Friends of ours had a stinky problem that was not easily solved. They awakened one night and heard noise coming from downstairs. The husband went to investigate. Midway down the stairs, he spotted an animal with a white stripe wandering around the living room. Yikes! A skunk! Thankfully, the animal didn’t lift its tail and spray, though its scent drifted pungently in the air. Our friend quietly went back upstairs where his wife waited. They whispered. How did that skunk get into our house? And how do we get it out without seeing that infamous tail rising?
Hubby crept back down the stairs and waited until the skunk had moved from dining room to family room, then quickly descended the stairs and opened a couple of doors, then retreated. Thankfully, the skunk left.
Our friends made a close inspection of their home and found what they thought was the point of entry and sealed it. Problem solved! Hur-rah! But the skunk apparently had been on a scouting expedition and used another route to get in. Worse, he/or she brought a friend! Now our friends had two skunks wandering around looking for goodies. And they came back again! Whew! Even if they don’t spray, skunk eau d’cologne lingers.
Sin is like that. It’s sneaky and finds a way into our lives. It roots around and finds a vulnerable place; a duct under the floor, a loose vent, a decaying place in a foundation that leaves an opening… We drift away from church. We skip times of fellowship. We’re too busy to read God’s Word, and all too soon, “skunks” are wandering freely in our house. We begin to do what is right in our own eyes rather than following the Lord. Even worse, we end up casting blame on God when things go wrong. Adam did that in the Garden of Eden. “The woman YOU gave me…” And we know how that turned out!
Stinky business comes from stinking thinking which leads to misery and separation from God. And oh, how Satan loves that! We’re human and we do sin. Daily, unfortunately. We’re all sinner. Remember? Even when we don’t want to, we do mess up. But those of us who love God, lean in and He washes us clean through His grace because He knows we’re trying to do what’s right and what pleases Him. Do you want to protect yourself? When you hear the knock of temptation on your door, don’t welcome it in! The damage skunks can do is nothing compared to what deliberate sin can do to your life.
If our lives seem empty, if we never seem to have enough, and/or we’re in the middle of an odiferous mess, cry out to the Exterminator. God will identify the “skunks” and give you His Word and His strength to get rid of the beasts.
Be wise! Guard your “house”, for how you tend it will set the course of your life.