The Splinter

As I was in prayer this morning, God gave me an open vision of 3 different scenarios in the lives of Christians as individuals and also corporately in the church.

God showed me a finger and it had a sliver -- you know, a splinter in it.

Now if you have ever had a splinter in one of your fingers, it can really HURT. Usually, it hurts when it goes in and at first you are like "OUCH"...and it is uncomfortable, but you can get used to it being there once it is in place for a while - especially if it is a small splinter.

Every time you touch it or bump it, sure, it hurts at little bit and you are reminded it is there due to it paining you during activity. God specifically showed me that in all the cases presented below, the sliver represents some kind of SIN or situation of sin in our lives.

Here are the 3 different types of scenarios for types of Christians:

1) The first type is the person who gets the sliver and after they say, "OUCH" -- they then look at the splinter and say to themselves, "Oh, you are NOT staying in my finger, you are a foreign object and don't belong there and will not cause me any further pain!" They immediately go to their bathroom, get out the tweezers, a needle, and a match for lighting the end of the needle to sterilize it. They then sit down and begin to dig it out. In doing so, they may cause some slight surface damage, usually - but not always, to the surrounding skin in order to get the sliver out. They work diligently on the sliver until it comes out of their finger. Normally, there is not much else that happens past this point, they simply pluck the sliver out, look at it and then "flick" it away, sending it flying from their finger into the trash.

2) The second type of person is the one who gets the sliver in their finger and after they say, "OUCH" -- they look at it, study it, and possibly think about or may even actually go and get some tweezers, but quite honestly really don’t want to 'bother' with the original point of entry on their finger because they think they might make the wound worse on the surface. They don’t really take time to consider future consequences. They don't use the tools needed to extract the splinter immediately and instead worrying say, "I think I will leave it alone, because everyone knows that slivers will simply work their own way out - eventually." Which may sometimes be true --slivers can work their way out because the infection secretions that build up around the foreign sliver object within our finger. Eventually, after an unspecified amount of time (could be a few days - or week or more) the sliver will usually work its way out due to the pressure mounting behind it.

Sure, the person may have to help it along here and there once it is in an infected state, but for the most part, the sliver works itself out due to internal infection pressure. They watch it as it festers and grows -- they see the buildup of the liquid around it, almost fascinated, they show their finger to other people (all day long), saying, "Do you SEE this thing? Look at my finger! Wow, check it out!" They wait and watch and say, "Okay God, you can take care of this, I am just going to wait on you completely".

In the meantime, the sliver continues to build up infection and although there is not usually damage to the outside surface of the skin, there is MUCH damage going on underneath. The initial ‘sin splinter’ has not only taken root within the finger causing infection pressure mount, but it soon turns a dark shade of red as tissue swells and poison develops around the foreign object. In some cases, as I have stated above, the sliver will just pop out before any serious complications occur. This person's finger is tender, it is very sore. Every time it is bumped or is used in any way, the nerves shoot pain to that area and it hurts. That finger cannot function correctly, the way it was designed, due to the splinter inside of it.

This 'leaving the splinter in' process requires time to work and the infection will need to run its course in order for the splinter to come out. The person is constantly fretting, worrying, and 'babying' that finger since they are painfully reminded of its existence. It is a foreign object; it is not supposed to be there. However, despite exterior and interior damages, once the splinter finally comes out, there usually is no lasting scarring or damage and it tends to heal over well once the healing process is completed. So much so, the person usually can't tell that there was a problem in the first place.

3) The 3rd scenario, is the person who gets the sliver in their finger and after they say, "OUCH" -- they do very much of the very same things described above that the 2nd person did. They let the splinter remain in the finger, let it sit and fester until the infection builds up, and decide to let it come out on its own. The difference is that in this case is that the splinter goes much deeper into the finger and the result is a much greater consequence, than if it had been originally dealt with in the beginning or if it had come out on its own.

So, the splinter causes greater infection as it continues to build. The infected site gets sore and increases until it is almost an unbearable localized pain. It grows due to the mounting pressure because of the person letting it continue and their personal resistance to simply deal with and treat it properly. The infection goes deeper as it spreads and now begins to cause problems in other areas. Now there is not just one problem -- but many.

Infection will slowly travel from the finger upward and soon a red line will appear. It becomes evident that this is a direct result of the infection site. Slowly, this red line begins to creep up the arm, as though someone is drawing a perfect straight line with marker upward just below the skin's surface. The reason for this is that the infection has now reached the blood stream and it slowly begins to cause blood poisoning. It will continue to grow and if left untreated -- as it becomes a worse and worse condition.

The person says to them self, "This is crazy! It was just a splinter! I can't believe how things have progressed and that all this can be the result of such a small beginning! I am not going to go to the doctor...how embarrassing." However, they do eventually end up in the doctor’s office or even in the hospital as they will require antibiotics and immediate treatment due to the fact that that red line has now moved completely up to their elbow and the poison is spreading throughout their blood stream and headed for their heart. If they choose to not get treatment or help to stop the progression, it will ultimately result in some major consequences… perhaps, their finger may have to be removed, should it develop gang green disease or other serious complications and potentially could even result in death.

God showed me these 3 illustrations which He told me can apply to both individuals or even corporately as a group. He said in my spirit, "Dawn, that is exactly what sin in our life is and how it festers. He reminded me that he doesn't like sin and that neither should his children. Sin makes him angry, He doesn't like sin – and if we are followers of Christ, we shouldn't like sin either nor entertain it.

He then asked me to evaluate which type of Christian am I?

How do I handle the 'sin' sliver?

Do I immediately go and get the needle and tweezers when I see a splinter of sin that has infected me? Do I heat the needle up with the fire necessary to sanitize it? He showed me that the fire was 'His Word (the Bible) and the Holy Spirit working together'.

Sure there may be a little bit of 'surface damage' that happens in the beginning when you dig that sliver out, but you are taking care of it, thus eliminating the problem before it can grow through repentance and change in dealing with sin situations no matter how deep or difficult they may seem to be.

Sometimes sin is painful, sometimes it seems to cause more damage on the surface than you would deem is necessary, and sometimes it even hurts people deeply - yes, situations on the surface, because of their instantaneous nature are invasive.

God went on to challenge me and say, “Or Dawn, are you the type of Christian that let’s that ‘ol sliver fester, do you ignore it despite of the pain it is causing, despite the fact that you know it is spreading, and that the infection is growing due to your sin?" It is not supposed to be there, it is not how God created us. He continued, “Do you allow that to sit and fester and do you say, "Lord, I am just going to let you take care of this and I am praying, Lord, that you work it all out."

When we know that God has given us the tools to use as believers, then if we are like him, we hate sin just as much as He does and are willing at all costs to work it out. Of course, we all will get ‘sin slivers’ from time to time simply because we live in a fallen world, but if we don't exercise the tools given to us to deal with the situation, and nip it in the bud, so to speak, sin will grow and fester sometimes with great consequence.

Gods point was that if sin DID get in, if we did get that splinter, not to let sin stay. Not to let it fester. Not to let it morph into more than the original contact. If we didn’t stop the sin from entering in the first place, God most definitely doesn’t want us to tolerate or allow the infection to have an opportunity to begin or spread in our lives or within his church. When we get so steeped in sin, it has lasting consequences and usually involves or hurts many people.

It affects the BLOOD and the HEART. It causes us to become cut off from the Father and can even result in death... all because of something that began as a simple silver of sin.

Yes, the first scenario was invasive, but private only affecting the individual -- but the 3rd one begins to involve other people. When you have an infection that is spreading into your bloodstream - the blood is being poisoned, and it requires immediate medical assistance. Now the situation has gone from a simple sliver to involving medical staff to assist you with IV antibiotics, surgery, and more. It begins to cost money and the time, knowledge, and investment of others.

In the spiritual realm, sin spreads affecting others in much the same way (ie: a little bit of leaven leavens the whole lump, 1 Cor. 5:6 and Galatians 5:9) -- requiring spiritual intervention, prayer, interceding, confrontation and/or deliverance, and personal investment of others around you.

That is why I believe God used this illustration with me. Just as easy as it is for people to get a splinter (and the fact that everyone surely has had one atleast once in their life), SIN affects everyone.

It requires the troops to be called in on your behalf if not dealt with quickly. You are rushed to the ‘church hospital’ and all those people are immediately required to deal with YOUR ‘sin splinter’, something that could have originally been dealt with semi easily in a very short period of time.

A tweezers situation now grown into a full blown emergency room scenario. It becomes a big production that was unnecessary and there is the lasting damage. Sometimes people lose feeling in their finger.

In the spiritual realm, this is equated to losing the sensitivity to the Holy Spirit or clearly hearing God's voice. In essence, we become numb. Sometimes people lose their thumb. Which in the spiritual, equates to their walk with God. Sometimes, they die from the blood poisoning. Which is the equivalent to a spiritual death and eternal damnation.

One final thought:

You might be saying to yourself, okay, Dawn I have heard the scenarios about the sin splinter and am wondering, just where is God in all this? It sounds like WE are the ones doing all the work - using the tools and such. Well, in many ways we are because ultimately we expose ourselves to the sin and thus we have to work (with God) to get the sin out. We get the splinter out...and then he brings the healing.

What I mean by that is - When you are sinning you are the only one who can stop it. Not only is repentance required in this process, but a specific will to TURN from that sin. It requires an action of our will. God can't do that part for us. It does require free will. It does require something on our behalf. It just does, that is how God made us. God will then bless it and bring the healing needed by his shed blood on the cross. (ie: By His Stripes we are Healed...Isaiah 53:5)

Now, God does set things in place to try to help us to make the right decisions so we don’t sin and directs us by the spirit to make changes. He has given us the "medical field guide" (Bible) to use and follow. Once we pluck that sin splinter out by making a new decision, repenting, thus changing our hearts and lives to line up with the Word, THEN God will come in and He will begin the regeneration and healing process to support us in the proper forward motion.

God's balm or His savve, the Holy Spirit, begins the recovery and healing process. It is through Jesus that our wounds are healed. He paid the price, He bore our iniquities, and yes, because He did those things, Because He died on the cross. Yes, it is by His Grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8), but this grace doesn't mean that sin can be treated lightly. No, not at all, not all all. In the book of Romans (Rom. 1:16), Paul talks explicitly about this very thing. God says, deal with the sin, and then I will bring about the healing.

God challenged me to consider which scenario is best? Just how did He design us to deal with sin? What does His Word say? How does He tell his Children to deal with sin? Which scenario fits?

And so I now ask you the same questions.

Be blessed!

Dawn