A badger met a skunk one day who would not share the right of way and raised his battle flag and said, “If you want trouble come ahead.” The badger said, “You little squirt. You are a stinker, mean as dirt.” But since you have got so much B. O. I will step aside and let you go. And the moral of this episode can serve one well along life’s road. Stay clear of all that could defile though it makes you walk an extra mile. (Pulpit Helps, July 1987).

I can personally testify to the wisdom of the badger. Even when a skunk is beaten, the stink isn’t worth it to the victor. One’s whole body, outside and inside, is effected by the skunk’s scent.

Sin has that kind of an effect upon the Christian’s life. It defiles the mind and corrupts the lifestyle. Paul the apostle warned the Ephesians to “See that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.” (Ephesians 5:15). In that same thought, he said to the Galatian Christians, “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16). The flesh does not desire the things of God. By fulfilling the desires of the flesh a person will do the works brought in by those desires. They are, sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar (Gal. 5:10-21). These things defile the individual.

On the other hand, the Christian life-style is a well measured walk. Spoken words and bodily actions are carefully chosen. Both are a witness to Jesus Christ. And the world is waiting to see Christians “walk their talk,” to live out their profession.

In his letter to the Galatians Paul writes, “Walk by the Spirit” (v. 16). The answer for pure living is a personal surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. When He sits enthroned in a believer’s life, each step will be measured by Holy Spirit leadership and Biblical direction.

I read the following illustration in Pulpit Helps which demonstrates the folly of following a fleshly lifestyle.

One day the lamb asked his mother for permission to jump over the fence and wallow in the muddy water. Of course, her reply was, “No!” Like most little lambs, he asked, “Why?” She replied, “Sheep don’t wallow.”

The lamb was upset over her response and one day while she wasn’t looking, he jumped the fence and began wallowing in the muddy water. He was having a great time. The cool mud made his body feel good.

After a while of fun, the lamb tried to get out. But he was stuck. Mud and wool don’t mix. He began calling for help. The kindly farmer came to his rescue. When cleaned, he returned to the fold. His mother repeated her answer to his “Why?” question. “Remember, sheep don’t wallow.”