Call the Exterminator

Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion,

looking for someone to devour.

I Peter 5:8 TEV

There they were, marching across my shelves and scurrying up and down the walls like they had secured their territory. Actually they had done just that. Ants! Hundreds, probably thousands of ants had taken over my entire pantry. Twenty-five years in the same house and this was my first encounter with the pesky little varmints.

After three hours of pulling out, throwing away, and cleaning up, I was left with three large trash bags full of food, ant bites all over my hands, and a huge mess.  When the exterminator came later that day, he explained how food must have spilled onto the shelves, drawing the ants (plus all their friends, family and neighbors from surrounding counties).

The entire episode was disgusting but—just like He always does—God showed me a very simple spiritual truth. When the Word tells us not to give place to the devil, it means not to open up the door or give him an opportunity to step in and take over. If the devil is truly like a roaring lion, sneaking around to see who he can devour, we have to be mindful and aware of his tactics, stand guard, and make sure we don’t give him room to get in.  In other words, don’t leave a trail of crumbs and invite him to dine.

Just like my run-in with the ants, the aftermath of a spiritual attack can leave us with a huge mess to clean up.  God’s Word tells us to be alert. To watch. To be on guard. To use wisdom and discernment.  Don’t wait until the damage is done.  Make up your mind to do some cleaning up and cleaning out.  A little preventative maintenance can go a long way.  Call on the Holy Spirit to “exterminate” all the bugs in your life.

Do it today.  You’ll be glad you did.