John came home after a hard day at work drained and grumpy; he was in no mood for small conversation from his talkative wife who spend her entire day at home doing nothing. Maybe the latter was not a fair statement since looking after two rambunctious twin boys all day can be very tiring.

He knew deep in his heart that both he and his wife had made the right decision for her to quit her job as a Teacher so that she could remain at home during the primary years of the children. He believed that when a child remains at home during the first five years of his life, instead of carting them off to the day care centers, will strengthen their stability and immune system.

These advantages far outweighed the negativity of having to work extra hours at the office just to make ends meet. As he burst through the door of his house, he was almost knocked off his feet by the crushing weight of two robust three-year-olds.

Suddenly his weariness dissolved as he hugged them, trying to absorb the warmth of their exuberant greetings. He began to laugh and pretended to fall on the floor as all three of them went into a wrestling match. This scene was typical in his house.

He glanced up at his wife who was standing in the shadows looking dejected. He sighed and got up off the floor while grabbing a twin in each arm. He went over to her, and reluctantly gave her a peck on the cheek.

After the birth of the twins, they have been growing apart. He remembered how close and in love they both were before and after the marriage. His love was so intense that he thought nothing could get between him and his soul mate. He sighed heavily once more because he knew that they both need to talk about the situation before it escalates — but not tonight because he was so tired.

Instead, he released his sons to their activity on the floor and went to the front door, locking it carefully. Two bolts and a safety chain, then he set the alarm. He could not afford to leave his home exposed to the dangers that lurked outside. There were robbers, rapists, and perverts lurking in the dark, somewhere far away from his neighborhood he hoped. The safety of his family was first.

John hurried purposely to the bathroom for a shower before dinner. Much later in the middle of the night, he was awakened by an annoying buzzing sound. It was the telephone. He grabbed it and shouted grumpily, “Hello!”

There was silence at the other end but before he could repeat his greeting, the frantic voice of his best friend, Paul, shouted, “There is death at your door! Do not open it!”

Before John could reply, Paul hung up, and the phone went dead. John’s hands were visibly shaking as he frantically dialed Paul’s number but no response, not even a dial tone.

Suddenly the safety light in the hallway went out, and the usual humming of the refrigerator in the kitchen was silent. The drumming of his heart was the only sound in the pitch dark silence of the night. He reached out to feel the pillow next to him and felt the soft curls of his wife’s hair. He breathed a sigh of relief; she was still asleep.

Then his heart almost leaped from his chest as he suddenly remembered the twins in the next room. Are they okay or did they capture the twins? Who was the ‘they’?

In his confused mind, only one thing was apparent; he must get to the twins room. So he slowly crept his way in the dark until he reached their beds. His heart slowed its rapid rhythm as he heard their breathing. He quickly scooped each of them in his arms and returned to his room. Everything that was precious to him was in his room alive and well, but there was still danger outside.

What was it? Was it a killer? A wild animal? Death was lurking behind his door, and he would be a fool to open it and possibly be shot to death. So he decided to remain in his room with his family as long as it took until help arrives.

When God refused to accept Cain’s sacrifice of the fruits of the land he became angry and the Lord said to him, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:6-7)

The above verse means that when a person refuses to do the right things, sin (Satan) lies at his door and can overpower him but he has the power to take control of it. Sin should not have dominion over you because you are not under law but grace. You need to guard the entrance of your door and do not allow sin to enter.

It is important to place Christ at the entrance of your life because He is the door and only through by Him you can be saved and have freedom. (John 10:7-9). When Christ dwells in your spiritual heart, the door to your life, He will be in control of your life and sin cannot rule over you.

The bright, warm sunlight streaming through the windows of the bedroom woke John from his deep slumber. He got up guiltily and grabbed the alarm clock – it was 10 am. Why didn’t the alarm on that stupid clock go off?

He rolled out of the bed and rushed to the bathroom. He was late for work, and his boss was intolerant with tardiness. But as he reached the door of the bathroom he stopped abruptly as the events of the night rushed in his memory.

He suddenly stopped and turned around slowly and saw his wife curled into a ball on the bed still snoring. He ran into the twin’s room, and he let out a long sigh of relief as he saw their chubby little bodies curled in a deep sleep. Suddenly he realized that the night’s event was all a dream. But the implications were startlingly clear, he was not doing a great job as the head and priest of his house.

There need to be some changes in his home, and they begin with him. To whom much is given much is expected. He realized that he must swallow his pride and have a long conversation with his wife. He must repair the breaches and restore the joy and unity in his marriage.

Today was the best day to begin and luckily for him that day happened to be Saturday. It was the day that he needed to guard the entrance of his door. Guard it against pride, fear, disunity, confusion, resentment, bitterness and all the other evil and destructive spirits of the enemy.

May God grant you wisdom and strength during this father’s day celebration to ensure that the entrance of your door is well protected.