Many years ago, I was given a spiritual dream from God. In the dream, I was in my home and I could see through the walls. I saw a large, slimy snake outside. It was moving all around the house pounding on the walls.
The windows were shut so I thought, “Good. He can’t get in.” He continued to hit the walls though, pounding relentlessly, trying to find a way in. I then looked over to the front door and saw that the door was missing six inches from the bottom. Eventually, he did get in, making a huge mess everywhere. I was so scared I ran out of the house.
Once outside I thought, “What am I doing? I need to go back in.” I ran back into the house and then I woke up.
I immediately prayed, “Lord, what did all that mean?” He said to me, “The snake represents the devil. He’s trying to get into your life. I understood that God has a hedge around us, and everything that we own. However, we can break our own hedge by what we do.
Ecclesiastes 10:8 says, “Whoever breaks a hedge, a serpent will bite.” He showed me why the front door was cut off. The front door represents the first thing we should do in our life: Pray and read and spend time with God. He’s first. That was really clear. I had been missing that. I was reading and praying, but I wasn’t praying every day. I would miss here and there.
I however did go to the gym every day. One day I was at the gym and someone leaned against a weight rack, bumped a five-pound weight, and caused it to go flying through the air hitting and breaking my big toe. I had never suffered a broken bone before. I thought, “Lord, why did that happen to me? I’m praying. I’m a Christian. I trust you.”
I was complaining and the Lord said, “You have time to go to the gym every day, but you don’t have time to read and pray every day.” That really convicted me.
If you are thinking, “Isn’t this legalism?” No. It’s not. God tells us all throughout the Bible to read and pray.
Deuteronomy 6: 5-9 says, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
It’s not excessive to say that we should be reading and praying every day. There is a hedge around us, and God is the one who keeps that hedge secure (Read: Job 1:10; Matthew 21:33; Psalms 89:40).
We can also break our own hedge by disobeying God. I wasn’t praying and reading the Bible every day. I’ve since learned to keep God first, to pray, and to read, and by doing so, keep the enemy away. {eoa}
Bill Wiese is the author of New York Times best selling book, 23 Minutes In Hell, the story of his life-changing visit to hell in 1998. Bill has since authored six additional book titles, and continues to share his experience around the world. He and his wife Annette founded Soul Choice Ministries in 2006 and have dedicated their lives to reaching the unsaved. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries please visit us at: soulchoiceministries.org/. You can find more of Bill’s teachings at: youtube.com/user/BillWieseTV. Please tune into Bill Wiese’s podcast, “23 Minutes in Hell,” on the Charisma Podcast Network.
Ron Allen 
Charisma Media Staff 
Abby Trivett 
