GUEST BLOGGER
I "met" my guest blogger, J.D. Wininger, through our Blue Ridge Bible Study Writers group on Facebook, but I'll meet him in person soon at the Enrich Conference in just a couple of weeks. J.D. writes a wonderful blog each week at "Around the Cross Dubya," and his posts center around the ranch that he and his wife own and take care of. On his blog, he states: "As a Christian writer, my sole desire is to bring glory to God by using the gifts and talents He gave me, in his service." One of those gifts that I've noticed in our friend J.D. is the gift of encouraging. J.D. is faithful to respond to others' posts and comments with some of the most encouraging words I've ever read, words that lend spiritual insight and wisdom to the subject at hand, and words that encourage the writer with kindness and empathy. Please enjoy J.D.'s powerful post below, and then check out his website for more great posts.
Nature’s Webs
by J.D. Wininger
This morning while watering the calves, I glimpsed a grasshopper that seemed to be hanging in mid-air. Like a stop-motion video, I turned to understand what I was looking at. Sure enough, a grasshopper had jumped its way right into a web from one of my garden spiders. Here, it was suspended between the side of one of my stock trailers and its rear gate. As I watched the grasshopper struggle to free itself for about fifteen seconds, I noticed the spider on the other end of the web approaching. It quickly made its way to the prey, subduing it by injecting a toxin.
After about five seconds, the grasshopper stopped struggling and the
next step in the process began. In less time that it took for the spider to
move across its web, it had killed its prey and wrapped it in its “sticky web
stuff”. I think the official name is “spiral silk”, but I’ll defer to friends
who know much more about spiders than I care to. All I know is that it’s nearly
invisible and I walk into webs at least five times each day as those pesky
spiders are everywhere in the summer. As I watched the spider work to
encapsulate its prey, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was thinking “Great! I
can eat on that big rascal for a week.”
God then gave me this thought; How many times do my children get caught up in the webs of this world?
My instant response was “Too many times Lord.” With twenty-four-hour news
cycles, the instant availability of information on the Internet, social media
(or anti-social media as I often call it), we live in information overload.
Combine all that access with the massive culture shifts I’ve seen in my
lifetime and there are more webs in this world than ever before. After taking a
few photos, I returned to my ATV and my pal Bubba the chocolate lab wormed his
way under my arm.
Sitting there with my buddy while the trough was filling, I thought about some of the world’s webs I get caught up in sometimes. Lies, gossip, politics, social issues like gun control, abortion and homosexuality, and many others fight to overtake my thoughts. These things can sometimes get my “blood boiling.” When that happens I wade right into the cesspool of sin without thinking by sharing a thought or opinion that is often not as godly as I want my thoughts to be.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of a truth I have written in my
heart. John 15:19 (NKJV) states “If
you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I
chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” I realized that when I share my love of Christ through
testimony or witness, many in the world have a vitriolic response. Yet when I
fail my Lord and slip into my carnal nature, much of the world agrees with me.
In that realization, I bowed my head and asked God’s help to keep my heart and
mind where He wants me to be.
Far from perfect, I’m learning with each passing year to
lean not on my own understanding but trust God’s guidance in my life. As I grow
to become more like His Son Jesus Christ, I am finding it easier to recognize
and avoid the world’s traps. Satan weaves many webs in this world. Find
yourself trapped in one and he will do his best to subdue your faith. I pray
each of us remember God’s promise to be with us and to never allow us to be
tempted in such a way as we have no escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). Our escape is
always our faith in God. The keys to avoiding Satan’s snares are
Recognition-Rebuke-Retreat. Recognize the web he’s set. Rebuke his attempt.
Retreat to the safety of God’s protection. And when that fails, remember how
important true Repentance is to our walk.
God’s blessings,
J.D.
Wininger
Website: https://jdwininger.com/
Wow! What an honor to be included on your award-winning blog Ms. Julie. Thank you so much for allowing me to share the message God gave me with your friends and followers. I can't wait to feature your guest post on an upcoming edition of Around the Cross-Dubya. God's blessings ma'am.
ReplyDeleteIt is such an honor to have you guest on my site! As I've shared with you, my husband loves spiders, just like he loves all of God's creatures, and though I appreciate them, they sure give me the heebie-jeebies!
DeleteAn excellent post dear Julie and J.D. Nature teaches, Holy Spirit convicts. I appreciate your sharing J.D. It helped me see I, too, am growing more aware of the devil's webs in this world and growing closer to the One who Saves. May God bless you Julie and this blog and may God bless you J.D. and your pen. In Christ, Julie
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing you and your words are Ms. Julie Ann. So many "Julies" here, I have to specify. :-) Thank you; and God's blessings ma'am.
DeleteOh, Julie, I love your words: "Nature teaches, Holy Spirit convicts"!!! Great thought, and J.D. always seems to help me ponder and grow closer to God with his insightful words!
DeleteI truly enjoy messages by J.D. Wininger. He inspires and encourages me. :-)
ReplyDeleteAww... Such a sweet soul you are Ms. Melissa. You and "Licky" always find ways and words to inspire me ma'am. Thank you so much for your kindness.
DeleteMelissa, I completely agree! His gifts most definitely include writing, inspiration and encouragement! I'm sure there are many more, but he most definitely uses those to bless readers and fellow writers!
DeleteGreat story & message! Thanks. But really? Five times a day you walk into one of those spider webs? Makes me wonder how many times a day we walk into one of the world's webs!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr. Paul Linzey. Yessir; five times per day it seems. They are all over the place this summer. Barn, workshop, gates, house, fences. It's "Bugs gone crazy" this year it seems. And yessir, I believe those worldly webs are just as plentiful and just as bad sir.
DeleteYou are so right - this causes us to ponder how many times we walk into the world's webs, unbeknownst to us, and are caught without even realizing it. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteJ.D., your comparison of spider webs to webs that ensnare our thinking is convicting and thought-provoking. As you pointed out, we need God’s protection from mind-snaring traps. Thank you for wise observations.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Ms. Jeannie. Both can ensnare us when we least expect it. Have a blessed day ma'am.
DeleteJeannie, I completely agree with you that we are often entrapped physically in some manner, but, we indeed get trapped mentally in the world's snares! Both are so damaging, and J.D.'s words reminds me to clear the cobwebs regularly - in my brain, as well as externally!
DeleteOnly in Texas would a grasshopper (or a spider) be that big. Thanks, J.D. and Julie, for giving me the willies. And a powerful reminder to keep my eyes open, looking for those sticky webs Satan likes to spin. So nice to see two of my new friends hanging out together today :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting today Ms. Lori. It's been a blast learning from, and learning with, Ms. Julie this past year or so. Am so excted to be meeting her (I think her hubby too) and so many wonderful writing friends in a few weeks at the Enrich conference. I'll be sure to leave those garden spiders here. They're not bad though (scary looking though); it's the brown recluse and black widows we have to watch for here. Oh, and do they have bark scorpions in SC?
DeleteLori, aren't writing friends just the best? I thoroughly enjoy my writing friends - ones like you that I've met in person, and ones like J.D. that I only know in this remarkable medium, called "cyberworld." And, yes, we need to keep our eyes wide-open for those snares!
DeleteJ.D., isn't it great to have this writing tribe to learn from, share what we know with, and inspire and encourage each other regularly? It's wonderful! (Oh, and David won't be with me this time - I can only stay one day, because my oldest son and a colleague are visiting us from North Georgia for about five days, and I'm going to make a quick trip up to make sure I can see and meet all my Enrich friends, but will then return home to hang with my son!)
DeleteI understand Ms. Julie. I won't be able to meet Mr. David and you'll not yet meet Ms. Diane in person. Lord willing, one day soon. Maybe at BRMCWC next year as we watch you accept yet another Selah award.
DeleteWell, not sure about the Selah.... though it would be quite a blessing, but I'll look forward to that meeting, because, yes, hubby will go with me to Blue Ridge!!!
DeleteVery touching to me. I know about those webs - both natural and spiritual - and hate them. Recognition, Rebuke, Retreat, and ....Repentance.
ReplyDeleteThank You.
Oh, I love your four Rs, Jackie! And I am so grateful for God's mercy to forgive and set my feet back on the right, web-free path anew! I know that it's my job to watch for new webs, but I'm a work in progress and glad that I have a holy and perfect God leading me, each step of the way!
DeleteThank you so much Ms. Jackie. So glad you enjoyed the post ma'am. Am certain you remember all the spiders that hung around the stables; and the flies ma'am. Some of those rascals can carry away small children. :-) Thank you for commenting ma'am.
DeleteYour writing reminds me a lot of mine. Looking at life's lessons through nature to point to things eternal. Great insight and connecting the earthly world to the spiritual world. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteBen, I think I shared with you that my husband is a biologist, so, I think a lot of mine and your writings are along the same vein! God teaches me so many lessons through nature, and I just love it!! Thanks for commenting!
DeleteThank you Mr. Ben. God can use everything He's created to help us learn and grow can't He sir? So glad you enjoyed. Am going to have to look for your writing sir. Thank you!
DeleteThanks JD for providing such a powerful message. I find the visual and the actual spider web unappealing as you described, but my first thought when I read that sentence about children, was "not just children--ME!". I always enjoy your meaningful posts and this one is no exception--brings me closer to wanting to please God and to the beloved home state of my husband.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, his posts are always meaningful and insightful to me, also! But keep me away from those spiders!! (I'll enjoy their beauty from afar!) See you soon at Enrich? Can't wait!
DeleteThank you Ms. Marilyn. Your kindness means the world to me ma'am. God has given you such a gentle soul. I can't wait to one day meet you and Mr. Nutter in glory.
DeleteJulie, Thanks for sharing this post by J.D. Spiders give me the "willies"! The illustration of how Satan attempts to ensnare us in his sticky web is even worse. But praise God for He has provided help!
ReplyDeleteI especially love the closing. "The keys to avoiding Satan’s snares are Recognition-Rebuke-Retreat. Recognize the web he’s set. Rebuke his attempt. Retreat to the safety of God’s protection. And when that fails, remember how important true Repentance is to our walk."
Amen!
That was my favorite part, too, Beckie! (Partly because I'm a huge fan of alliteration!! (haha) J.D. certainly has a way with words that makes me ponder and causes me to dig deeper into the Word and to draw closer to the Lord!
DeleteLadies; I am humbled by your kindness and encouragement. Thanks again Ms. Julie. What a blast it's been as you allowed me to share the blogosphere with y'all (is that even a word?). God's blessings.
DeleteAnother Texan! Whoo-hoo! Yes, we have big spiders here. I had one on the front porch where I used to live, his (no reason why, I always thought of it as a male) body was the size of a walnut then his legs extended out from there. Since he was in the back corner and not bothering me, I left him alone.The first year he was black/dark brown. As the years passed, he got lighter in color. The final year I saw him, he was white.
ReplyDeleteJ.D. talked about the spider webs being pretty much invisible, therefore being easy to walk into them. Isn't that what satan does? He spins his lies carefully so they look nearly truthful, or they promise such reward we can't resist them. It isn't until we're tangled we realize something is wrong. There are times we see the web but the desire for what the supposed pleasurable results would be entice us to take the risk. How many times have I thought I could "get away with" a little nibble, certain I could stop before I consumed the entire poisonous fruit? More times than I will admit. But GOD knows. He's always there to pick me up when I crawl back to Him, repentant.
Like others, the older I've gotten, the more able I am to recognize satan's plans to ensnare me in his web. That's due to my closer relationship with GOD, learning more about Him, trusting Him more fully with my life. Thank You, Yeshua Messiah, for Your forgiveness, grace, patience!
Thank you, J.D., for a great blog! I enjoyed reading your insights.
Awww shucks Ms. Jann. It was my pleasure ma'am. Am sure glad you enjoyed it. And yes, it seems the more we grow (and in my case the older I get) it gets easier to see Satan's snares. I've been caught up in so many of them in my life, I ought to know what to look for. :-) Still, some do escape our spiritual vision from time to time. That's when I've learned to listen to the Holy Spirit within me. He sense things long before I do. If I just listen for His alarms, I can save myself a whole lot of time praying for forgiveness and am able to praise instead. God's blessings ma'am. Thank you for your sweet words.
DeleteWow, Jann! Your comments are spot-on!!!! "This is especially so tricky and true right here: "He spins his lies carefully so they look nearly truthful, or they promise such reward we can't resist them. It isn't until we're tangled we realize something is wrong." And, I, too, am so glad he's there to pick me back up and even gently untangle me from that web! Thanks for commenting, my Texas friend!
ReplyDeleteGreat lessons from nature that apply to our lives. Thanks J.D. and Julie!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Barbara! I just love when God does that for me, and J.D. showed me a wonderful application from icky spiderwebs that I'd rather keep my distance from! (But I do appreciate their beauty and the hard-work of the spiders that make them!)
Delete