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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for April 8, 2008
“When a Warrior Lets Down His Guard”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
(sfx: music intro)
Jake was an old friend.
Hadn’t seen him in years. Hadn’t been in his neck of the woods.
Now I was headed west. It was a long walk, but my mind was busy with memories of Jake and his wife and kids.
Jake and I had fought together as young men. He was a rock.
Then he met someone and started a family. Jake attracted people, and the last thing I heard was that they had started their own little settlement. Jake was probably the village council and police force all in one.
Me? I still had visions of being the great warrior. I guess it took me longer to realize there is nothing great about war.
(sfx: music transition)
The smell of smoke broke into my thoughts. And it wasn’t just the smoke of wood.
It was coming directly from the west, so I ran up the little hill, weapons bouncing on my back.
In the distance I saw various fires in a little village, and I could hear people crying for help.
Now the scent was strong. The trademark of the enemy. The mark of his presence.
Sulfur.
How did it happen? The village – Jake had the high ground. He knows the enemy. Knows what to expect. Knows what to do about it.
I scanned the horizon.
Nothing.
I ran for the village.
Another mark of the enemy. The main fire was at the center. Not at the edges. It had to be Jake’s place.
As I got close I saw people talking, but not panicked. But the fire was still burning.
“What happened?”
“Same old thing.”
“Same old thing? There’s a fire!”
“Yes, and it’s bad.”
“Let’s put it out!”
“The enemy will just start it again.”
“Well keep him out! Keep the torches burning and stand guard.”
“Jake used to do that.”
“Used to?”
“He said he doesn’t need to anymore.”
“His house is on fire! I smell the sulfur!”
“Yes, and his wife is comatose, and his children vomit blood. His family and friends live close to him, and they’re all suffering.”
“Where’s Jake?”
“He’s inside.”
“Inside? He’ll suffocate!”
“He is suffocating.”
“Well let’s get him out!”
“He won’t come out. And he’ll fight you to stay in there.”
“Stay in there? What’s he thinking?”
“I’ll tell you exactly what he’s thinking. He’s thinking about…another woman.”
(sfx: music out)
The Bible says we have an enemy on the prowl.*
One of his prime targets is your marriage. If he can get at your marriage, he can get at your children and your friends and neighbors and everyone that knows you.
The Bible says we are not ignorant of the enemy’s devices.**
And here is one of his most affective devices in destroying marriage. To simply get you to think about someone other than your spouse.
As soon as you toy with this thought, you should get a whiff of sulfur. The enemy is near.
If you let the thought linger, the smoldering begins. The burn is slow, but the destruction is sure.
If you keep thinking about that person, the flame will ignite, and spread. You will try to contain it, but it will instantly jump to your spouse and burn them. The children won’t know where it came from, but they will begin feeling pain.
Your family will bring it to your attention. Your friends will warn you. But if you do not heed their warning, the whole little village around you will suffer. Everyone will choke in the sulfurous atmosphere you have created.
So, knowing this device of the enemy, what can we do?
We keep the torches lit and stand guard. The torches represent the light, the light of God’s truth. We keep God’s truth at the top of our minds at all times.
And by standing guard I mean guarding our hearts and minds. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
Second Corinthians 10:5 says, “We…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
So you stand guard, and when any thought of someone other than your spouse shows up, you take it captive – and you kill it. You put it to the torch of God’s truth.
This is how we keep the enemy at bay. This is how we preserve our marriages and families. There are some thoughts you simply cannot think, and among them are thoughts about anyone other than our spouse.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
* First Peter 5:8
** Second Corinthians 2:11
I think Proverbs 25:28 goes along with this: “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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