Spiritual Immune System

A few years ago (like really ages ago), I went back to El Salvador to visit mi familia for some time. Towards the end of the trip, I had some of the typical food I used to eat when I lived there which was one of my absolute favorite dishes; turtle eggs. I know, I know, don’t judge me and cast your stones. It’s a delicacy there and not at all illegal (I think lol).

Any who, since having lived in America, I guess my stomach got used to not digesting the same way it had in the past. The food I would eat in El Salvador might not have been as FDA approved as things in the U.S. would have been, but hey, it is a 3rd world country and when you grow up in that, your body just naturally adapts. So growing up, I had a pretty tough stomach. I could eat literally anything and be perfectly fine.

Moving to the U.S. however, did more things to me than just change my geographical location. Since I was still pretty young, my immune system was still adapting and changing as I was growing. While I continued to get accustomed to the life here, my body was adapting itself to this new lifestyle.

It wasn’t until years later, during that visit back to my home country, that I realized my body was no longer like it used to be. I tried to eat some turtle eggs one night and got extremely sick. I ended up in the hospital and had to stay in bed at home pretty much the rest of my trip. I could no longer eat certain things as I used to be able to in the past.

Thinking back on that experience I learned a horrible truth physically but a serious truth spiritually. Physically, I could no longer enjoy my favorite foods and that was a huge disappointment. Spiritually however, I learned that the same thing happens to our souls.

Before we were saved, we consumed sin and it had no “effect on us”. (other than the eternal death awaiting us when we die) We were accustomed to that lifestyle and our spirit was not bothered. We were born into a world of sin therefore we live out a lifestyle of sin.

However, the moment we make a commitment in our hearts to no longer be part of this world but be transformed by the saving grace that comes from the love of Christ, we make His Kingdom our Kingdom. We have become residents of a spiritual realm. Our spiritual immune system begins to change as we feed on our Daily Bread. We continue to read God’s Word, pray, and commune with other believers so then we begin to get accustomed to the things of God.

Nevertheless, there are still times we like to go and visit our old lives. We want to partake in what we used to do and then, when we get sick, we wonder why. When we do what we did in the past, it doesn’t feel the same way. We may try to cheat in some junk food here and there thinking it won’t affect us, but our bodies don’t lie. Eventually we can find ourselves bed ridden and in desperate need for the Healer to come in and save us again.

Physically, a stomach virus is one of the worst feelings in the world. Spiritually, it is one of the worst experiences in the world

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