“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about
how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Rom 13:14)
There were those who had warned me about them. They said that the farther north
you go, the worse they become. But I didn't pay any attention. I grew up in the
American Southwest. I knew about bugs! Take houseflies, for example. They buzz
around your head, settle on your food, enter in droves whenever a storm is on
its way, and then buzz about the windows until they either die or you let them
out. A nuisance? Yes. But I could handle that!
Then I moved to Timmins, Ontario, and I quickly learned that I had previous had
NO IDEA what the word “bug” REALLY meant! Besides the abundance of familiar
ones, there were also black flies, deer flies, horse flies, sand flies, and
hosts of other flies whose names I don’t know. And I haven't even started to
mention the mosquitoes, the ticks, the ants, and the wasps! And these bugs ALL
bite (or sting!)—HARD! And not only CAN they bite, they also SEEK YOU OUT! Those
with wings circle around your head for miles until they find the appropriate
unprotected part of your body. They bite through clothing. They bite through
hair. I even recently found one stuck to the palm of my hand!
As a new resident of Canada, I was suddenly faced with a challenge: How to enjoy
some of the most beautiful bush country in the world without being a bug’s
dinner! It soon became obvious that there were 3 distinct ways that people of
the north dealt with this problem. Some of them simply don't go out. They
hibernate in their homes all winter due to the ice and snow, and then they hole
up in the summer to stay away from the bugs! A second group of people don't let
the bugs bother their lifestyles at all. They seem to ignore the hosts as they
continue walking, biking, canoeing, and camping, and they also seem to ignore
the welts they come home with! The final group of people refuse to be eaten
alive, but they also refuse to hibernate. When they go out, they coat themselves
liberally with—BUG SPRAY!
In general, I belong to the third group of people, but when I went out to take
the dog for her morning run yesterday, I was in too much of a rush to be
bothered with bug spray. And of course it wasn’t long before I was the literal
"center" of attention to a swarm of deer flies. I couldn't concentrate. I
couldn’t enjoy my walk. I couldn't do anything except wave my arms in a
desperate attempt to dodge their attacks. Suddenly I understood the importance
of bug spray!
Friends, living in this world can easily be compared to living in the Canadian
North Country. You cannot go out of your house without being bombarded by
temptation and sin’s evil effects. In fact, they seem to circle you, waiting and
watching until you are not paying attention to a certain area of your life. Then
they dive in for the kill, and you come back covered with “bites” where you have
yielded. And friends, the "bites" of yielding to sin HURT and are MUCH LONGER
LASTING than bug bites!
Do you try to avoid them? You can, but sin and its effects have a way of
slipping in between the cracks! Do you ignore them? This is the choice of the
majority. Some don’t seem to mind the marks of sin at all. Others do care, but
when temptation circles and dives, it will always hit where you are the weakest.
There is also a third option. You can choose to cover yourself with "Bug
Spray"—the saving blood of Jesus.
I don’t know about you, but I already know I can’t avoid the evils of sin in
this world. I can’t withdraw, either, and I have already suffered the numerous
consequences of trying to ignore them. I have learned that if I don’t want to be
“bitten”, I must make it a habit to put on my “Bug Spray”! I must spend time in
the morning with the Lord and cover myself anew each day with His Blood. I must
ask God to reveal to me the moment I find myself in the center of a swarm of
flies, and then I must claim victory over them by the Power of His Blood.
Won't you join me in putting on some spiritual Bug Spray today, friends?
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about
how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Rom 13:14)
Lyn Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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