As I mentioned last week, my favorite season of the year is autumn. Autumn brings a certain crispness to the air, beautiful colors in the trees, fun opportunities for fire pits in the back yard … and Wisconsin’s state bird – the mosquito — is thriving. My family often enjoys sitting around a fire pit during the autumn months; however, mosquitoes seem to overtake our yard at times. Although many of my family are not bothered by the mosquitoes, they seem to find my blood particularly tasty. If I do not wear a hat and long sleeves, I will feel the constant landing of mosquitoes on my bald head and forearms. I then respond with a constant waving action to get them off my skin before they bite. There are some nights that it becomes so bad that it just about drives me crazy!
Did you know that sheep are tormented by different variations of parasites and flies. One such tormentor is called the “nose fly” (or the nasal fly as it is sometimes called). These little flies buzz about the sheep’s head, attempting to deposit their eggs on the damp, mucous membranes of the sheep’s nose. If they are successful, the eggs will hatch in a few days to form small, slender, worm-like larvae. They work their way up the nasal passages into the sheep’s head. They burrow into the flesh and there set up an intense irritation accompanied by severe inflammation.
For relief from this agonizing annoyance sheep will deliberately beat their heads against trees, rocks, posts, or brush. When the nose flies hover around the flock, some of the sheep become frantic with fear and panic in their attempt to escape their tormentors. The sheep will run, stamp their feet, they will stop nursing their young, hide in the bush at times, and sometimes even refuse to graze in the open fields.
At the very first sign of flies among the flock a Good Shepherd will apply an antidote to their heads. One shepherd mentioned he liked to use a mixture of linseed oil, sulphur and tar – he would smear this over the sheep’s nose and head as a protection against nose flies.
What a change would come over the flock – peace, restfulness, and the aggravation and frenzy was gone. — A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller
OUR IRRITATIONS
We receive many irritations in our own lives – don’t we? These irritations cause stress. According to an online article at “INC.,” here are the top stressful situations in life (I added #6-8):
1. Loss of a loved one (listed twice with death of spouse & close family member)
2. Marriage problems (listed twice with divorce and separation)
3. Trouble at work
4. Trouble with the law
5. Major illness or injury
6. Bills (connected to numbers 1-5)
7. Struggling with spiritual victory (connected to numbers 2-4)
8. Lack of rest (connected to all the above)
But it is these seemingly small irritations (like nose flies) that can turn into bigger irritations if not dealt with – and even ruin tremendous spiritual victories!
What do you do with the irritations that cross your pathway? Some ignore them. Some nurture them so they remain. Some get angry…all the time. Some play the victim. Some put on a show, never truly deal with them, and no one ones how much they hurt! None of these deal with irritations in way that brings healing.
OUR ANTIDOTE
The steps to deal with irritations must begin with the Holy Spirit. The pathway forward is not the removal of the irritation. The sheep are not calmed because the sheep are moved to a place without nasal flies. Too many people attempt to find calm from the irritations through running from the problem. Often, God calls us to walk through (not around) the irritations – enabled by His grace. The sheep must receive regular application of oil to confront the nasal flies. There must be a continuous filling of God’s gracious Spirit applied to our lives to counteract the ever-present irritations that cross our daily pathways.
4 Reminders regarding the Holy Spirit’s power:
1. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer at the time they accept God’s gift of His saving grace. Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 3:2; I Corinthians 6:19; II Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 4:30.
2. The filling of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers on a moment-to-moment basis when sin is not blocking this pathway. This is a choice we make all throughout each day (Ephesians 5:18). The Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30) and His work in us can be quenched (I Thessalonians 5:19). So, sinful choices will block the filling of the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit implies our yielding to the control the Holy Spirit over our person (Ephesians 5:18).
3. It is the Holy Spirit that produces desirable attributes in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). So … love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance all come from the filling of the Holy Spirit.
“Sin produces actions, and the Spirit produces attributes.”
— Pastor Brian Edwards
4. As human beings who are infected with a sin nature, it is impossible to be filled with the Spirit 100% of the time. Yet, we need the filling of the Spirit! We must keep a short account with God.
See it the way God sees it and CONFESS
Choose God’s Path and FORSAKE
Believe God when He says He wants to forgive!
Rejoice in God’s matchless GRACE
Final thoughts:
o For relationship irritations…pray for them. Ask God to help you love them.
o For financial irritations…pray over them, seek counsel from financially wise people, seek ways to add income and change spending habits
o For marriage irritations…communicate before it becomes a big deal, and you explode. Many irritations are not known by the other party.
o For numerous relationship irritations from different people at the same time…stop and get painfully honest with yourself. Are you the common denominator in all the relationship irritations? Are you easily offended? Are you overly defensive? Do most people rub you the wrong way? How often do you laugh or smile? Ask God to help you get to the root of the problem, because living in that position is not the answer!
o For personal loss irritations…grieve. Cry. Be sad, for a time. “There is a time for laughter and a time for weeping.” Run to Jesus and cling to Him as your very best friend. Find comfort in time with Jesus (“Be still and know that I am God”) …and find a spiritually mature person to walk with you the path of recovering from deep loss.
o For all the above and more…pay attention to your diet, exercise, and sleep habits. Each of these play a more significant part in your recovery than most of us want to admit. Long periods of “comfort food” will have lasting negative effects. Exercise will help relieve stress and negative thinking. A full 8 to 10 hours of sleep will give the provide the best position to heal.
When the true remedy to an ailment is given – the relief is beyond words! If I have risen in the morning with a horrible stiff neck and my wife begins to work a knot out of my shoulders, the relief I feel is wonderful!
God alone is the one who enables us through His Spirit to handle those irritations. Not just “barely,” but our cup runs over with His life in us and through us! He is the only answer! Turn to Him with this simple petition for Him to “anoint your head with oil.” Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit in every way. Yield to His control and the Holy Spirit to guide you, teach you , and convict you where needed. You will be amazed at the thrilling relief that such dependence and turning to the Lord will bring!