SELF-ANOINTED!

Hedgehog’ photo by Ratapan Anantaw on Unsplash                                                                                                   

Hedgehogs ‘self- anoint’!!!  These adorable, cute, loveable? little animals weigh 2-3 pounds and are only 7-9 inches long.  Their little bodies hold up to 6000 quills! 

If disturbed or frightened, the hedgehog curls into a tight ball with the spines sticking out in all directions.  They have a muscle that runs along the side of their body across the rump and neck which contracts and forms a bag into which the body, head and legs can be folded.  Wow, a spikey ball!  Few predators dare touch them.  They also sleep curled up.  Cozy.

They are a gardeners’ delight!  They love to eat insects, snails, slugs and even scorpions.  These nocturnal animals eat one third their body weight in one night!

They also have the ability to ‘aestivate’, a summer version of hibernation during times of extreme heat or drought when food becomes scarce. 

But it was their ‘self- anointing’ as a defense mechanism that really caught my attention!  That is actually what biologists call it.  These little animals have an ‘ask the beasts’ message worth considering!

Yes!  Hedgehogs anoint themselves.  (I wouldn’t try this at home).  

These cute, spiky animals with the beady eyes chew on an object of interest and produce a foamy saliva.  Not to worry!  They use this saliva to ‘self-anoint’ and rub this saliva all over their body. Biologists are not 100% certain why they do this.  They do agree that it is part of their defense mechanism.  The saliva is either a toxin mixture to protect them from small poisonous snakes and or a way of changing their smell, so predators have difficulty finding them.  Smell a hedgehog around here lately?

Do you realize that this is exactly what ‘the anointing’ of God does for a Christian?  And you are anointed!  ‘Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.  He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us and put his Spirit in our hearts’. 2 Corinthians 1:21. 

God’s anointing gives you as it were, ‘a new smell’!  2 Corinthians 5:17. ‘If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have pasted away, behold, all things have become new.’  ‘Where did MRB go?  Oh, I’m still here, but my life is ‘hidden in Christ’.  What a defense mechanism!  The devil can’t find you!  When he looks for you, all he’ll find is Christ!  And he will be looking for you.  ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’ 1 Peter 5:8.

And speaking of an antivenom as protection against that serpent (snake) the devil, you have the word of God which tells you that you have all the antivenom you need!  ‘Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!’ James 4:7. 

Do you trust God’s anointing as your defense mechanism?  To protect you, give you the victory in all circumstances?  

Listen to the words of King David!  ‘Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.’ Psalm 20:7.  In his day, people trusted ‘chariots and horses’ to protect them.  Today we have gated communities, security systems, fences, guns, pepper spray and police.  Air bags and Driver Assistance Technologies like forward collision, lane departure, blind spot and vehicle back-up warning systems in our cars.  All this is good.  But what are you really trusting in?  Can all these things really protect you?  Are you really at peace?  

Listen to the rest of the words of King David found in Psalm 20.  ‘Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.  They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.’ Trust God’s anointing to protect you and you will live in PEACE.

YOU ARE ANNOINTED!!!

And you don’t have to do it to yourself!