep all wrong, bad, and evil spiritual issues out.

Jesus, if in this illustration the house was too secure (good Spiritual Growth training) for the non-family member (my alcohol struggles) to be able to break in. If they started trying to bully one of the younger members of the family to let them use their key (Satan working on others trying to trick them into being involved in wrong, bad, and evil things), then the younger family member would need help and protection. They would need a stronger, more mature family member to help and protect them.

Jesus, if in this illustration the dad (God) intervened and stopped the non-member (wrong, bad, and evil problems) from bullying the young family member (a new or untrained Christian). That would represent “protecting others who aren’t able to protect themselves.” Teach me that this is the way spiritual growth is able to help me gain success and victory in my life and freedom from alcohol issues. And, it is Your and my way to protect others who can’t yet protect themselves.

Jesus, as I look at the above illustration, help me see that You are training me how to keep unwelcome things from getting into my life and being in my life. Train me how to allow good things to flow into my life and stay there. And, help me live the Luke 6:38 life. Teach me that God expects me to share my life of Victorious Living with other people. Luke 6:38 (NIV) Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Empower me to live this kind of life as I grow in You.

Jesus, as I allow You to help me teach others the things in these courses, empower me to be protecting them while they are learning how to protect themselves. When I spend time with a person and they share some of the things they are doing, help me listen to what they are saying. Help me get clues about wrong things they are regularly allowing to come into their life. Let this give me opportunities to help them resist these things even though they haven’t grown spiritually enough to be taking that course. Use this protection course to teach me how to do these things for my friends.