I am sorry to bring up a negative topic, but I have been thinking about the virus that spread throughout the world over the past few years. When it was at it’s peak in 2020, it impacted everything we did, from how we did our jobs, the way we unpacked our groceries, and even how we conducted our church services. Not everyone agreed on the importance of these changes, however, no matter where you stood on the topic, your life was impacted. Store shelves were empty, businesses were closed, and life was difficult to say the least.
I do not bring this up to stir bad memories, but to make a significant point. Regardless of where you stood on the issue of wearing masks, we all could agree on one thing. The virus that created such a world changing calamity was very, very small. In fact, this was the cause of some of the controversy. Many refused to wear masks because they believed that even the best ones could not filter out this minute virus.
The point is this, over these years we have witnessed a difficult worldwide impact with an itty-bitty cause. Jesus recognized the potential of this same situation in our spiritual journey. He addressed it through a couple of parables in Matthew 13. In verses 31-33 it says, “He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
The warning from Jesus is simple and direct. Satan can do great damage to our lives and the lives of those we care about with just a tiny bit of sin. That thing done in secret may stay a secret, but the effort to hide it can change how we relate to people and our attitudes and actions toward our Lord. God did not create us as compartmentalized robots. Each aspect of our life is connected to the others. This is the picture of the yeast and dough. Yeast does not stay in one corner of the loaf but impacts the entire thing.
Therefore, Jesus gives us extensive instruction in keeping the Devil away and us focused on pursuing righteousness. One of the most straightforward of these commands is given to us in James 4:7-8, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
This passage is often discussed with the focus being on resisting the devil. This is an important part of the solution, but not the starting point. We begin with submission to our Lord. This means that we allow God to direct our lives through the work of his Holy Spirit. This is a positive call to allow God to show us how to protect ourselves and build defenses in our lives that will keep Satan at bay. It is in submitting to one that we are resisting the other. The defeat of Satan does not come through our attacking him, but from using God as our shield and allowing him to face the battle for us. Paul clarifies this when we learn about the defenses that come with a relationship with Jesus. His Spirit provides armor to protect us. One of these discussed In Ephesians 5:16 and is referred to as the “shield of faith that extinguishes the flaming arrows of the evil one.” This means that the greater our faith in our Lord, the easier it becomes to deal with the temptations Satan flings at us. Our faith grows as we pursue the presence of God and learn of his power and love that will guard our hearts and minds.