When I was a young naïve kid, I thought all ants were nice ants.  In Ohio we mostly had teeny tiny “sugar ants.”  They are so named because they are attracted to sweets (a trait we both share).   They were happy ants and were never much of a bother.

But when I was transplanted to Texas, I was assaulted by fire ants (which we pronounce as “far” ants).  So named because they are aggressive and bite and keep on biting as they inject bits of venom under the skin. 

These fire ants are red like the devil.  They supposedly came to us from South America by stowing away on a ship.

So how did the fire ants get to be so mean? 

At creation, God made the ants, and they were sweet natured and peaceful.  But then came the fall and all creation was affected by the curse – from a glorious garden to thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18).   

God frontloaded that one original sweet natured kind of ant with the capacity to adapt itself to its environment.  Over time that one kind was multiplied into the roughly 14,000 species that are recognized today.

This did not involve the evolution of one species to another, but the simple adaptation of the original ants to their environment.

So, I am guessing that the fire ants came to be so fiery because they grew up in a tough neighborhood. Hey, the jungles of South America are rife with giant anteaters.  Those guys had to learn to defend themselves somehow.

Though I am loathe to admit it, we Christians are a lot like fire ants.  We live in a worldly environment that pressures us to adapt ourselves to it – to allow it to reshape the values and character that have defined us.

We who were birthed in Christ’s righteousness are surrounded by the squalor of sin.  These forces pressure us to adapt ourselves to this toxic environment in which we live.

There is certainly plenty of evidence of it happening today.   Seldom a week goes by without the news of another prominent Christian who has compromised and capitulated to the pressure. 

At the moment, I am grieving the loss of Michael Tait, former member of DC Talk and the Newsboys. 

And yet, I could also take a painful introspective look at my own values and character and realize that there has been some erosion.  Things are just not as sharply defined to me as they once were.

But – we cannot – we must not adapt.  We must resist, says Peter.

“Be sober and alert. Your enemy, the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. Resist him…” – 1 Peter 5:8-9.

James agrees, “So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

But how?  How do we resist these vicious assaults and the corrosion of our character?    Paul has an answer.  He wrote, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” – Ephesians 6:13. (NASU)

He then provided us with a detailed review of the full armor that the Lord has provided for our defense.  Included are such things as the belt of truth, the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness, the foundational footwear of the Gospel, the shield of our faith, and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  – (Ephesians 6:14-18)

We are, says Paul, to put it all on…”take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist”  This armor won’t do us any good when its packed away in the closet.  We must take it up and put it on.  We need to wear it and use it. 

Resist not adapt.  That’s what we must do.

A PRAYER: Lord, help us to stand against the tidal wave of this world. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ® unless otherwise noted.