Have you ever tried to make a
geyser erupt? No matter how hard you try, you won't have much success.
Or will you?
In the past, the New Zealand government used prisoners
to build up the Waiotapu region on the north island. These convicts planted
trees and built roads, and once in awhile, they needed to wash their dirty
clothing. One day a group of these inmates sat around a hole in the ground.
Their intent was to wash their clothing in one of the abundant hot springs, but
one of them, by accident, dropped his bar of soap into the hole. Imagine the
surprise of these men when soap suds began bubbling forth from the hole, to be
followed by a stream of boiling water, shooting 20 metres (65 feet) into the
air! I can just see those poor inmates tearing back to their prison cells!
And this is how the Lady Knox geyser was discovered.
Lady Knox now erupts at exactly 10:15 each morning. It
is the only geyser in the world with a precise time frame! Wow!
Well, not really.
The park ranger drops a bar of pure, white soap into
the opening of Lady Knox at exactly that time each day, and pouf! Off she goes!
In her recent devotional, Lady
Knox, my wife explains this reaction: "Apparently the geyser has two water
chambers, a hot one that is lower, and heats up due to the volcanic activity
below, and a cooler one on top, which cools because of a large opening to the
outside. When the soap is thrown into the upper water chamber, the lowered
surface tension of the water allows it to mix with the warmer water below, and
this causes the eruption."
My friend, the same is true in regards to obtaining
victory over our nasty and vicious sinful habits. We can't free ourselves
through our own efforts, no matter how hard we try.
When we experience defeat, like the Israelites in
Eli's time, and we start crying out, "Why did the Lord bring defeat upon us
today?" (1 Sam 4:3 NIV), we have to ask ourselves: "Did we really and truly
depend on the Holy One for victory?"
The Israelites in those days sure didn't (See 1 Sam
3:1)!
The message about God's armor, found in Ephesians
6:10-18, can be summarized in three words: Rely on God! Just like that park
ranger depends on a pure white bar of soap to ensure Lady Knox's timely eruption
at precisely 10:15 each morning, we must also rely on God for victory! Only then
can the Holy One push us to triumph!
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the
Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing
glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Cor 3:17-18 NIV)
We can't have victory without complete reliance on
God's Holy Spirit. He is the One who can give us freedom, not ourselves! Paul
confirms this again in Rom 8:13 "For if you live according to the sinful nature,
you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body,
you will live." NIV
The message of Ephesians 6 is to encourage us to stand
firm and resist the sinful temptations from the evil one. This is only possible
through ardent prayer and fervent reliance on God's Word, the Bible, something
we more often than not neglect! God will do the rest! Total trust in God is the
secret to our victory! The devil isn't greater than God! God is!
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes
from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never
be shaken." (Ps 62:1-2 NIV)
Are we willing to trust Him even amidst the fieriest
temptations we encounter?
I sure stink! It's time I wash in the refreshing
waters of God's presence. Do you have a pure white bar of soap I can borrow?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.