Spiritual Parasites
A few weeks back I went to Honduras. It was a pretty good trip overall. However, I brought back a stow-away. A parasite. Now, if you've never had a parasite, let me just say that you don't want one. They make you seriously sick!
Anyway, I had to teach in the ladies Sunday School class yesterday, and when I was preparing my lesson, I was dealing with this parasite. And I prayed to God to help me focus on the lesson instead of the parasite. He answered by giving me a lesson about parasites. Not physical ones, spiritual ones.
He showed me just how Satan's control of our lives is like a parasite's control of our bodies. They both attack you when you are least expecting it. They disguise themselves as something good.
II Corinthians 11:14 says, "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."
Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. He wants to fool us. He wants us to think the temptations he is offering us are good. He doesn't come and say, "Get into this sin, it really isn't good for you, and it will ruin your life."
It would be a lot easier to avoid sin, if Satan told us the end result up front. But that's not how he works.
And if we allow him to trick us, he latches onto us. He wants us to fall again and again. See, when he causes us to fall, he has destroyed our testimony. A Christian's testimony is a precious thing, and Satan will do ALL he can to destroy it.
I Peter 5:8 puts it this way, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
Satan wants to devour each and everyone of us. None of us is immune to Satan's attack. But though none of us can avoid being tempted, we have all been given a way to escape the temptation.
I Corinthians 10:13 says this, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Through Christ, we can all escape temptation. We just have to know our enemy. We have to know that Satan is trying to bring us down. And we have to stay strong in God's Word so that we will know our way of escape.
I pray today that you don't let Satan control your life. Don't let that spiritual parasite destroy you!
posted by Heather Smith @ Tuesday, May 29, 2007
7 Comments:
So true Heather. This is something I try to tell my teenagers alot. satan will try to make the sin not look like sin, it will be very appealing! But I also need to tell myself that also.
Praise God that for every tempation that is thrown at us God has made a way of escape!
Wonderful post and a much needed reminder that God always provide us a way out!
Have a blessed day :)
We must be aggressive when getting rid of parasites of either kind. If we sit idle the parasites will take over.
The difference between a physical parasite and a spiritual one is what they eat. Most physical parasites eat what is good leaving no nutrients for the body of the host. The spiritual parasite doesn't want to eat anything good, it only wants to contaminate it so to make it unprofitable or detrimental to the spiritual host.
Heather,
What a great post! Like parasites.....the enemy can hardly be seen, but the damage that happens when we succumb....is great. Beautiful devotion out of a real life situation.
Diane
I so agree, Heather. great post here! Sin is so, so convincing and looks so good--till you feel it's sting. All sin has big-time consequences! I try to remember this when I am reaching out to unsaved or newly saved people I meet because I remember well when my own sin seemed so satisfying on the surfice~ like it would be fufilling, but of course it isn't. Thank God for those negative consequences of sin though, these sure turn us on to what we are doing to ourselves & others and make us yearn for what we really need and really want,God and His son crucified to save us from ourselves. So good for me to remember!!
Whoa. Not a pretty devotional - but too true.
Have a good trip to Mexico - don't drink the water - but you probably already have decided not to. Yuck.
Hello matte nice post
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