Is God Dead? The Dummy Lock

 Is God Dead? The Dummy Lock

"Faith is not about locking God away in a safe place, but about unlocking every part of your life to His transforming power."

Growing up in the country, many people didn’t lock their doors. They had locks, but they rarely used them. As a teenager, I worked for a farm supply store and made deliveries to many farmers. They would have gates with locks on them, but more often than not, the lock wasn’t fully engaged. It was just closed enough to look locked, but in reality, it didn’t provide any real security. It was just for show, a gesture that signaled safety but lacked the power to deliver.

In today’s world, many have locked God away behind a "dummy lock." At first glance, this lock may seem to secure their faith, but in reality, it’s nothing more than a hollow facade. It’s a symbol of security, but it’s powerless to keep anything safe. Much like a lock that appears to protect but fails to function, the version of God that many hold onto today offers an illusion of protection but lacks the power to transform, guide, or convict.

This "dummy lock" is the result of reducing God to a figurehead, a lifeless symbol in our lives. We’ve created a version of God that is convenient, easy to display, and even comfortable, but one that does not actively engage with us or demand anything of us. It’s merely a placeholder for the real thing—an ornament we occasionally acknowledge but rarely encounter. It’s like a lock that stands as a reminder of something once valuable but is now powerless to unlock anything meaningful.

God has become a cultural accessory—something we observe but rarely experience. It’s easy to treat Him as a relic, something for holidays or special occasions, but not someone we actively engage with on a daily basis. We might see Him as part of a ritual, a set of actions to appease our consciences or fulfill some societal expectation, but rarely as the living, active force in our lives who can change, guide, and convict.

When we treat God like a "dummy lock," we lock Him out of our lives. The lock may appear to keep us safe, but it actually offers no real protection—no access to the things that matter most. We believe that a simple acknowledgment of God from time to time, in the form of a prayer before a meal or attendance at a church service, is enough. But that’s just a closed lock, the appearance of a faith that doesn’t engage with the life-changing power of the gospel.

This false sense of security is what many of us hold onto today. The God we’ve created is safe, predictable, and comfortable, but He does not challenge us, convict us, or change us. We’ve locked God away in a compartment of our lives, believing that an occasional acknowledgment is enough. But just like a broken lock cannot secure anything, a faith that does not engage with the living, active God cannot lead us to true transformation.

We must ask ourselves: Are we relying on a "dummy lock" version of God—one that looks good on the outside but lacks the power to open doors in our lives? Are we content with the idea of God, the image of God, or are we engaging with the living God who has the keys to everything we need—salvation, purpose, peace, and transformation?

The "dummy lock" locks us into a place of complacency, where we settle for a safe, manageable version of faith that requires little from us. We’re not required to open the door to new experiences, to new relationships, to deeper knowledge, or to personal conviction. A faith that doesn’t ask us to open the door to change, to let God enter into every part of our lives, is a faith that leaves us spiritually stagnant. We go through the motions, but there is no real movement in our lives toward spiritual growth, no real opening of the doors that lead to transformation.

God is not meant to be locked away behind a facade. He is meant to be active, present, and engaged in every area of our lives. He holds the keys to doors that lead to real freedom, deep purpose, true peace, and an authentic relationship with Him. But in order for that to happen, we must stop treating God as a "dummy lock"—a symbol we display when convenient and lock away when we don’t feel like engaging with Him.

True faith requires us to unlock our hearts, to surrender the parts of our lives that we’ve kept locked away, and to let God’s presence fully invade every aspect of our being. It’s time to stop settling for the illusion of security and to embrace the true power and transformation that comes with an active, living relationship with God.

So, we must ask ourselves: Are we willing to turn the key and open the door to God’s power, allowing Him to unlock new possibilities, new growth, and a deeper faith? Are we ready to stop living with a locked-up version of God and begin walking with the One who holds the keys to life itself?

Only then can we experience the real security and power that comes from walking with the One who holds the keys to life, the One who invites us to unlock the doors to a deeper relationship with Him.