Do you have ants?

They keep coming back. I should expect it, but I get lulled into a happy state of ignoring each time they seem to disappear. Just when I've let my guard down, spring brings warmth, and they come back. First, there's just one, but once I accept that one .... more follow. Before I know it, they've taken over.

Ants... Tiny black ants ... every spring. 

Can you feel my pain?  My kitchen may be clean, and I may've eliminated them all last year, but they return without any effort on my part to attract them. Jeff has even tried to encourage me to be content with the small army that arrives, since we used to live where we were daily under siege.  Thinking about "when it was worse" doesn't make it better when it's "in my face now."


Sin is the same. I do my best to "keep clean," and I've waged war to eliminate it before when it's too nasty to miss.  I start to relax and get comfortable, sure I've overcome it once and for all, but it comes back. First one seeps in, then more, until I find I'm worthy of a "nasty stamp" from the spiritual health department.


God wants us to be alert to the creeping in of sin in our lives. Today in my Bible study group we're considering God's call to do away with our "old self" and replace it with a "new self."

1 Peter 1:13-16

 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

We aren't to strive for holiness because it makes us more lovable, more worthy, or more successful. We're to be holy because our Lord is holy. Today in our group (studying Kathy Howard's Unshakeable Faith) we'll compare 3 passages of scripture:

Ephesians 4:17-32 ~ Life before & after salvation & a description of how anger & speech look.
Ephesians 5:1-21 ~  Life following God's example & the difference of light & dark.
Colossians 3:1-17 ~ What to think about & what to put to death as one of God's people.

Each passage gives a comparison of what it looks like when our kitchen is clean ... and what it looks like when it's full of ants.


The funny thing about ants and sin is that they tend to "appear" without any effort at all, but they can take a lot of persistence and attention to eliminate. And in case you have "ants" and you are entertaining the thought of ignoring them, take it from me ... if you ignore one or two, they multiply!!!!

Striving to conquer the "ants" in life with you, friends,