Time to Exterminate……the Enemy!!!
Last week my son-in-law, Larry, called me at about 10:30 p.m. one night, asking for prayer for Payton, my 10-year-old grandson. Larry and Staci were downstairs and heard a blood curdling scream coming from Payton. Realizing this was not an I’ve-had-a-nightmare-scream, they bounded three stairs at a time and made their way to Payton who, they found, had a stinging scorpion under his pajama top – it had stung him four times and each of those places where he was stung was turning red and swelling up. Staci was on the phone to Poison Control when Larry called me.
Immediately, I remembered a similar incident when our son, Ryan, at about the same age, was stung by a stinging scorpion on his feet. I gave Larry the remedy that God gave us 32 years ago. When Ryan screamed and we saw what it was, without even a second thought, my husband and I begin to pray and speak scripture verses over Ryan that applied to this very situation. The scripture verse was “Behold! I have given you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall in any way harm you’ (Luke 10:19). Those are words that Jesus spoke to His disciples when He was speaking about the authority He was giving them. And they were words that we had lodged in our hearts and for this occasion, they came spilling out. And, of course, in addition, I remembered hearing about a bee sting remedy – “apply ammonia immediately to the sting”, so if it was good for bee stings, it must be good for scorpion stings”! Within just a few minutes the pain that Ryan was experiencing had ceased.
Taking the advice of Poison Control (“apply ice compresses to the sting, and keep a watch over him for a while) and Nana’s advice, within just a short while, Payton had calmed down and the pain had subsided. As you can imagine, Staci, was on the phone the next morning getting an extermination company to come out and rid their home of this enemy that had invaded their home. As an activist Mama, she purposed, “My family will never go through this again!” She would most certainly be “on guard” from now on.
As I thought about this whole scenario, I began to think about getting my own house exterminated – literally…….. and spiritually. Spiritually, in the sense that perhaps little creatures of doubt, unbelief, offenses, fear, concern, worry may have found their way inside my heart’s door. I’m referring to that inner self – the part of our character that thinks, feels, and decides what our body will do. Adam and Eve were warned by God to “guard” their garden. They didn’t. Genesis 2:15 says, “And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.” In the same way, we have a responsibility to keep our spirits free of the enemy’s attacks. Remember how Jesus handled the enemy’s attacks during His 40-day fast – when the enemy would come, Jesus would speak God’s Word of truth to him? That’s how Jesus conquered……and that’s how we conquer.
God knows exactly where the enemy’s traps are located. And when we study, learn, memorize and cultivate God’s Word into our hearts, we will also know. Proverbs 4:20-24 says: “My son, attend to My words; consent and submit to My sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart, for they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.”
I was reading one of the extermination companies’ on-line guarantees. It said, “THE ULTIMATE PROTECTION® GUARANTEE — Protect yourself with the strongest guarantee in the business!!” I’d say, “That’s confidence in their products!” And, when it comes to God and His Word, that is truly THE ULTIMATE PROTECTION GUARANTEE!’ It’s time to take advantage of these guarantees — to get busy with good common sense ways of exterminating the little creatures in our homes with bug spray, traps and deterrents…..and even more importantly, rid our lives of the enemy that wants to steal our peace and joy….with the infallible, sharper-than-any-two-edged sword — Word of God!