Trusting God

Heat lamp or no heat lamp? That is the question.

I raise chickens and I currently have a flock of 18 birds. Spring is quickly approaching so I am planning my yearly chick purchase and this year, I plan to go BIG. I now have the space to have all the chickens I want and since I already have chickens, it just makes sense to start with them in turning this property into a working farm. A dear friend of mine is seriously considering starting a flock of her own and had a ton of questions on chicken care. One of her questions was, do you provide a heat lamp inside the coop during the winter? My answer? NO and here’s why.

It takes away their natural immunity; their natural ability to adapt.

Most animals have natural defenses that were placed in their design to help them adapt to the change in the seasons. If they don’t, for example, chihuahuas and hairless cats, it usually means that we have breed those traits out of them.

If you put a blanket on a horse as it gets cold, it won’t develop it’s natural winter coat and will have to continue to depend on that blanket to keep it warm throughout the winter. It is the same with my chickens. If I provide a heat source for them in their coop, I am setting them up to depend on that heat instead of their own natural ability to withstand the colder temperatures, which eventually makes them weaker and more susceptible to disease.

Of course this got me thinking, don’t we do the same thing?

God designed us for relationship with Him and yet we weaken ourselves by seeking out everything but Him.

Why do we do that?

We do this because since the beginning, we think we know best, we have tried everything we physically can to do it our own way instead of trusting the God who designed us for Him and for His purpose. When we trust in or own abilities, we loose that natural immunity that we have when we are in right relationship with God.

He promises us over and over in Scripture that He “will never leave us or forsake us” and that if we will

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8

Please read that again. This is our natural immunity, our God designed defense against sin and it’s affects on our lives.

What is it that protects us?

Trusting in the LORD with all that we are, acknowledging Him in everything we do, not being wise in our own eyes or relying on our own understanding, giving God the honor and respect He deserves, and turning from evil.

Check out the promise God gives here if we depend on Him instead of ourselves. “It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.”

Sounds like a God given natural immunity to me!

Kind of like the winter coat the horse develops or the chicken’s ability to do well in cold weather.