Computer Virus

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I got a virus on my computer. I have been using a PC for over 15 years and have never really had a problem. This one hit me hard. It’s hard to tell exactly when I got it. A virus can sit dormant on your PC for long periods of time and then some little thing you do activates it and it begins to wreak havoc on your PC. I suspect that I recently got this one. I let my virus definitions expire for a couple of days. I just kept putting off taking care of it. I knew they were expired but I was busy. Then Sunday, the PC locked up. I had to just push the button in and hold it until it shut down. I tried restarting it about 5 times before I got it to come up. It worked for about 30 minutes – long enough for me to back-up all my data. Then it locked up again. Then it was dead. It refused to restart. It continually locked up when it was trying to boot up. I tried several tools to remove it but I couldn’t get rid of it. I finally had to completely reformat my hard drive and reload everything.

I was thinking that computer viruses are sort of like sin in our lives. The devil waits to attack you. He knows what is going on in your life and we waits for your defenses to be down. Don’t let down your guard like I let my virus protection expire. Be sure to put on the armor of God before exposing yourself to the world. (Ephesians 6:10 - 18)

Protect yourself by:
1. Being strong – Don’t forget that God is there to lean on through your struggles.
2. Truth – Truth is extremely important to your protection. Tell the truth and stand for what is true.
3. Righteousness – Make sure you spend time with God every day. It is by doing this that you can keep your life on the right track.
4. Gospel of Peace – How can you survive if your feet are not planted firmly in the truth.
5. Shield of Faith – The shield is the piece of our armor that is used to ward off the attacks of the enemy.
6. Helmet of Salvation – Be sure to protect your head. The mind is constantly under attack by the enemy. (Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:7)
7. Sword of the Spirit – The sword is God’s word/ Most of the armor is defensive. This is a piece that is offensive. You need to know it and have it in your heart so that when you need it, you can easily recall it and apply it. This is the weapon that Jesus used when the devil attacked him.
8. Praying Always – part of surviving any attack is knowing who to turn to for help. It is through prayer that you can know what God would have you do.


Ephesians 6: 10-18 (Emphasis is mine)
10.Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11.Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
12.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14.Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15.and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16.In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17.Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
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