i'm hit, i'm hit!

July 6, 2005

while i was at willowcreek, i noticed that i had developed a weird rash thing on my body. it was a pretty big concern to me because i had no idea what it was. when i got back from willow, i looked it up on the internet. it seemed like i had gotten folliculitis for the second time. the first time i got folliculitis, it was from going to the barber and getting my hair cut. this time, it was from sitting in the hot tub—known as hot tub folliculitis. apparently when you sit in the hot tub, the heat opens up the pours and there's a chance that bacteria can be trapped in if the water isn't clean/hot enough.

i went to the doctor to confirm what it was and he said my self-diagnosis was right. he also said that there's nothing you can do to protect yourself against getting it either since it was the result of going to the hot tub on a daily basis. i found that to be pretty interesting.

i find it strange that Christians can walk around life thinking that just because they believe in God that they're somehow protect/shielded from any bad things. in reality, they aren't. in reality, they are more susceptible to bad things because they're in a spiritual war. Jesus Himself said there will be trouble in the world (see john 16:33). if you are a soldier in war, you are not spared from the danger that comes with it—you are not spared from pain, injury, loss and death. the longer you stay in the war, the more likely you will be hit. the closer you are to the front lines, the more likely you will be hit. if you are in the war for a long time and close to/at the front lines, your chances of getting hit are extremely high.

that's the everyday battle we're in, until Christ comes back/He takes us home. the more active, the more passionate you are for Christ, the closer you are to the front lines and the more you are a target of the enemy. since we're also in this battle for life, that means you are an even more susceptible target for the enemy. and eventually, somewhere down the road, you WILL get hit. it is the result of living the Christian life. there's nothing you can to avoid it, nothing you can do to protect yourself from getting hit (i do not mean that there isn't anything we can do to soften the blows, because there is. ephesians 6 talks about putting on our spiritual armor). it's just like going to the hot tub on a daily basis. the more often you go, and the longer you sit in there for, the higher your chances will be of getting hot tub folliculitis.

the devil hates us. he does everything in his power to take us down. he comes to kill, steal and destroy (see john 10:10). when we do the work of God, that gives the devil all the more reason to attack. he wants to thwart the church. he wants to thwart the efforts of advancing the Kingdom of God, because that means the kingdom of darkness gets smaller. this is a battle of epic proportions. but in Christ, the victory is ours. He has conquered satan on the Cross and as a result, the devil has no authority over us. while the battle is long, and the fight will be gruesome, the devil's plans will ultimately fail.

prepare yourself. memorize Scripture. know the promises of God inside out. make sure you've got some comrades who will watch your back. pray. be ready. and above all, cling to Christ. we're in this for the long haul.

"be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong" - 1 cor 16:13 [NIV]

"fight the good fight of the faith. take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses" - 1 timothy 6:12 [NIV]

Posted by Leo Chan at July 6, 2005 10:32 AM