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Black Flies At Higgins Lake
by Smokey the dog

4 weekends ago I went camping with some men from our church. On a cloudy Saturday afternoon we drove over to Higgins lake state park near Roscommon Michigan. I chose to sit and watch as several from our group went swimming. In hindsight that may have been the better choice. In any case, I had several black flies attack my ankles while I sat there talking with some others from our group. I couldn’t believe it, but they bit me right through my socks! Finally I liberally sprayed my socks with bug spray, and that was the end of it, or so I thought. Almost a week later my ankles began to itch. I tried several things to get it to stop, and the topical ointments, including one with Benadryl, were only partly effective. Then out of desperation I took an antihistamine tablet, and that actually seemed to help. Now I have these red scabby patches on my ankles that itch, but not nearly so bad as before.

 I was thinking on this, and it entered my mind that the black flies are like sin. They bite through our socks and later trouble develops. Our socks are like out fleshly defenses, ineffective. The bug spray is like our after the fact efforts to correct the problem with prayer, or Bible reading. The only real cure was an internal one. In the case of sin, being filled with the Holy Spirit is the cure, and the preventative, and Bible study and prayer should be done before going out to the spiritual beach. Maybe next time I go to the beach in August in Michigan I will remember to put the bug spray before, and not after.

Hello Smokey The Dog,

I think that you gave an excellent illustration. There are great spiritual battles being fought by many Christians these days, and I also think about the whole armor of GOD that the Apostle Paul spoke of. GOD'S warriors can stay in the fight if they are strong in the LORD. A better way of me saying this would be to say that we can do all things in CHRIST, and that's because of HIS Strength. It's comforting to know that we are never alone.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Colossians 1:13-14 NASB  For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.