I was driving along down the Interstate, feeling fine, when out of nowhere I felt a tickle in the back of my throat. Hmmm, I thought to myself...where is this coming from?
I convinced myself it was nothing and continued on the drive home. By the time I made it home a few hours later, it had developed into a pretty steady dry cough.
Still convinced that it was nothing, I helped unload the car and fell into an exhausted sleep.
The next morning, I felt alright, so I made coffee and started my day. Within 4 hours I felt drained and like I needed to sleep. I climbed back in bed around noon. My husband, Mark checked my temperature, and it was 99.9 so he gave me medicine and I went back to sleep.
I slept through the following morning, which was around twenty hours total, only waking up to drink, take my temperature or take pills. I wouldn’t have done that if not for Mark being there nudging me or shall I say forcing me to do it.
My mother-in-law was admitted to the hospital when I was sleeping on Friday and I didn’t even fully comprehend her situation.
I also found out that my daughter had been sleeping and not feeling well but I was so out of it that it didn’t really register to me what was happening with her either.
Mark wanted us to go to the doctor that day, which was Saturday, but I couldn’t force myself to get up and go. I didn’t realize COVID-19 had caused me to lose my senses. My fever got up over 102 degrees and I didn’t care. I wanted to sleep and be left alone.
Sunday rolls into Monday with little change. I was sicker than I can remember since 2010. Mark and Carissa were also sick, but it seemed to be a milder case.
We all go to see our PCP Monday morning and he does a drive-up test for COVID-19 which we all tested positive for. We are devastated but there’s nothing we can do but take the medication and rest.
Carissa and I are so sick, and we take a nausea pill which knocks us out. I sleep fourteen hours only waking when Mark took my temperature and forced more pills on me.
I wake up Tuesday morning fever free but still shaky. Carissa and Mark are also fever free, but Mark is now super sick.
As I sit here thinking on my personal experience with COVID-19, I can’t help but compare COVID-19 with Satan.
Satan Will Sneak Up on You
Like COVID-19, Satan is out in the world waiting to pounce on unsuspecting individuals. He will sneak up and attack when you are least expecting it. If you’re not careful, he will have you in his snare before you even realize it.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
I feel like COVID-19 snuck up on me and has devoured me these past few days. Like my mind has been overtaken. I’ve not had a care in the world other than sleeping and being left alone.
Satan wants the same when it comes to the sin in your life. He wants nothing more than for you to allow him to devour you. He wants your mind so caught up in sin that you think of little else.
If anyone knows me then you know I’m super protective of my children. For me to know that Carissa was sick and not do anything is so unlike me. COVID-19 caused me to lose all sense of reality. I didn’t comprehend what was happening.
Satan loves it when we allow sin to overtake us. When we allow sin to come before family and friends. When we allow ourselves to sin even when we know it’s wrong.
Satan loves it when you put sin before your children and others. He wants you to lead your family to an eternity with him. He knows his fate is sealed and wants as many there with him as possible.
Satan Will Hinder You
Like COVID-19 has hindered me and my family from the things we would be doing, Satan wants nothing more than to hinder you and keep you from the gospel and being obedient to Christ.
1Th 2:18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
2Co 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
We want to attend worship service. To fellowship with our brethren. But we can’t right now. COVID-19 prevents it.
We want to go see my mother-in-law in the hospital. To show our love and support for her. But we can’t right now. COVID-19 prevents it.
We want to have a nice dinner with our family. To open presents and spend quality time together. But we can’t right now. COVID-19 prevents it.
What is sin preventing you from? Take a minute and think about it. Do you even realize you are allowing Satan and sin to hinder you? To keep you from things.
Satan Wants to Overtake You
I feel like my mind has been full of nothing more than COVID-19 since it entered the picture. Do you know that Satan wants the same? He wants your mind to be full of sin? He wants you to allow him a place in your life. Even a small place.
See, Satan is happy with a small place in your life. At least at first, he is. He knows that even a small place in your life can lead to a much larger place down the road. This is his desire, his end goal.
Luk 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
All we can do to fight off COVID-19 is take medication and follow our orders from our Dr.
Luckily, we have a whole Arsenal at our disposal when it comes to fighting off Satan.
To get past COVID-19, we must follow those orders the doc gave us.
To get past sin and Satan, we must follow the commandments God has given us.
I know anyone with COVID-19 would do pretty much anything to get well. The desire to follow doc orders to get well is there for me, that’s for sure.
Same with sin. The desire to do anything to fight off Satan and sin must be there. We must be prepared to do what it takes to stay away from sin. We must love God above all and have the desire to go to Heaven.
The medicine is not there to be a burden or make us sicker. It is there to help our bodies fight off the illness.
God’s commandments are not there to be a burden, either. We should look at God’s words and His commands as a lifeline. They were given to us so we can know what it takes to get to Heaven!
Pro 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Once we understand those things, now it’s time to submit ourselves to God. I mean, how can the devil get to us as easily if we are too busy doing those things pleasing to our Heavenly Father?
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
And finally, let us follow the great example Christ set. Spend much time in prayer alone.
Luk 22:40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Luk 22:41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Mat 14:22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
Mat 14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
While our physical health is important, it is not what is most important. What’s most important is our spiritual health. Remember that. Don’t ever get so focused and involved with the physical that you put the spiritual on the back burner.
I let my guard down somewhere along the way and got COVID-19. Don’t let your guard down and lose your soul. That would be a lot worst fate than getting COVID-19 ever could be. Because it’s final. There’s no getting over it. No medication that you could take to make it better.
Unlike with COVID-19, the choice is yours to make. We couldn’t choose not to get COVID-19. We even took precautions against it.
If you lose your soul to Satan, you will spend eternity thinking about how you could have and should have done things differently. To no avail.
I implore you not to let that happen. Don’t lose your soul. Don’t let Satan have you.
Would you like to know more? Maybe have a study?
Want to know how to become a Christian?
1. Hear the Gospel. (Romans 10:17, John 8:32)
2. Believe the Gospel (Hebrews 11:6, John 20:31)
3. Repent of past sins (Luke 13:3, Acts 17:30)
4. Confess faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:10, Matthew 10:32)
5. Be Baptized (Galatians 3:27, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38)
6. Be faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10)
As always, I am happy to study with anyone, day or night. Just send a message and we will set up a time to study.
In Christian Love,
Leah Brewer
