Whether you are diagnosed with an infectious bacterial disease that is deadly, or just have a severe case of head lice, I think we can all agree that the sooner we are rid of unseen and unwanted germs ...or tiny pest and their nits, the better off we will be, and able to rest well at night; yes? (yesterday’s message might help better understand where I am going with that opening statement)

In the same way that microscopes opened up our ‘natural eyes of understanding’ to a world of unseen and harmful microbes and the damage they can do to our bodies, so does God’s word open up the ‘eyes of our understanding’ (Eph. 1:17-18) to a spiritual world where unseen agents of darkness are out to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. (John 10:10) And to ignore them is to do so at our own peril, given we are taught to ‘resist’ them (James 4:7; Eph. 4:27; Hosea 4:6)

Why is it when someone experiences a flesh wound, or even a minor cut, the one of the first things we want to do is flush and cleanse the wound with hydrogen peroxide or even soapy water? We know that it is susceptible to ‘infection’ that only makes the wound worse. “Keep that clean”, they tell us...’change out that bandage daily” we are advised. To ignore such basic counsel can lead to more serious consequences that could have been avoided had we just kept the afflicted area...’clean’.

Have you ever been hurt or offended before by someone who said or did something, maybe even failed... to say or do something, and you felt that ‘prick' of pain or offense? Of course you have. And what usually follows that stab, or can I use the term ‘fiery dart’? (Eph. 6:16) It’s usually a subtle, yet steady stream of thoughts that begin to creep in to your mind.

“They should have not have said that to you; how rude!” I can’t believe he snapped at you like that. Does he even love you anymore or care about your feelings?” “You’re not going to just take that from them are you?” “Why I would stop talking to them and just ignore them for a while and see how that makes them feel; give them the silent treatment and a taste of their own medicine.”

Where do you think those ‘voices’ or thoughts are coming from, seriously? Someone or some thing is surely ‘feeding the fire’ of that pain... and before you know it... a ‘root of bitterness’ or resentment takes hold in our hearts. And it usually won’t heal itself on its own either.

Instead of ‘holding up the shield of faith to quench those fiery darts’, we allowed them in to puncture us. And when we should have been ‘bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ’ (2 Cor. 10:5), we actually welcomed those thoughts in and began to feed upon them which gave them access into our hearts. It’s only a matter of time before our hearts become hardened (Matt. 24:12) as they fill with unforgiveness and revenge and hatred; and the next thing you know, we are regurgitating that ugliness as it makes its way up from our hearts and out of our mouths (Matt. 12:34)...or should I add : our ‘public social media posts’. What is it that compels us to announce to the world what ‘so and so’ did to us as we seek to find comfort from others rallying around us to confirm that we were done wrong? I believe the Bible speaks to not letting a ‘root of bitterness spring up lest it defile many’ (Heb. 12:15)

Paul was pretty intentional when giving advice in addressing this very thing by exhorting others to forgive...’from the heart...lest Satan should take advantage of us” (2 Cor. 2:7-11) (Did he say 'Satan'?)

But what about when you are truly ‘done wrong’; how are you supposed to deal with that? May I direct you to Romans 12:17-21 for a ‘dose of spiritual antibiotics’ which also informs us that if we would just stand down and ‘back off’...God will take care of that person who wronged you? Did Jesus not experience similar wrongs and demonstrated ...’for our example’ how we should respond? (1 Pet. 2:20-23)

You do realize those passages (and others like Eph. 4:29) are in there... not for us to ‘analyze’, but ‘to do’. (Phil. 4:9; James 1:22)

And do you happen to know what those ‘spiritual antibiotics’ are? It is the ‘word of God’ ...that cleanses us. (John 15:3; 17:17; Eph. 5:26-27). I cannot underscore the importance of this fact and would encourage you to look up and mark those last three passages in your Bible.

This cleansing...that we all need to undergo and experience, is what the Bible refers to as ‘sanctifying’, which basically means the ‘setting apart to make one holy and pure’. Most churches that claim to be ‘Bible-believing’ will make the case that this process is separate from one being ‘saved’, or that our ‘salvation’ has nothing to do with being ‘sanctified’.

But what if...we’ve been wrong about that? (Heb. 12:14; 2 Cor. 7:1; Matt. 7:13-14,21-23)

Tomorrow, Lord willing...we’ll take a closer look of getting rid of those ‘head lice’.