The Front Porch
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV)
Back in the day, the front porch was the social media platform. Families would sit on their porches in the evening, reading, listening to the radio, talking with their neighbors, and watching their kids play in the front yard.
Even in my childhood the front porch was a special place. I remember sitting on our front porch watching thunderstorms roll in. We used to play board games on the front porch when it was raining, and we weren’t allowed to go outside to play. I even remember sleeping on the front porch when it got really hot and muggy, which was almost every single day during the summer.
The porch we were looking at that day, at first glance, looked exactly like you would expect it to look. It spanned the entire width of the front of the farmhouse. There was nothing, at first glance, that appeared to be out of place. After more careful observation, we noticed what looked like the remains of a small bonfire on the far end of the porch. It was almost as if someone had built a fire to keep warm, except there was no need for a warming fire in the middle of an extremely hot Midwestern summer.
And then there was the ladder. It wasn’t your normal, everyday ladder that you would buy from the local hardware store. It wasn’t even one of those extension ladders that you often see around construction sites. This was a crude, homemade ladder. It appeared to be made from two-by-fours and two-by-sixes. It was lying up against the side of the house and the top of the ladder extended a good three to five feet above the peak of the roof. There was no obvious reason to have a ladder at the farmhouse, and there was seemingly no reason for a ladder of that height.
After observing all that we could from our hiding place in the woods, and feeling confident that it was safe, we decided to get a closer look at the farmhouse and the yard. As we approached the porch, we decided that the house must be being used by local teenagers as a place to gather without being disturbed. Preparing to step onto the porch we heard a muffled, rustling sound on the side of the house where we had moments before seen the ladder.
Quickly running around the corner of the house we stopped in shock at what we saw. More accurately, we were shocked at what we did not see. What we saw was absolutely nothing! No people. No animals. No ladder! In less than five minutes this out-of-place, thirty-foot ladder had vanished. Craig and I were in a state of shock and astonishment. That lasted only mere moments, as out of nowhere, and yet seemingly everywhere, that same eerie and ominous voice spoke, “We told you to stay away”.
Once again, Craig and I wasted no time in running as fast as we possibly could back to the covering of the woods. This time Craig was not so gracious, and he was a good ten yards ahead of me. We believed that the woods brought us a sense of protection and safety. Once we both reached the covering of the woods we stopped and looked around to make sure that we were not being chased or followed. We returned to the edge of the woods to try and get a glance at who the voice belonged to. Our gaze was drawn to the second story window that was facing us. It was there, for the first time, that we caught a glimpse of what would haunt us for the next several months. There, in the window, stood a shadow-like creature that appeared to be staring directly at us. Its only visible feature was bright, neon green eyes.
Stepping out of the woods that day, Craig and I stepped into a fight that we did not expect, and one for which we were not prepared for. This was not a physical fight; we were more than ready for that. This was a spiritual fight, and this enemy was unlike anything that we could have ever imagined.
I hope you’ll come back next time as we step Into the House.
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