I was having a problem with little acorns bursting into little trees that the squirrels had planted in my flower beds, and decided to pull them out. Later in the week I noticed that my right arm had poison ivy on it on a large area from my wrist up to the middle of my inner arm. I put poison ivy lotion on it, but it kept getting worse. It became very thick in that area which puzzled me. I realized that I must have had poison ivy on my arm when I sat down in my easy chair to use my computer. It must have gotten on the cover I had on the chair so I removed it and the area started getting better.

I had noticed some areas on my hands that had red spots on them. Some were quite large and the skin was coming off in layers. I thought that maybe it was some kind of fungal infection because the areas did not itch. I tried a concoction that the Lord had given me years before when I had an abscess. It had drained after the doctor lanced it, but ended up coming back. I didn’t want to go back to see the doctor and go thru that again. I had heard if you put charcoal and flaxseed together it would draw poisons out of the body. I didn’t have any flaxseed or know where I could even get any. The Lord put it into my mind to use some drawing salve instead. I put the charcoal and drawing salve together and applied it to the abscessed area, and overnight it drained.

I used this concoction on the areas of my hands and in the morning the redness had improved. I didn’t use any that night and the next day I did a lot more outside work coming back and forth into the house. That night the areas were red and inflamed again. The thought came to my mind that maybe I had gotten the poison ivy on a lot of other areas that I had touched previously in the house and this could be the problem even though it didn‘t itch. I went about the house with a wet rag with bleach on it wiping the areas which I come in contact with a lot during the day. I used the charcoal and drawing salve concoction again and the next day the skin was so much better and began to heal.

Now, my point is, I was being infected by what I believe was poison ivy, but I couldn’t see the poison ivy or tell that’s what it really was. Sometimes we may come in contact with sin and think that going along with it just once won’t hurt. We won’t be infected by it if we hurry up and wash it off or clean it up right away promising to never do that again, but unbeknownst to us it is laying dormant just waiting for us to touch it again and again until we are fully infected. We may not even realize that we are infected with it until we see the results of the deep inroads to our souls. The best thing we can do is stay away from it to begin with. If we should become infected we need to quickly let Jesus wash it away by His blood and keep away from the plants of sin or should I say the temptations of Satan. God can and will show us these areas where Satan’s temptations are hidden. Jesus will cover our areas of infection with His blood and heal us layer by layer.

JESUS IS MY MIGHTY FRIEND

Jesus Is my Mighty Friend,
I shall love Him to the end.
When I’m lonely, sad, or blue,
He says to me, “I’ll take care of you!”

He comforts me in all my trials,
He whispers to me and brings the smiles.
He says to me, “Trust in My Word, it’s always true!”
“One day soon I’m coming back for you!”

Norma Wellman Butterflyblue7@frontier.com