Every night I go to bed with mosquitoes buzzing around my head, outside of my net. Sometimes I have to turn on my headlamp to make sure one didn’t sneak in. And when it does, it is definitely not a celebratory occasion. If I don’t catch it, it feeds off of me all night long, and if I do catch it I have a mess on my hands, which I have to get up and wash off. But once I get back inside, find my space secured and mosquito free, I can finally sleep.
Dealing with frustration, anger, depression, sin, or other attacks from the enemy, is a lot like my present mosquito situation. There are temptations all around and occasionally something seeps in. Until I squash it however, it feeds on me. Whether it is a lie of the enemy, a comment someone made, feeling hurt or offended, discouraged and hopeless, or another area in which I just plane ol’ disobey God in sin; holes in your net and mine do happen, but God truly longs for us to search for that place of rest (in Him) and protection from the enemy.
I think this month I have (and others have been too) fighting for that place of rest (both figuratively and literally with the whole mosquito situation). A place to sleep, a place to read His Word, a place of protection, a place that is separate from distraction: nightmares, malaria, selfish desires, worry, or frustration (which are all things I have been burdened by and dealt with this month). I know God is working on me in the midst of it all and I am thankful for His armor in Eph 6:10-18. I also know that I will never be completely free of “mosquitoes” in this life… but I can strive and fight for that place of freedom. I can be cautious of the holes in my net, alert to things that get in, and active in getting them out. I can be wise in my decisions, ask for prayer, and trust God to do the rest. In Psalms it says,” God is our refuge and strength an ever present help in time of trouble” ( Ps 46:1), and I believe that to be true!
These past weeks it hasn’t been the ministry, culture, language, or community around me that has challenged me the most. It is myself, my relationship with God, where He has me, and where He is calling me to. My hope and prayer this season of the race is Ephesians 6:10-18. I want to continue putting on the full armor of God so that I can take my stand against the devils schemes because my “struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”…and any other mosquito that tries to get in!
