Insect Repellant

Often I have stepped out to enjoy a nice summer evening when my enjoyment is suddenly interrupted.  Without notice, I become the innocent victim of a blood-sucking mosquito.

Despite knowing the risk, I often fail to prepare, and I step out unprotected.  Like a heat-seeking missile locked on its target, the mosquito zooms in on me and strikes before I know what hit me.  Even when the strike ensues, I often don’t immediately reach for repellant to ward off more attacks.  I usually think that I’ll just watch out for the little devil to strike again and then kill him with a swat.  The problem is, I can’t always see him or see where he is striking.  If I do spot him, he may escape my swat.  And even if I kill him, there are more to come.  Usually after I’ve received a few bites, I will finally resort to using insect repellant of the candle or spray variety.  Why do I wait for it to come to this when I could have spared myself much pain by taking these simple actions to begin with?

Even once I have protected myself, the mosquitos don’t relent.  They are persistent little pests.  They hover around and look for any areas of vulnerability.  They will find any air space where they’re not warded off by the reach of the citronella candle, or any area of skin that was missed by the spray of the repellant.  And they will continue biting as long as the vulnerabilities are exposed.

Life is like that too.  We have a spiritual enemy, the real devil, who is always looking for a victim.  Like the mosquito, he is out for blood.  His bites leave marks and cause pain.  He spreads disease.  He attacks when we’re not looking or where we can’t see.  He attacks when we’re not prepared.

The devil’s attacks may not always seem that significant.  He often will strike us in the form of discouragement.  He knows if he can discourage us that he can disrupt God’s plan for our lives and hinder our witness to others.

And if we don’t seek protection after the first attack, we leave ourselves wide open for subsequent attacks.  Ephesians 4:27 tells us to not give the devil a foothold, which is critical advice because before we know it, a foothold can become a stronghold.  If not kept in check, discouragement can turn into anger, resentment, bitterness, depression, and all sorts of life-stealing conditions that not only affect us but our loved ones too.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  Instead of leading us into a downward spiral, discouragement can be a signal for us to seek God’s face, to rest in His sovereignty, and to call on His power.  If we stay alert, we can recognize the enemy’s attacks for what they are and fight back in God’s strength.

But we must also be aware that even when we claim victory, the enemy won’t give up.  Just like the mosquito, the enemy is relentless in his pursuits and looks for areas of vulnerability.  Our vulnerabilities are usually where his strikes are felt the deepest.  In these moments, we may be tempted to turn away from God, but it’s in these moments that we need to turn to God the most.  In James 4:7-8 it says that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us, and that if we come near to God, he will come near to us.

That doesn’t mean we can let our guard down.  The enemy is always on the attack, so it’s important to keep the repellant handy and be prepared to use it.  Spray-on insect repellant does us no good sitting in the bottle; it has to be applied to our skin to work.  The Word of God is the same.  We have to apply it in our lives for it to be effective.  And like the citronella candle, faith only takes a spark to ignite, and a little goes a long way.

We aren’t helpless victims.  God offers us accessible protection through His life, His Spirit, and His Word.  God has given us the means to fight back, and He himself fights for us.  God is always on our side, and as Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”