There is a Good man who is struggling with life and trying to make ends meet. He has a mortgage on his house but through the busyness of life and just trying to survive, the property is neglected, overgrown with weeds and foliage; the house needs paint, the driveway needs to be resurfaced, the fence is falling down. There are a few random people squatting on the property because the Good man doesn’t have the gusto left to kick them off and they aren’t doing that much damage. On a regular basis people come along and tag the house, painting obscenities on it and leave their trash behind, just another thing to fix and there is already no time for upkeep. A car crashed through the fence and damaged part of the garage. Then a week later lightning struck a 100 year old tree in the backyard and it is ready to fall any day. The Good yet struggling man has a Wealthy friend who has been watching this struggle and observing how the Good man just can’t get ahead so, as any true friend would do, he decides to have a talk with him. They sit down on the Good man’s dilapidated front porch and the Wealthy man makes a proposition,

“If I pay for this property and give you some help, could you fix it up and live better? I was thinking if you didn’t have to pay the debt on the note that you may be able to have vision for this property again.”

The Good man’s face lit up and he blurted out a loud “YES” before another thought crossed his mind. The deal was sealed on this word. The Wealthy man’s face was equally lit up as he walked to his car to pull out a beautiful sign that read, “The Good man and the Wealthy man are now partners in this property, good things are coming soon” which he hung on what was left of the front fence.

The Wealthy man hung the sign and his authority was so evident to the squatters that they knew their time of squatting was over so they left the property. Most of the taggers saw the sign and realized that there could be legal action taken against them; they knew who the Wealthy man was,  so they moved on to the next “canvas” for their defacement. The Good man mended the fences as he had time which kept the roaming drifters from readily accessing the property. There were still opportunistic theft problems when when the good man would leave a saw, tool, or something of value outside but burglars no longer roamed the property looking for treasures.

Inside the house there was still the problem of the renter who had a meth lab brewing in a back room. This guy had been a renter since the Good man’s parents owned the house. It was a great set up and good cover living with the Good man yet the renter was willing to take the life of the Good man just to keep his room and his cover. The good man knew this and avoided contact with the renter so he thought it wise to consult the Wealthy man. He gained these insights and backing from the Wealthy man, “Lets complete the fence and add an electric gate opener. Next install a security system with good cameras and change the locks, then we will take the next step. By the way, here is $50,000 to complete the fence and security.” This wealthy man never mentioned anything about repayment and the Good man was so desperate that he was willing to take the risk of being in debt to the Wealthy man. The next week the Good man continued work replacing the fence and the Wealthy man showed up saying, “GREAT WORK, let me help out.” He pulled a chainsaw out of the car and spent the day cutting down the 100 year old dead tree in the back yard and a crew came in with him to haul off the refuse.

When the fence was completed the wealthy man rang the good man and said, “I am sending my security crew over to install that security and camera system as well as installing the smart locks on the doors and windows.” This was too much for the good man so he had to ask, “Why, WHY are you doing this? You already gave me $50,000 to complete the task!” The response was simple, “We are partners, we both benefit.” The security system was completed within 5 days. Even though there wasn’t much to see yet in the yard or the house, the property was secure. The Good man called the Wealthy man and said, “I am ready to evict the Meth head renter but I really need help. I don’t care if I lose the house, we can rebuild but he needs to get out before he takes my life.” Before sunrise the Good man heard the front door open yet the security system did not go off. He laid there listening to a struggle and violent threats, “I will kill the Good man, I will make him look like a fool! I know all of his dealings and I will take him down.” The Good man was shaking in his bed knowing that the Meth head renter knew all the evil deeds of the Good man no matter how small or large, see the Meth head was nearly a brother and remember he had rented a room since the Good man’s parent’s owned it… He knew Good man since the age of 5.

Later that morning the wealthy man showed up for coffee and said, “I know what you are thinking and the answer is “No the renter will never tell your story” because he will never be seen or heard from again. Now continue working on this house and property and make it the oasis you always dreamed about. Here is my credit card, have fun and oh one last thing, the fence and security system is enough to ward off anyone you don’t want around, only let in those who you want to live with. If you make a mistake and invite a bad one in just call me, we will have them removed immediately. And keep the fence up, maintain it and improve it as you improve your property, you know the better the property the more enticing it is for thieves.”

In the beginning of this story the Good man is a person living without a relationship with God, working hard even doing good but life feels like it is falling behind on many fronts and there is something missing. Their life needs some major maintenance like a house needs paint, a driveway needs repaving and weeds need cutting, boundaries have been violated and lost like fences and gates missing or fallen down, old painful memories remain like a dead tree in the backyard still standing and only viewed out the back door. Since the fences are down and the weeds are high people freely squat on the property further violating boundaries, these squatters represent the lying and harsh words of (wo)men that cycle through our minds regularly. When the Good man agrees to partner with the Wealthy man we see the parallel of a person inviting God to come into their life and begin renovations. When a person asks God to come into their life many of the “minor” issues and worries of life leave as well as some of the spirits that take advantage of us, just like the squatters leaving and the taggers finding a new canvas when the Wealthy man’s sign is hung on the property; these people and spirits can sense the authority of God in our lives. God immediately changes our lives and gives us hope for our future when we allow Him to partner with us (come into our lives), He gives us the tools and the spiritual funding to reconstruct our lives. As with any healthy partnership work is being performed by both parties for the good of the whole (person in this case). This is the basis of deliverance, someone wants to be free, they begin changing things in their lives,  thought patterns, and God comes in to deliver freedom.

Just like the Wealthy man showing up unexpectedly to cut down the dead tree and haul away the rubbish, God will show up unexpectedly to cut out dead old memories and afflictions from our past that we ignore in the back of our minds. He shows up (often through our friends), blesses us by delivering us from our past dead sins just because he is invested in our lives and cares for our good.  In the same manner the Wealthy man called the Good man about installing the security system, when we have an open relationship with the Father (God) He will give us help, input, and strength to set up boundaries and protection as well as Him becoming our personal (spiritual) body guard.  Then when the Good man called and asked for help with the Meth head renter we see the parallel to God coming alongside and delivering us from hidden sins, things that seem they will take us down, and lies we have believed our entire lives. He does it in a manner to preserve our lives so that we not only move forward but accelerate into a place of oasis and new vision with God. He even says when we mess up again He will be there for us to help us out. The Father wants us to build upon His victories as well as our victories so that in time we will live an increasingly victorious lifestyle.