Hosanna Restoration Church

I get in the vehicle and start to move when I realize I forgot my seatbelt. I tell myself as I put it on, “it is the law.” “Well, I am only going downtown so it would not have made that much difference, but what if there is an accident? What will you do if they ask if you had your seat belt on? Will you lie in order to avoid the fine?” This was a recent conversation I had with myself. When I finished I realized it was a very simple physical scenario that overlaps the course of a spiritual virus caused by an excuse.

Forgetting the seat belt was not a big deal, but making an excuse and letting it run its course could have been. Just as viruses are sneaky in the physical realm, they are even more so in the spiritual. You do not see them coming. You can have all kinds of warnings but they can still surprise you.

In the physical realm, there are certain viruses that are age appropriate, meaning that some ages are more susceptible than others. A little child does not necessarily understand all the preventative measures like how to cough or wash their hands correctly. A young Christian may not quite understand all the symptoms or attacks of the enemy.

On the other hand, just as a child may be more resilient and heal faster, so a young Christian may be more receptive of instruction and quickly win the victory. Some people have a greater resistance to sickness and symptoms than others. This is good as long as it does not leave them in a place for something serious to develop unnoticed.

Spiritually however, scripture warns us to be careful that we do not get to thinking that we are invulnerable to the wiles of the devil. A person of mature faith may have a great capacity to make excuses and mask symptoms. The problem is that eventually the disease will take over his or her life, and in the process many others may be infected as well.

We also must be on the look out for carriers. There are people who are not sick themselves who carry viruses that infect others. The same is true in our Christian walk. We need to be aware of carriers. We need to watch out for attitudes, excuses, and lifestyles around us that may not seem to be a problem to someone else but can cause damage to us all the same. We also need to be aware that we ourselves could be a carrier causing someone else to stumble into sickness.

None of this is complicated if we follow Jesus’ advice and walk in the light. The Son shining on us will heal every disease and deliver us from the sins that so easily entangle us. There is no excuse for not using the weapons of our warfare and winning the battle.