Summer means beaches, bonfires…and bugs. Mostly bugs.
Did you know that there are more than 1 million species of insects, and that even more are discovered every year?
And did you know that there are roughly 200 million bugs per person on the planet (including 2.8 million spiders per person)?
Out at the camper, we see a few of those bugs now and then. My least favorite? The smallest bug I know: the Ceratopogonidae. It’s just 1/16th of an inch long, smaller than a mosquito. Yet its bite is painful. It leaves welts, and you never see it coming. Maybe you know it by a simpler name: No-See-Um.
The pain a No-See-Um inflicts is just the beginning. It can transmit diseases like the Oropouche virus, causing severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, meningitis, birth defects, and fetal death.
But the tiny—and terrible—bug we call the No-See-Um is an unpleasant reminder that small things cause big problems. That’s certainly true in the spiritual life, where we all battle with “No-See-ums” like pride, rage, and regret.
Mind if I ask what’s biting you, eating away at you? What are the No-See-ums in your life? (We’ve all got them).
For some of us, it’s jealousy. For others, that no-see-um is fear or anxiety. For still others, it’s greed, or bitterness, or lust. But what are we to do with our No-See-Ums? The Bible offers hope and help.
Name your No-See-Um.
Take a moment to self-assess what’s really bugging you (pun intended). What’s causing you to waste away spiritually? Confess it to God. 1 John 1:9 says If we confess our sins, He’ll forgive those sins. But there’s no forgiveness without naming the sin. You’ll feel better—cleaner—just for naming and confessing it.
Pray for Deliverance
In what we call the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus gave us this stunning phrase: “Deliver us from evil.” He intends us to speak just that way. So, why not pray, “Lord, deliver me from my bondage to fear…or greed…or lust…” If you pray, “Deliver me from evil,” He will!
Please note. It’s not enough to pray this once in a while. We must pray it every day—sometimes every hour!
We pray without ceasing because we are tempted without ceasing, attacked without ceasing, and bitten without ceasing—by our No-See-Ums.
So, we must pray without ceasing. When we do, we enlist the help of the Captain of Heaven’s armies who can—and will—deliver us from our No-See-Ums. And that’s good news!
Now…where did I put that fly swatter?
Image by Sergio Cerrato – Italia from Pixabay