Now Is the Time to Act

I went to the dentist recently to get a filling redone. I informed him that I don’t respond as quickly to the pain killer as most and asked if he could give me the shot for pain about ten to twenty minutes before he was ready to begin. He gave me the one shot and left for about 10 minutes. When he came back, I told him that it was working, but I needed a little more time for the pain killer to kick in. He went ahead and gave me a second shot, I assume because he thought my body was resisting it and not delaying its effectiveness. Although it seemed to take longer than normal, the drilling and the new filling went great without any pain. I was told to wait until the numbness wore off before eating. Usually about a half hour is enough to go back to normal. On this particular day, it was a little over four hours before the numbness went away. During that time, I must have bitten my lip. There was a big white “blister” and my lip looked as if I had been in a fight. It still isn’t healed, but it is starting to look better. The longer my mouth stayed numb, the more likely I would do more damage. We live in a world where many people are walking through life numb to the things around them. They get accustomed to sin and worldly desires. They reach a point that breaking God’s law is no longer a concern for them. Why is this a problem? They like following the ways of the world because they feel they can avoid having to be responsible before God. You see, the longer we stay in this numb condition, the more damage will be done to us spiritually and the harder it will be to recover. I am thankful that I didn’t do more than bite myself. I could have caused some damage that would have been hard to repair. I know the danger of being numb too long... both physically and spiritually. We need to live our faith without outside influences. We cannot be faithful to God and live comfortably in the world. We must pursue godliness and avoid sin, for it separates us from that intimacy with God... it numbs us to the will of God and blinds us to God’s call for us. What are the things in your life that make you numb to the truth and power of God’s word. Surrender that to God. Let Him change you from within and fill you with life once again. Lord, I want my days to be full of life and purpose... Your purpose. That is only possible when You lead me. Amen