Amos 5:15, “Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate.”

The gate is where we make decisions about what comes in and what goes out of our home. The gate is where we set up the standard regarding good and evil. It is where we must use judgment. Unfortunately, many times we do not have godly judgment. We are subtly conditioned by a humanistic society to accept evil as good, and often we are not even aware of it. As the home gate-keeper, we need to constantly cry out to God for discernment and true judgment.

As we seek to establish judgment in our gate, let’s look at a few more things we may have to throw out of our homes.

THROW OUT THE PLANKS (Matthew 7:1-5)

Jesus Himself said, “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank (beam, log, rafter) in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me remove the speck (stalk, twig, splinter) from your eye; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the lank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

How easy it is to think that we are always in the right. We can see all the faults in our husband. We try to change his ways and mold him to how we think he should live. We are so righteous in our own eyes that we cannot see clearly. We can’t even see what God is doing in his life because this huge plank blinds us. It’s time to throw it out. It’s time to allow God to change our hearts to His ways, rather than trying to change our husband, and others, to our ways.

THROW OUT THE WORKS OF DARKNESS (Romans 13:12)

God wants us to walk in light. He wants to fill our homes with light. We know that our home is filled with light when we have open fellowship and communication with each member of the family.  1 John 1:7 says, "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Get rid of any attitude that is spoiling your relationship with your husband or any of your children. Do not allow any darkness from the enemy to intrude into your home. As soon as you notice it, send it packing out the Dung Gate.

THROW OUT THE STUMBLINGBLOCK (Isaiah 57:14)

The word stumblingblock is the Hebrew word mikhahol and means ‘an obstacle, a cause of falling or sinning.’ Throw out anything that causes someone else in the home to be tempted to sin. You may think that it is okay for you, but if it would cause any of your children to stumble, get rid of it.

THROW OUT THE SCOFFER (Proverbs 22:10)

We are exhorted to "Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; yes, strife and reproach will cease.” The word scoffer in Hebrew is luts and means to ‘mock or scorn.’ It comes from a root word which means ‘to mouth at’. If one of your children is causing this kind of contention, you can’t literally throw them out. However, you must deal with this mocking spirit. This kind of spirit must be thrown right out through the Dung Gate. I like the NLT which says, “Throw out the mocker, and fighting quarrels, and insults will disappear.”

THROW OUT THE STRANGE GODS (2 Chronicles 30: 14; 33:15; 2 Kings 23:6; Isaiah 31:7)

What strange gods do you have in your home? What are the things that take your family away from giving God the preeminence in your home? Everything that we give more honor to than God is a strange god. When Manasseh did a big cleanse he threw them all outside the city. Some other translations say he “dumped them outside the city.” Do you need to go through your Dung Gate and dump some things outside your home? Read Acts 19:19.

THROW OUT ALL ENEMIES (Deuteronomy 6:19)

We need to watch for all the subtle enemies that seek to creep into our homes. As soon as you become aware of something that is negatively affecting your home (no matter how much you like it), throw it out. Read Philippians 3:8.

THROW OUT ALL TRANSGRESSIONS (Ezekiel 18:31)

Keep daily trysts with God to keep your life and home cleansed by the power of the blood of Jesus.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, I pray that you will give me discernment and godly judgment. Help me to judge according to your holy Word rather than the standard around me. Help me to be a true gate-keeper, guarding what comes in and out of my home. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION: