The one we have is barely there compared to the neighbor's, but it works, most of the time. The thing about an electric fence is that electricity has to be going through it in order for it to be effective. Otherwise it is simply a piece of wire that can easily be pushed aside and gone under or over. It doesn't matter if it's touched or not when it is powerless.
I spent a couple of days clearing obstacles, making a pathway, running the wire and getting everything up. Hurting and exhausted from the labor, I plugged it in. Nothing. It wasn't working. I checked the outlet with a phone battery charger to make sure the juice was getting to the box. No problems with the outlet. Then I walked the perimeter. I found some spots where the bottom wire was being hit by weeds and touching something that interfered with the flow of power. I used a couple of more poles to get the wire off the areas of interference and puled weeds and vines. When I tried it again it worked, although there were still a couple more adjustments to be made with connections and placement to make the fence as effective as it can be.
The electricity was always as powerful as ever, and there was no problem with it, but even with the big things moved, some small things hindered the flow. It made me think of our lives. We are powerless without the flow of the Spirit n our lives. We can't keep anything out of our living area or protect and keep what we need to without power. Those things we want to rid ourselves of, that bring destruction and misery, just keep coming, no matter how much we try to stop them.
We come to the place where we need something outside ourselves to guard the property line, we need a power that can do what we can not. But our lives are overgrown and filled with wreckage that gets in the way of contact with that Power. The great thing is that all it takes is asking for help and surrendering, and God's grace will make a space for His power to enter the area and connect with us.
Still, we need to keep an eye on the fence line. It's easy to think that the big stuff has been taken care of and is out of the way, so we don't need to worry about the small stuff. But the truth is interference with electricity is more about what the issue is than size. There are things that will block the flow, and even a small example of such can insulate. The same is true of sin.
Sin insulates our heart from the Spirit. It blocks the flow. Where we allow it will be an area where our fence is down. Maybe nothing will get in that spot where we always had problems before, but predators in the yard are predators in the yard. Does it really matter which fence they came through? Maybe I won't hit the bottle or the dope first. Maybe I keep too close an eye on that fence line. But if I allow sin in other areas, other fence lines, death and destruction can still take over as I cut myself off from the flow of the Spirit.
The great news is that we don't have to overpower the weeds any more than we have to charge the line. If we ask God for help, if we simply give Him access to our hearts, He will show us the areas that need work. He'll even do the work Himself. We are much more like the little child kneeling next to Daddy pulling a few weeds here and there, helping, while He removes the vast majority of the problem than we are faithful and capable workers. He'll move the big stuff. He'll prevent the growth of little stuff cropping back in to block the flow. He'll be the power that protects our hearts. But we have to listen, check the flow, make sure we're making contact before the predators get to the line. If we wait and the power is down, it will be too late.
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