Lessons from an Ant Invasion

This spring started out like a normal spring, hot and dry.  When you live in the desert it's to be expected.  But soon we noticed a few ants here and there.  That grew to seeing them almost everywhere.  We tried a few home remedies and they just kept multiplying to the point of sitting on the sofa got you covered in ants along with multiple bites.  Nothing was slowing them down. 

We got desperate.  We had no clue what to do since we tried everything at our disposal and even tried things that seemed ridicules.  Finally a friend gave us some strong insecticide and told us how to use it.  Guess what?  It worked ... for a few days.  The reason it only worked for a few days, the ants found a crack and corner that I had not sprayed.  When I discovered those spots, they ants where pouring in unhindered.  I sprayed again.  I was intent on not giving up.  That cut them back to a trickle, but they were still coming in.  Finally, I found the main nest and dosed it with the insecticide.  I used the tools that had been given me and used them to fight them once again.  To this day, we have seen maybe a dozen ants total since then and those rode in on shows, or the dogs, or some other way.

After the ant fight was over, I was reminded of how this can relate to our daily lives.  The ants are the sins or situations that are making our lives miserable and keeping us from experience the joy God wants us to have.  We begin to allow them to distract us from everything we that matters.  We try everything we know of to get rid of the sin or the problems or situations and yet they are still there.  But by going to the Word of God and discovering the truth of the situation, we can more easily combat them, and sometimes going to a trusted friend, mentor, or fellow believer, can give us even more tools to combat the sin and the issues that have invaded our lives.  But, once we use those tools to get rid of the "ants" they find other ways to invade, but we have to use those same tools we learned from the first invasion to fight again, this time with more confidence faith that it will work.

Then we have to look for the root of the problem because until we kill the root and get it out of our life, we will always have to fight the same fight over and over.  Will the sin and situations continue to try and invade?  Just like the ants, yes they will, but the more you are successful the more confidence and praise to God you can create an atmosphere where those things cannot survive in the current atmosphere. 

When your 'ants' come, don't give up, look to God and other Godly influences in your life to fight them and maintain the atmosphere needed.  The more we keep our eyes on the solution (God our Father), the less we will be influenced by the 'ants' and the more confidence we will have in the One who brought the solution.

So, if you have 'ants' in your life, focus on The Solution (Jesus Christ) and not the problem (sin, bondages, and circumstances).  Focus on what you need to do to rise above, look for the source of the 'ants' and you will be amazed at how your attitude changes and how your atmosphere will be more conducive to living a life of freedom from sin and bondage.  Find a trusted person you can ask for help and that will give you the RIGHT advise and direction.  Don't wait until you are stressed out so much that all you see is the problem.  Look to "The Solution" and you will find freedom and life abundantly.