Why infections are not always bad
I have not had a travel schedule as crazy as the last 16 days. I flew from Melbourne to Singapore. Spent two days in Singapore and headed home in Manila. Preached that weekend and then flew to Kuala Lumpur for 2 days, a day stop back in Manila then off to Guam for 2 days, preached there Sunday then flew back to Manila for our elections, 18 hours later I flew to Singapore and then to Johannesburg where I am writing this post. 10 flights in 16 days.
One of the tricky things about taking all these flights is the amount of viruses and bacteria you expose yourself to. But I was not prepared for the one that hit me on Guam. The infection caused a serious bloating in my stomach that I have never experienced before. Then every joint in my body ached severely I was crying out to God for relief during the 3.5 hour flight coming home.
The worse part was the stench from all the gas that was coming out of me. Needless to say my seat mates were all wondering who the culprit was. May they were also wondering why I kept going to the lavatory. It take sone big pop for them to find out it was me all along.
Then it happened God answered my prayer and the virus left and all my pain subsided without a hint of fever. I got home in time for the tail end of Mothers' Day dinner with my family.
I was exhausted but definitely not sick. My body overcame the infection. While I credit God for my healing there are two practices I do in the natural that I believe have contributed to my overcoming the infection in a matter of three hours. The first is my regular intake of H202 which is too long to explain here.
The second is my constant exposure to viruses and bacteria that has allowed my body to gain resistance over them, what I call "natural inoculation."
I believe that this is also true about having a strong spiritual life. Sometimes we think that making disciples is about shielding people from the sin infested world we live in. We design church as safe havens for the pure and unadulterated. We have this notion that Christianity is about the protective spiritual bubble that will keep people from being infected by the world around them.
There is a place where the Bible says, we are to be in the world but not of the world. Obviously we need to protect our children from the ways of the world when they are young and impressionable. But soon enough we should realize that we are the way the world will know about God.
Remember that God did not put Adam and Eve in a "bubble" away from the infectious wiles of the Devil. Instead He exposed them to some of the potential infection. That's because God knows that the key to a strong spiritual life is not to be shielded from the world and it's ways by living in a sanitized environment with it's false security.
Rather the key is to be exposed to the reality of a sinful decaying world whose infectious ways may attack. And yet will time and again will be overwhelmed by the intensity of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit each day. God loves me and He has saved me from my sins. The simple revelation that always works to kill the devil's viral ways.
And with each encounter a constant inoculation of the devil's schemes is thwarted by the Gospel. Similarly as our physical body gains resistance to these viruses our spirits are able to resist the devil's schemes. So don't run from the world but live confidently that God will help you overcome any temptation the Devil throws at you.
"So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" Hebrews 13:6
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