I took down my Christmas tree Monday, December 11, a day most might be setting one up.
An infestation of aphids made it impossible to keep our decorated Douglas Fir up through the holiday season. My husband and I cut it in the Lassen National Forest the day after Thanksgiving. It was on the back deck for nearly a week before we brought it inside to decorate and we saw no evidence of bugs. However, during a quick Internet search I learned aphids can rapidly reproduce in a warm home. Multiply they did!
The aphids we unknowingly carried into the house caused quite a mess. When we realized the dark clumps along the tree trunk were bug colonies and not weathered bark, I began to strip the tree of ornaments. Once the tree was out in the snow, we vacuumed the rug and nearby furniture, then shampooed the carpet. We washed walls, threw the curtains in the washing machine, and even cleaned the windows. We had to be sure the house was thoroughly cleansed of aphids.
It was at least four hours of intensive work that morning and more later in the afternoon putting ornaments away and pushing the furniture back in place. As I worked throughout the day, I began contemplating the similarity between the aphids getting transported into our house via a Christmas tree and sin entering our lives unaware.
It is possible to be oblivious to sin until the Holy Spirit convicts us. But is it possible to become more aware and prevent the infestation before we have a mess to clean up? Following are a few precautions we might take.
**Acknowledge our tendency to sin.
In an A-to-Z guide to Bible application I have on my bookshelf I read, “The first step toward avoiding sin is to acknowledge our tendency to sin. Only then will we be ready to say no.”1
For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me. Psalm 38:17 NASB
Since we are sinners by nature we are always “on the verge of sin as if we were walking along the edge of a cliff and could fall at any moment.”
It’s good to navigate our days as if we were walking through a minefield. Just as we would avoid stepping on a mine by changing direction, we can avoid stepping into sin the same way.
**Understand what it means to sin.
We sin when we violate the law of God and thus rebel against Him.
The apostle John wrote: “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4
We go our own way even though we know God has the best for us and his commands are for our good.
The first created being to rebel against God was Lucifer. Not content with his position among the angels he desired to be higher than God (Isaiah 14:12-15). Lucifer, now referred to as Satan, deceived Adam and Eve with the lie that they could become like God by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 3)
Now we all have the tendency to desire to live life our way rather than God’s way. Through Adam, we became sinners by nature.2
**Be watchful and strong in the Lord.
According to James 4:17 to know what is right and not do it is sin. As we study God’s Word we learn what is right. When I am not sure how to implement a direction given by God, I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me.
However, if I am truthful, sometimes I must fight the flesh to follow God. Jesus told His disciples to be on guard and in prayer so they would not enter into temptation.
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41
Adam and Eve entered into temptation. It’s not just the flesh that makes us vulnerable but Satanic forces. The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-18 to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. This is accomplished by putting on the armor of God to stand against the schemes of the devil. Paul names the armor as the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
Next year, if I get a fresh tree from the forest, I will certainly be more watchful of bugs. But God has given me a spiritual lesson from a physical experience and for that I am grateful. In the future I hope to remain watchful, knowing how sinful ways can so easily become habitual if allowed to go unchecked. Like the infestation of aphids on my Christmas tree.
©2023 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved
Photo by Jill Wellington courtesy of Pixabay
Let’s Talk:
1-Describe a time when you avoided stepping into sin because you were watchful.
References:
1-The A to Z Guide to Bible Application. A Billy Graham Evangelistic Association special edition published with permission from Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois.
2-Question: “What is the definition of sin?” from Got Questions.org.