Get The Message

For some odd reason lately I’ve started to receive a lot of spam in my work e-mail account. I’ve gotten all kinds of things from messages from AARP, information on car stereo systems, free coupons for groceries online, to many other things. They come all day long, some days more than others, but they have become fairly regular.

My #1 question is how they got to me in the first place. Our e-mail server has a spam filter that is supposed to keep this stuff from coming to me. We also are supposed to be monitored by the service provider and the e-mail software. Yet, with all of that protection, many of the messages are still getting through. There has to be a reason, right?

Obviously, the reason has to be that a weakness has been found in my defenses, at least when it comes to e-mail. The spammers have found something and have exploited it. Now that they have a way in they use it over and over again, they will continue to do so until another way to close that gap is found.

The same thing can happen in our spiritual lives. As a believer you have to have some barriers up that will keep the enemy away. Yet, he’s always searching for ways to get through those defenses, and when he finds that weakness he’ll exploit it until he either takes the defense down completely or you close it up again. You can put a quick patch on the problem, but it’s best to put in a long term fix that is stronger than putting your finger in the hole in the wall.

So what weakness in your spiritual life is being exploited right now? Has your time to pray been lessened for one reason or another? Is there some web site that has drawn your attention away from things that really matter? Does a new gadget take up all your time when you should be spending it with God? Is there another weakness being exploited, or maybe more than one at a time?

It’s time to shore up those defenses again. Time to get back to basics and make sure that your defenses are strong. Now that you are aware of the ways that the spam is getting through, it’s time to block it all once again. There is no need to waste your time on that which doesn’t matter. Instead, shore up the defense and get back on track with God.

Viruses

It seems that a lot of my time at work in 2011 has been spent fighting viruses on the office computers. No matter the security measures taken viruses always seem to creep onto the computers. Often times they go undetected for weeks or months before they have finally created enough havoc to be a real problem.

You do realize that this is the same thing that the devil is doing to each and every one of us daily, right? Every day he has these little attacks on us, many of which we don’t even realize are happening. It could be a TV commercial that puts something in your head. It could be a negative comment someone you work with says that gets you thinking the wrong way. It could even come in an e-mail or an advertisement on your favorite web sites.

No matter how much defense you have, at some point you are going to get infected. The key to making sure viruses don’t become major problems is to instead have good protection on the back end. You have to be able to take out the infections by the root and destroy them before they take over. This can be done in a number of ways, and only you can know what process is going to work best for you.

My point today is to realize that you are under attack at all times. Be ready to fight, as you are a part of the battle. Don’t become a casualty.