Virus protection

Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

The window popped up on my computer screen as I booted up my system for the day’s work session.

“Oh no,” I groaned. “Not again.” The notice informed me that I needed to update my virus protection files.

When I first bought my computer, I pooh-poohed the idea of purchasing a program to protect my system from “viruses” – nasty programs that sick people write and send through the Internet that either make your computer act wacky or shut it down completely.

I got through a year without incident. Then someone informed me that I’d sent an email that had a virus attached. I didn’t even know I was sick. All the horror stories I’d heard about virus-caused computer crashes, I realized, could happen to me. So I bought an anti-virus program and installed it.

I lost count of the times the program arrested an incoming virus and jailed it in quarantine. Since I don’t like the idea of anything potentially harmful in my system, even though it’s disabled in a safe place, I’d mutter a prayer that I didn’t mess things up, hold my breath, and click on the “delete” button. I remained in business.

Screening emails for incoming viruses isn't the only way the anti-virus program protects my computer. Once a week, it automatically scans my complete system for hidden viruses.

Simply installing the program, however, isn’t enough. Updates are needed daily, sometimes several times a day. My program automatically downloads new information so the program can identify the latest viruses going around and stop them before they have a chance to wreak their havoc.

I have an anti-virus program for my spirit, too. It’s called the Word of God. I update it each time I read, study, and memorize Scripture (Ps. 119:11). It abides there, deep in my heart, mind, and soul, protecting me from any incoming things that could harm me. These viruses, once attached to my spirit, either make me “act wacky” until I determine to delete the sin from my life, or control me so that I don’t do what God wants me to do.

A “window” pops up whenever I need to be reminded that God will give me the strength to resist temptation (1 Cor. 10:13), that trials perfect and strengthen my faith (1 Peter 1:6,7; James 1:2-4), that tribulations are the lot of life (John 16:33), and that I can be forgiven when I fail (1 John 1:9). Reading the Bible regularly “scans” my heart, mind, and soul for any hidden sins lurking there.

“The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV).

Taking the time each day to read the Bible helps me not only to identify sin when it tries to attach itself to me, but also to boot it out. And that’s protection I wouldn’t want to do without.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

Special-Tea: Read Ephesians 6:1-18

The right shoes

…having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace… - Ephesians 6:15 (RSV)

When he was growing up, my son David took the shoe trophy for the Huey household. He had a pair of shoes for every occasion and activity: baseball, basketball, skateboarding, school, play, work, fishing and hunting. It would have been simpler—and cheaper—if one pair would have worked for all occasions.

His different shoes, however, each had a different job to do and were crafted accordingly. His spiked baseball shoes gave him traction as he ran around the bases or through the grassy outfield. His basketball shoes gave him the ankle and arch support he needed as he ran and jumped on a hard, wooden floor. Sturdy work boots, like hunting boots, gave him support and protection as he tramped over the uneven terrain of the woods in search of firewood or game. The shoes he wore for fishing were made to keep his feet dry, while his hunting boots were insulated to keep his feet warm.

Cold, wet, or aching feet make it hard to concentrate on and complete the job at hand.

I, too, need the right “shoes” for the job God has given me: to take His peace to the world around me (John 14:27, Matthew 28:20, Acts 1:8).

In order to take this peace to others, though, I have to have it first. Where can I find it? Only through Jesus. It is a gift that comes when we receive Him as Savior and make Him Lord of our lives.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart,” Jesus says in John 14:27 (NLT). “The peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives.”

The peace of the world is fragile, mercurial and temporary. The peace that God gives is solid, unchanging and permanent.

We receive God’s peace when we pray, when we takes our concerns to Him and leave them there, when we trust Him and obey what He tells us.

“Do not be anxious about anything,” Paul wrote to the Philippian church when he was imprisoned in Rome, “but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:6-9 NIV).

Only God’s peace gives me the traction, support, warmth and protection I need to run life’s bases and stand my ground against the enemy.

Only when I have God’s Son in my heart do I have the right shoes on my feet and am ready to take that peace to a world that so desperately needs it.

Do you have the right shoes on your feet?

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace…” (Isaiah 52:7 NIV) Lord, let my feet be beautiful!

Special-Tea: Read Ephesians 6:10-20

Full house, full heart

My kids (from left) David, Shelley, Jaime, and Todd

I'm taking a sabbatical this month from my freelance work, as my daughter and her family are home for three weeks. Since we hadn't seen them in a year, I cleared my schedule so I could spend time with them. Alex, 8, and Kyle, 5, are having a blast with their "northern" cousins, Brent, 10, Madison, 6, and Deagen, 2, who live next door. Jaime lives in South Carolina.

Yesterday on the way home from VBS, we saw a black bear up close, lumbering around in a yard on the side of the road, about 50 feet away. Today we saw a doe munching at the edge of the woods behind the house, about 25 feet away (there go the flowers my husband planted).

Pictured above are my kids and their cousin Shelley, who is Jaime's age and grew up with them. It's been at least two and a half years since we've had all three together in one place at the same time. As soon as I get a picture of all five grandkids together, I'll post it.

Meanwhile, I'm having a ball enjoying every minute of the noise and commotion that comes with a full house. And I'm getting all the hugs and kisses I can! Full house, full heart.

Chest protectors

Stand firm…with the breastplate of righteousness in place. – Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)

When our boys were younger, my husband was forever reminding them of the importance of wearing the proper equipment when playing sports. So when he got his ribs bruised rough-housing with the oldest, who was in full football gear, I had to bite back the “I told you so” and go and buy the biggest Ace bandage I could find. He who preached protection was sore for a month.

Football isn’t the only activity for which participants must wear protective gear. Baseball catchers and umpires, deep sea divers, astronauts, law enforcement officials, construction workers, firefighters and soldiers all wear specially designed equipment to protect their bodies from serious injury.

Especially vulnerable is the torso, where the heart is located. The heart keeps us alive by pumping blood, containing oxygen and nutrients, throughout our bodies to every organ in our body. When our heart stops, we stop. That’s why chest protectors are so important.

In spiritual warfare, we also need a “chest protector.” St. Paul calls it the breastplate of righteousness.

Righteousness is, most simply, right thinking, right feeling and right living.

In a world where right and wrong have become relative and are too often interchanged, the line between what is right and what is wrong has become blurred. How, then, can we know what is right?

That’s easy: Read the Bible. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16 NLT).

When the winds of trial threaten my faith, when anger over a careless remark or action rises unbidden, when low funds tempt me to delay paying what I owe, when desire for others’ respect becomes more important than truth and honesty, I need to dig more deeply into God’s Word says and bind that chest protector around me even more tightly.

I should never, ever be without it. I’m much too vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. Only with it secured and in place can I stand firm.

Have you put on your chest protector today?

Thank you, God, for Your Holy Word. By reading it and putting it into practice, I can stand firm in the battles I face every day. Amen.

Special-Tea: Read Romans 3:21-26

Not an ornament

Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. Ephesians 6:14 (NIV)


When my favorite belt began to unravel, I tucked the frayed and broken edges into the weaving, hoping to extend its life span. Small wonder it was falling apart—I wore it every day with slacks, jeans, shorts or a skirt. I liked the sporty look it gave my outfit for the day.

After a couple of years of daily use, however, the belt took on a worn appearance, and, in time, I could no longer hide the frayed and broken sections, no matter how hard I tried. It was time to dispose of what I’d come to depend upon to complete my daily dress.

At first I felt incomplete, but then I noticed I really didn’t need the belt to hold up my bottoms—my middle-age spread did the job just as well. All my belt had been was an ornament, something added for decoration but having no practical value.

Two thousand years ago when St. Paul instructed the people of Ephesus to have the belt of truth buckled around their waists, a belt was more than an ornament. It was an important piece of a soldier’s armor. A strong, wide piece worn around the middle of the body, the soldier’s belt served two purposes: It protected his vital organs, and it held all the other pieces of his armor together.

In likening truth to a belt, St. Paul has shown us its importance. Truth, defined as “all that is real and will not change,” is not just something I put on to make me look good. Truth has a real and vital purpose: to protect me and to hold me together. The belt of truth gives the wearer the security and peace of a clear conscience. Unlike my imitation leather belt, the belt of truth will never unravel or wear out.

Truth is more than not telling a lie—it’s not being deceitful in any way. It’s not leaving out part of a story in order to change the meaning, either to make ourselves look good or to cover something we don’t want revealed.

Truth is keeping a promise in spite of changing situations and not going back on your word when something better comes up.

Truth is not relative, not a perspective, not a twisting of words, not telling folks what we think they want to hear.

Trust and truth are intertwined. Lose truth, and you lose trust.

In a world where deceit runs rampant, truth is refreshing and freeing.

Have you put on your belt of truth today?


Help me, O God, to bind myself with truth every day of my life. Amen.

Special-Tea: Read Ephesians 6:10-24

Doing nothing

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. –Psalm 23:2 (RSV)

On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. Genesis 2:2–3 (The Message)

In March my youngest son, now age 24, had an honest-to-goodness, real spring break. Instead of playing baseball like he did for the past four years, he went to Florida and spent a week doing little more than sitting on the beach, watching the waves, and unwinding. When he returned to Pennsylvania, he said, he was “amazingly relaxed.”

I envy him. I could use a real vacation, too.

Now, I work out of my home, so you’d think I’d schedule my vacation whenever I want. It doesn’t work that way. I feel guilty if I take time off while my husband’s working. Coordinating our vacation days doesn’t work, either. For the past several years, they’ve been spent watching David play baseball, visiting our out-of-state daughter, which usually means helping her out wherever we can (translate: work), or catching up on stuff that needs done around here. And being a baseball groupie and visiting our daughter means hours and hours on the highway. NOT relaxing. NOT fun.

My husband saves several of his vacation days for hunting season, and I always promise myself for every hour he’s in the woods, I get to spend curled up in a comfy chair, reading. But I never do. I’ve become my own slavedriver.

The word “vacation” comes from the Latin word vacare, which means “to be empty.” My friend Webster defines it as “freedom from any activity; rest.” Too often what we call a vacation is anything but.

The last time I remember having a real day of rest was one Christmas years ago when Dean took the kids to his grandmother’s for the afternoon. I never moved from my chair. I didn’t read, didn’t watch TV, didn’t listen to the radio, didn’t think, didn’t talk—I did absolutely nothing. And it felt good. When he returned, I was relaxed and refreshed. I could get a lot of mileage out of doing nothing for a spell.

Doing nothing is good for you. Honest. Not making it a lifestyle, understand. Just taking that day of rest once a week that the Good Lord said to take.

For the first several months of this year, I felt spent, mined out—in every way, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I lacked energy and drive. I’d been running on empty for far too long.

So a month ago I took a day off at the beginning of the week. I slept in until 9 a.m., then sat on the back porch in my jammies for the rest of the morning, watching the sunlight filter through the budding trees, the lone daffodil at the edge of the woods bob its head in the wind, wispy clouds float across the azure sky. I spent the rest of the day moseying around—and not allowing myself to feel guilty about it.

I felt rested, rejuvenated, recharged. And I was more productive the rest of the week.

Too often the only time I take a day of rest is when I get sick. And then, I tend to not give myself adequate time for the rest my body needs to get well. Rest not only enables me to get better faster, it also helps to keep me from getting sick in the first place by bolstering my immune system.

There’s nothing wrong with doing nothing. Because when I do nothing, I’m really doing something: relieving stress, gaining perspective, and recharging my spent batteries.

So I don’t have to run on empty.

Help me, Lord, to have a true Sabbath once a week, just like You ordained. Amen.

Special-Tea: Read Psalm 23:1–3