What Bugs God – Part III

Let me give a quick refresher of what was covered in the previous articles, “What Bugs God,” Parts I and II.  Passivism in general, and more specifically about the kingdom of God, murmuring, complaining, and quarrelling, unfruitfulness, and barrenness, physically and spiritually, and division, were discussed. Sitting back on our laurels, fussing about every little thing in life that is not going our way, not being productive and causing division, all seem to be reasonable characteristics that would bug God. He has given us an example and manual to guide us and show us what we should do. Namely to be active and initiative-taking, to be thankful and grateful, to be productive and reproduce, and to be peacemakers. If any of you reading this article are parents, you know that it can just really irritate you to no end when your child directly ignores what you have told them. I see these things bugging God in the same way, because he is our heavenly Father, and though he loves us unconditionally, he wants to be heard and obeyed.

We then covered wavering. Being double-minded, wishy-washy and uncertain in everything that we do, directly shows our doubt and lack of trust in God. Trust is built and kept between two parties by them keeping their word to one another. God has never lied, nor has he ever failed us. We must show him that we trust him by being firm, direct, certain, and absolute in following His directives. Lastly, we spoke of rebellion. God hates this so much that he equated it as being like witchcraft. When we deliberately ignore Gods commandments and think we have a better idea, trying to do things our own way, we remove ourselves from the protection and authority that comes with God. Witchcraft is someone trying to do something through an inferior power, trying to replicate or counterfeit the power of God. No one propagates this more than Satan himself, who knows that he will never be like the Almighty God, yet he still tries to deceive us daily.

Leading into our next item on the list of things that bug God, let us read Proverbs 6:6-11 which says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So, shall thy poverty come as one that travels, and thy want as an armed man.”  Laziness and foolishness go hand in hand, and they are really on the ‘what not to do’ list. This is not an isolated scripture, but the bible is filled with admonition regarding laziness versus work, and what the outcome of these decisions will entail. God wants us to rather take a lesson from the little ant, and use wisdom in our everyday affairs, no matter what we are faced with.

The National Geographic for Kids, website gives us, “10 Cool facts about Ants.”

1. There are over 12,000 ant species worldwide. Ranging from the ant you might find scuttling across your picnic to the ants building underground fortresses in the rainforest, to flying ants!

2. The bullet ant is said to have the most painful sting in the world! Living in humid jungle conditions such as the Amazon, their sting has been compared to being hit by a bullet – ouch!

3. Fire ants cause over £3 billion worth of damage a year! North America’s red imported fire ant might only be little, but the tiny critters have a painful bite which causes a burning sensation – hence the name “fire ant,” which costs the US millions in veterinary and medical bills every year! They’ve also been known to cause damage to farmer’s crops.

4. Ants are the longest living insects. Unlike some bugs who might only live for days or even hours, the queen ant of one particular species – the Pogonomyrmex Owyheei – can live up to 30 years – so be careful not to stand on her!

5. The ant is one of the world’s strongest creatures in relation to its size. A single ant can carry 50 times its own bodyweight, and they’ll even work together to move bigger objects as a group!

6. Ants hold the record for the fastest movement in the animal kingdom. The aptly named species of trap jaw ant can close its jaws at 140mph, which it uses to kill its prey or injure predators.

7. Ants can be found on every single continent except Antarctica. Ironic really when you consider the name.

8. Ants are social insects which live in colonies. The colony, also called a formicary, is made up of one or more egg-laying queens and a large amount of female “worker” ants who tend to her, build and maintain the nest, forage for food and care for the young. Male ants have wings, and their only function is to mate with the queen.

9. Ants don’t have ears, and some of them don’t have eyes! Ants “listen” by feeling vibrations from the ground through their feet, and eye-less ants such as the driver ant species can communicate by using their antennae! Plus, they can send chemical signals (called pheremones) released through their body to send messages to other ants! They send out warnings when danger’s near, leave trails of pheremones leading to food sources and even use them to attract a mate – a sort of ant love potion!

10. The largest ant’s nest ever found was over 3,700 miles wide! Found in Argentina in 2000, the ginormous colony housed 33 ant populations which had merged into one giant super colony, with millions of nests and billions of workers!

Reading these quick facts shows us that the description that God, the Creator of all things, gave to Solomon to share in Proverbs is indeed accurate. Ants are not creatures that sit around and wait on others to do things for them, but they are workers. They have wisdom enough to know that if they don’t get things done while they can, they will be ‘up a creek without a paddle’ later. What great lessons we can learn from them.

We can see from scripture that poverty is a direct result of slothfulness, aka, laziness, and foolishness. Here are a few quotes from the Proverbs that corroborate this statement. “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. He becometh poor that deals with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. The soul of the sluggard desires, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. The sluggard will not plow because of the cold; therefore, shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. By much slothfulness the building decays, and through idleness of the hands the house drops through.” The lazy, foolish person will find themselves and their families hungry, and without shelter if they do not learn from their mistakes and change their ways. Proverbs 10:26 tells us how much this bugs God, “As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.” Or we may relate to this description better, “It is like nails on a chalkboard.”

We read Jesus words in Matthew 25:1-13, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish, took their lamps and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

There is a stark comparison between the behavior of the five foolish virgins and the lazy sluggards we read about in Proverbs, the five wise virgins and the behavior of the industrious ants. Might I add another adjective here that correlates with laziness, which is, procrastination. None of these are your friends, but they are glaring enemies of your soul and of your daily life here on earth as well. Letting things drag on that you know needs to be done is just laziness and will ultimately cost you. The foolish virgins were not prepared for the bridegroom, because they procrastinated in going to get oil for their lamps. The person who procrastinates and does not plant their crops will not have a harvest and will be hungry.

In contrast, God wants us to use wisdom. The mother of Solomon taught him by her example that hard work pays off. For thirty verses it speaks of everything she does daily. She manages business affairs, she buys, sells, and plants to provide what is needed in the household, her family is clothed, fed, and educated by her wisdom, her husband is taken care of and holds his head up high. Verse 27 says, “She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness.” For those needing a translation on that verse, it means in pure English that she is not a sluggard, not slothful, not a procrastinator, and not lazy! Then the last verse, Proverbs 31:31 states, “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” She gets to enjoy the fruit of her labor and rest in peace knowing that everything is taken care of. That is priceless.

Those who procrastinate live with tormented minds because they are always worried about what they need to do and what has not been done. Proverbs 14:33 says, “Wisdom rests in the heart of him that hath understanding but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.”  However, God does not leave us hanging, we read in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him.” It pleases God when we succeed; therefore, he will provide all the tools we need, and all we must do is ask.

Let us move on to the eighth behavior that bugs God, which is pride. In fact, James 4:6 tells us, “God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.”  Pride was the first infraction against God. Satan, being a created heavenly being, even before the creation of mankind, is Exhibit A. He became uplifted in his own eyes, and he literally thought he could do the job of God, better than God himself, his maker. He was boldly mistaken, and there was no grace given to him either, because it is reserved for the humble. Isaiah 14:12-15 says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

Wherever there is disobedience against God’s word, which is the definition of sin, pride will be present. However, the scripture teaches that if we will not humble ourselves before God, we will eventually be humbled by Him, even as Satan was. There is a common thread in scripture of how we can avoid falling for the deception of Satan, and that is to flee, run, get out of there! If we rebuke him in Jesus’ name, he will have to flee from us also. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 1 Corinthians 6:18, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sins against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 10:14, “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.” 1 Timothy 6:11, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”

In keeping with our children’s theme on bugs, let us look at a few facts about ‘fleas.’ Though we know it is different from ‘to flee,’ yet I am just a little curious to see if there are any commonalities.  The first fact I see is, “the flea is very infamous for its role in transmitting the Black Death.” I do not know how much closer to the lies of Satan we can get than that! During the Middle Ages, in Europe and Asia, tens of millions died from this plague. Incredibly, it was not until the twentieth century, the century I was born in, that the cause of the plague was discovered to be a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. Thankfully, we live in a time where antibiotics, medications, and good sanitation habits are prevalent because the ‘plague’ is still with us and is still carried by fleas. James 1:14-15 tells us, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” This sounds like a plague to me.

Fleas will lay up to fifty eggs per day, not on the carpet as some might suppose, but mainly on your pets. They multiply at a breakneck speed. They prefer to live in humid environments. Fleas are skilled jumpers and can be very deceitful. They feed on blood, with their sucking, piercing mouthparts, up to fifteen times a day, and their feces is therefore blood also. This is an accurate description of Satan. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Fleas are not fussy about whose blood they drink, and neither is the enemy of our soul. He will attack anyone at any time, and he will kick you when you are down. This is why it is important for us to keep ourselves humble before the Lord.

An excellent, tried, and true way to stay humble is to have the heart of a servant. Keep our focus on the Lord and not on ourselves. Use the word of God as our mirror and example to keep the ‘fleas’ aka ‘the deceiver’ away, Speaking of Jesus we read in John 13:4-17, “He rose from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poured water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed need not save to wash his feet but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore, he said, Ye are not all clean. So, after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” Pride bugs God, but having humility, and acting with a servant’s heart, pleases him!

So, we have discussed in this article a few more things that we know, by reading the Word of God, which bug Him. Procrastination, slothfulness, being a lazy bone, and sluggard, which is all encompassed in the definition of foolishness, will bring us to poverty and want. We so often cry, moan, and complain to the Lord about our unfortunate circumstances when we are in fact just in a bed of our own making. He has told us clearly what to do and what not to do and has provided us with all the tools by which to live our best lives and be our best selves. We need to adopt an attitude of wisdom, proactiveness, and gratitude, and get to work so that our days can be filled with the blessings He has in store for us.

Finally, let us flee from the ‘pride of life,’ and embrace humility even as Jesus did. Philippians 2:2-11 paints a beautiful picture of what humility really looks like. “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Allow your life to begin painting a beautiful masterpiece of humility today!