Kate opened the closet door slowly and put down the bread. Then she went to the bathroom and filled the jar lid with water. After placing the lid in her closet, she quietly closed the door.
The next day, she brought her new “friend” a little cake and gave him fresh water. Kate decided to make her mouse a little house. She looked around and found a shoebox and her sissors. She cut a hole in one end of the box and placed it upside down in one corner of her closet. Then she put the food beside the box.
Within days, she had tamed that mouse. It now had no fear of her and would run all over her. She was happy to have such a nice little pet right there in her own room.
One day while Kate was playing at a friend’s house, her mother decided to clean out Kate’s closet. There were some clothes that no longer fit Kate and there was the usual clutter on the closet floor. She began to pick up a few things—-including the shoebox. Mr. mouse was inside! How Kate’s mother screamed! Grabbing her broom, she got rid of the little creature. Then she saw the hole in one end of the box and the jar lid filled with water.
When Kate got home, her mother met her with a frown. Little Kate was heartbroken at the thought of what happened to her little pet, but mother helped her realize that making a pet of an animal that spreads so much sickness, was not a good thing to do.
How often we are like Kate. We have a “mouse in the closet” so to speak. We nurture it and pet it and hold it. That “mouse” seems so attractive and pleasing to us, but it will eventually hurt us. It may be daydreaming, intemperance, evil speaking, pride, lack of love for others, gossiping, covetousness, or the like. As we hold to that sin, it grows larger and stronger until it takes over our life and that “mouse in the closet” begins to take complete control of us. Suddenly we realize that we are chained to our sin. We cry out, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Rom 7:24
Praise God! We have a Saviour Who will clean out our “closet” and get rid of the “mouse in the closet! Even though it is often as hard for us to let go of the “mouse in the closet” as it was for Kate, it is needful. Paul reminds us, “ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Heb 12:6-11
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. . . . He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” Ps 103:12-18
May we allow Him to clean out the “closet” of our mind that we may be rid of the “mouse of sin and death” that we have fed for so long.
Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/gods-victory.html