Have you ever had a fever blister? If you have, then you know how painful they are. I never had a fever blister until my senior year in high school. After graduation I spent a week at the beach with friends and spent entirely too much time in the sun. By the end of the week my whole bottom lip swelled up into a blister and I was in agony. It took over a week for the blister to begin going away but the memory of the pain seemed to last much longer. I remember saying I would do anything to avoid that pain again.
While sun isn’t the only cause of fever blisters, when I am in the sun I do everything I can to prevent them. I wear sunscreen on my lips and try and keep a hat on if I am going to be out in the sun for a prolonged period of time. Stress and cold weather also bring about fever blisters.
Try as I might, I simply cannot prevent all fever blisters. I have learned, however, if I tackle it when it begins, I can shorten the duration of the pain and also forgo the ugliness of a full blown blister.
Sin is a lot like fever blisters. We know some things that will almost always lead to sin and we can avoid them as much as possible and take measures to protect ourselves [1 Thessalonians 4:3-6]. We do, however, live in a fallen world. We will continue to sin from time to time because we are not perfect.
If we will address sin the minute it happens and not allow it to fester, we can diminish its impact in our lives. Unchecked sin will become painful and destructive. King David learned this in 2 Samuel 11. He didn’t address his sin immediately and it bred more and more sin, ultimately costing him the life of his son. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 Peter 5:8-9 tells us “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Do all you can to prevent sin from entering into your life. When it does show up, deal with it immediately and then the enemy loses his hold and you live in victory without getting blistered.