Lord of the O-Rings - A Trilogy to Triumph (Part 3)

If this is the first of this 3 part series you have come across, I strongly encourage you to read parts 1 and 2, which can be found here and here.

Using the analogy of an O-ring, we are looking at how leakage occurs in the lives of believers when pressure is applied. A leaky O-ring is not revealed until the water pressure is cranked up and then, under pressure, we see the leaks. It is when our spiritual lives are tested in the fires of adversity that we see how much of God’s Presence has leaked out.

J R R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy gives us a great place to start as a stepping-stone to examine the leakage in our lives. We are considering the 3 three books/movies in the trilogy in reverse order. Having looked at the Return of the King and The Two Towers, let’s now consider the first of the three – The Fellowship of the Ring.

I believe there are three aspects to the fellowship of the ring that will help us to seal up the God-leak in our lives, by ensuring our O-ring remains effective.

The first part of the fellowship is for us to hang out with other Christians. There is a saying that goes, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”

The truth is that we are like computers – what we put in is what comes out. Garbage in = garbage out.

"Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you; never forget what you learned at your mother's knee.

Wear their counsel like flowers in your hair, like rings on your fingers.

Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you, don't go along with them.

If they say—"Let's go out and raise some hell. Let's beat up some old man, mug some old woman.

Let's pick them clean and get them ready for their funerals.

We'll load up on top-quality loot. We'll haul it home by the truckload.

Join us for the time of your life! With us, it's share and share alike!"—

Oh, friend, don't give them a second look; don't listen to them for a minute."

Proverbs 1:10-15 The Message

It is crucial as Christians that we guard our friendships carefully. Like attracts like. If we are only attracting non-Christian friends, then we need to ask ourselves what it is about us that attracts them. There is nothing wrong with having non-Christians as friends but we need to ask ourselves the difficult question, “Am I bringing them up to my level or are they pulling me down to theirs?” We need to be a light to the lost but not at the expense of God’s Presence in our own lives. If we get the Presence part right, our light will shine bright enough to attract people to the true source of peace and joy – Jesus Christ.

When I close down my pool for the winter, I take the lid off my pool pump pot and I lubricate the O-ring inside the lid to keep it soft and pliable. We also need to keep our O-ring soft. I use an oil-based lubricant to soften the O-ring on my pump pot lid when it is not being used on the pool. We need to spend time in God’s Word and prayer throughout the week to keep ourselves soft.

It is simply not possible to go to church on Sunday and then let the week pass without spending time with God until the following Sunday, and expect us not to leak! Without the lubrication my pool pot O-ring gets brittle. Without God’s Word going in daily, we also become hard and brittle. God requires us to be soft and moldable so He can use us for His work. Brittle clay just crumbles, but soft clay can be molded by the Master’s hands for His good work.

Lastly, we need to repent often. The voice that haunts Gollum in The Lord of the Rings holds him captive. There is also a voice that can haunt us and hold us captive. Satan will try to tell us that we are not worthy of God’s Presence because we are sinners. He loves to remind us of past failures. He will bring back to our remembrance numerous times when we missed the mark as believers and try to keep us captive there. He will whisper in your ear that God cannot possibly love you or want to reside in your heart because of your failures.

The fact is that the devil is a liar. He is called the father of lies in John 8:44. If you repent of your sin, the Bible is very clear in the fact that God forgives your sin and cleanses you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The Bible also says that God remembers not your sins (Hebrews 8:12). He knows about them but chooses not to remember them. The devil on the other hand chooses to remember them and to try to make you do the same.

I saw a T-shirt once that said, “The next time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!” It had the Bible verse Revelation 20:10 on it.

Repentance brings freedom. Regular repentance ensures that God’s Presence does not leak from your life. It’s like doing a routine inspection on your O-ring to ensure it is working as it should. Keep your sin account short. It is very easy to try to run from God when you have sinned, but God loves you and wants you to run to Him and confess so He can forgive you and remove any separation between you and Him.

Leakage of God’s Presence in our lives can be avoided. It should not be an expected part of our Christian walk. The roller coaster walk with God is not the way it has to be. There is a better way. With God’s Presence 24/7 we can be overcomers. We can be soul winners. We can be all He wants us to be.

Read Part 1 here

Read Part 2 here