Since the floods here in Colorado, we’ve had a massive amount of mosquitoes that just cannot seem to be squashed. The spraying has continued, we’ve dipped below freezing on at least one night, but these pesky critters seem to be thriving.

I mentioned to my daughter that I needed to get some bug spray before tomorrow night when our church is headed to a local farm for a church gathering. She reminded me to get the right spray this time.

I got the right spray the last time. At the same time I also purchased sunscreen. I had volunteered to help with the local Vacation Bible School for the church I recently attended. We held it in a local park, so naturally, I needed bug spray.

When I arrived at the park with my purchase of bug spray and sunscreen, I sprayed myself with the bug spray…the sun wasn’t an issue. However, as the evening rolled on, mosquitoes seemed to be attracted to me instead of repelled. A few children seemed to have the same issue, so I volunteered my bug spray for them.

As it turns out, I was using the sunscreen instead of the bug spray…mosquitoes apparently like sunscreen.

The children and I were protected that evening. We just weren’t protected from the most harmful element. We were protected from something that wasn’t a threat.

I recently read the account of Samson in Judges 13-16. This man, sent from God was stronger than any Philistine or Hebrew had ever seen. His amazing strength, given to him by God, was used against the Philistine nation to bring revenge for himself and for Israel.

Samson was protected by God through his own strength. No man could subdue Samson. No animal stood a chance. However, there seemed to be one thing that Samson was not protected from. His own heart and the lure of Philistine women.

He fell in love with Philistine women who used his love toward them against him. They conspired and tricked Samson on numerous occasions until he finally gave in and shared his secrets.

After his marriage to a Philistine woman, Samson was nagged by her until he gave up the secret of his riddle (Judges 14:14-18). And then there is the account of Samson and Delilah in Judges 16:4-22 when Delilah also nags Samson into giving her the secret to his strength.

Samson was protected from the Philistine armies, but he was not protected from the Philistine women.

Each of us have weaknesses that when left unprotected will bring us down as easily as Samson was brought to his knees. When it comes to spiritual battles, we cannot assume that the evil one will not attack us through our weaknesses. So what are we to do?

We must prepare for this battle.

God has given us His weaponry to fight our spiritual battles. Just as the Spirit of the Lord was with Samson, the Holy Spirit is within us. We must utilize His strength and power to be overcomers in these battles.

God has also given us His armor (Ephesians 6:13-17). The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. These are all weapons we must understand and learn to use.

We also find that God has given us direct communication with Him to help us in the battle. In Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) we read, “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” I believe God is telling us that we need to pray and that He wants to be with us through each struggle.

God has given us encouragement when times of battle arise. Earlier in Ephesians 6 we find these words. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-11 – NIV)

And finally another encouragement from God is found in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV). “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” When your battle is against temptation, God is with you. He understands the struggle and He will provide a way of escape. It’s up to you to look for the way out and then to escape.

Through God, we have the right protection for the right circumstance. Crawl under the wing of the Almighty’s protection. There you will find safety, security, and ability to win the battle.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

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