THE UNSEEN VAMPIRES
It was the first day of our hiking season. The weather was cool after a few days of rain. This was a trail we had often been on. With Miley in the back, crying with excitement, we were off. After an hour we had reached the top where we would rest with some snacks and water…but not this time. Within seconds of sitting down we were completely covered with swarms of gnats. Miley tried to get them out of her eyes and ears with her paws, while Kev and I were swatting them vigorously from our eyes, ears, neck, arms..anything that was exposed to them. These were blood sucking, razor sharp teeth who makes holes in your skin, hurt like the devil, kind of gnats. We left immediately, thinking we were safe now. But we were not. They would swarm us again and again IF we stopped in one place. Our only defense was if we kept moving forward, with the wind blowing them off of us. We never saw them coming. We never heard them coming. But they were there, just waiting for a chance to suck our blood, literally. When we finally got home and took a shower, Kev took a picture of just my neck and saw the damage. Does this remind you of another enemy? One who can’t be seen, or heard, but is always waiting…crouched in the dark to suck the life right out of you? 1 Peter 5:8 describes it this way “ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. Our family was caught off guard to these gnats, but if we had known, we could have put on protective gear and been able to really enjoy our hike. We too need protection from the devil. How? By putting on the full armor of God, as shared in the book of Ephesians 6:10-18 ( I encourage you to look it up and see what God has to say ). But, suffice it to say, we are under attack, everyday, as long as we stand for Jesus…and it’s only going to get more intense in the future days. Will you be ready? Our greatest defense is our offense…to be in the Word daily, to be in constant prayer, fellowshipping with other believers, putting on the full armor of God, and obeying what God shares with us. It means NOT becoming complacent in our faith, being disciplined in our time and resources, and most importantly, sharing what Jesus has done for us so that others might be saved. Those vampire gnats may have sucked some blood out of me but I’ll be ready the next time….ok, maybe we don’t go on that trail again, right? And for some of you, it may be time to get off the trail that is leading you to your own destruction…and you don’t even know it because you can’t see it, or hear it….but the enemy is there….waiting. BUT, so is Jesus. All you need to do is call out to HIM, Jesus, and He will put you on the right path. For when the last trumpet is blown and Jesus comes to get his bride, it will be done. Will you be ready?