Parasites

According to the World Health Organization, malaria kills approximately 781,000 people annually, making it one of the most lethal diseases on our planet. It all starts when a mosquito, no more than a centimeter or so in length, taps into your bloodstream and feasts on stolen nutrients while you're occupied with other things.

Spiritually speaking, we often encounter “parasites” of a different kind which attempt to steal our thoughts, time and affection. Things inherently sinful as defined by Scripture are naturally among the first things we list as harmful, but oftentimes the things which hinder us most are those daily distractions that consume our time and energy — usually while things of even greater importance are neglected.

Of course dealing with spiritual parasites involves much more than simply recognizing their existence: immediate and sometimes drastic action must be taken against them. When's the last time you gently brushed a mosquito off your arm? If you're anything like me, on rare occasions when one shows up indoors, it's treated as anything but a welcome guest. Instead, a SWAT team (pun intended) is promptly organized to pursue its destruction. The mosquito certainly isn't accommodated, neither is it ignored as a low priority.

Don’t allow parasites to hinder your walk with God. Living with these distractions may take less effort than overcoming them, but after all, an ability to overcome is what characterizes the Christian life (1 John 5:4). Our own strength to overcome may indeed be insufficient, but in the end our testimony will resonate with that of the Apostle Paul's: "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me" (2 Tim. 4:17).