Germs are everywhere. Really. In fact, 80% of infections are spread the same way. Someone touches a germ-ridden surface and passes a bug along.
Dr. Elaine Jong of the Washington Travel Clinic (Seattle) says it doesn’t matter “whether germs are viral, bacterial or fungal, some can remain active on most surfaces for several days – stainless steel, wood, plastic or even the paper in a magazine.” There are a gazillion germs living on the umpteen surfaces you touch throughout the day.
When you touch germy surfaces, those germs are transmitted to your hands. When you touch your face – eyes, nose, lips, including eating – Bam! You have infected yourself. When you touch others, you pass the germs on to them. They, in turn, touch their faces and… Yes, Bam! They, too, now have the infection, and so the cycle continues.
So, can you just not touch any surfaces? Probably not. Door knobs, elevator buttons, counter tops, cell phones, faucets, magazines…all germy! What are we to do? Wash our hands. Faithfully. Vigorously. Repeatedly.
Guess what? Satan and his evil spirits are like germs – everywhere! Satan leads and controls an army of evil spirits that will do whatever they can not only to keep the lost from coming to Jesus, but to try to “take down” those who walk in fellowship with Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord. He is the enemy, he prowls and he seeks to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He is a thief seeking to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). His primary work is to defeat those who serve the Lord and to halt the building and advancement of God’s kingdom.
Just as we are not defenseless against germs – there are a multitude of medicines and a plethora of sanitizers, wipes and sprays all intended to build our defenses and protect us from the ravages of germs, prayer builds our internal strength and is our primary strategy to fight our enemy, the Devil. Just as we are faithful, fervent and persistent in washing our hands, we must be faithful, fervent and persistent in prayer – specifically in praying the truths of the Scriptures.
Kay Johns writes in Scriptures for Victory: Armed with the Sword of the Spirit, “We’re naïve if we think we’re not in the battle.” Understanding we are in a battle, we must also understand the imperative of being always ready for battle. We must cover ourselves with the blood of Christ – blood that redeems (Ephesians 1:7), sanctifies (Hebrews 13:12), cleanses and purifies (1 John 1:7), reconciles us to the Father (Colossians 1:20), binds us to His covenant of love (1 Corinthians 11:25) and protects us from Satan (Revelation 12:11).
We are prepared to fight germs when our immune systems are strong from a healthy life-style: eating fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water, controlling blood pressure and taking steps to avoid infection such as washing our hands and cooking our meats, etc.
We are prepared to fight Satan and his evil spirits when we walk in personal relationship with Christ, pray as He taught and study His words so that we may declare His truths!
RESOURCE
Scriptures for Victory: Armed with the Sword of the Spirit
FULLY ALIVE! 