Where are these worms coming from? A few years ago, dead worms littered our basement floor. We put new weather-stripping on the French door and resealed the windows—to no avail.
Sometime later I noticed the ceramic tiles between the tub and toilet lifting off the bathroom floor. When we removed the tile floor, our contractor found a disgusting graveyard of curled dead worms under the toilet base. We also discovered a tiny leak.
Repairing the leak brought an unexpected benefit and did what vacuuming and door and window sealing couldn’t. It completely vanquished the worms.
What do basement worms have to do with spiritual warfare? The water leak didn’t grab our attention, but the worms couldn’t be ignored. Sometimes we focus on removing the worms (exterior problems) when we need to look for hidden leaks. We try to curb our addictions, stop the oppression, and relieve pain, when we need to examine ourselves. Have we let unbelief, a worldly mindset, or passivity leak into our lives.
We try to curb our addictions, stop the oppression, and relieve pain, when we need to examine ourselves. Have we let unbelief, a worldly mindset, or passivity leak into our lives. #faith Click To TweetWe were created to walk by faith dependent on God. Any area that is not in line with God’s truth invites unwanted intruders.
Addressing the Leak
To fix our basement problem, we had to dig beneath the surface. The wormy irritations in our lives—worry, impatience, or critical spirit—may signal deeper issues. We needed a contractor to uncover our basement problem, and we need the Holy Spirit to discover our spiritual problems. The Holy Spirit and God’s Word work together to reveal the hidden areas in our lives (Heb. 4:12). David’s prayer provides a good start.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there is any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:23-24 (NASB)
Check Your Foundation
- Am I part of God’s family? If you’ve never invited Jesus to be your Savior, this is where to begin. Some may feel like they’re doing pretty good next to those around them. But God says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23 NIV). God’s standard is perfection. He doesn’t compare us with our neighbor but with His Son. The first step to a fully satisfying life is to join God’s family by receiving Jesus as your Savior ( Jn. 1:12; Jn. 10:10).
- Am I embracing my new identity? Some who’ve received Christ refuse to believe Christ’s death and resurrection are sufficient for them. They live stuck, seeing themselves as disappointing sinners instead of beloved children who are in the process of becoming like Christ. A saint is not someone who performs miracles but one who’s experienced the miracle of new birth (2 Cor. 5:21). No one feels close to someone they feel is always disappointed in them. Are you embracing what Christ has already accomplished for you? To hold on to your former identity tells Jesus what He did wasn’t enough.
- Am I pursuing God’s will for my life? God’s will is our sanctification. 1 Thess. 4:3-6 describes what that looks like. God gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to live holy lives before Him (Gal. 5:16; Rom. 8:2-6; Ephes. 5:17-21). Are you, by faith and through the power of the Holy Spirit, pursuing loving and pleasing God in all areas of your life? The Christian life is not divided into secular and sacred. Every aspect of a believer’s life is sacred to God.
These are just a few areas where leaks in our faith undercut our vitality and peace. I’ve written several books to help you walk with God and experience the abundant life God wants for you. When we fix the leak, life becomes sweeter and the worms disappear.
What areas would you add that can be vulnerable to leaks?
A saint is not someone who performs miracles but one who’s experienced the miracle of new birth (2 Cor. 5:21). #faith, #victory Click To Tweet
Blessings,
Sometimes I link with these great sites:
#InstaEncouragements, #TellHisStory, #Let’sHaveCoffee, #Grace&Truth
This post very much resonated with me as a major area I am focusing on this year is getting beneath the surface and finding out the root of certain thoughts and behaviors in order to follow God more closely. I love the story you shared and I like thinking of Holy Spirit as our Holy General Contractor!!!
I like that, Ann. Our Holy General Contractor! Yes, He is skilled to find the source and fix it! Thanks so much for that image.
I trying to focus on dwelling with God more and more. I find it can be so easy to get distracted and focus on the wrong thing. Thanks Debbie
Yvonne, we all face the same battle, don’t we. Abiding in Jesus is a lifelong and moment by moment pursuit.
I so love this Debbie!!!!
Thanks, Stephanie!
I thank you for writing this. I pray God gets to the bottom of our issues, so he can cleanse our hearts. Lately, I have been judgmental of others -sometimes not even liking them. Looking deeper, I see that sometimes I’m just intimidated. God has said to me how important is to have fellowship with other Christians, and to confess our sins one to another. That’s been my remedy. I ask God for the grace to love and lift people higher. Confession is what cleanses us -believing we are forgiven sets us free.
Gina, I agree. When we confess we are agreeing with God and that puts us back on the right track. Thank you so much for sharing. Lord Jesus, thank you for Gina. Wash away all the insecurities that have caused her to feel intimidated by others. Help her, like the Psalmist in Psalm 139, to praise You for how wonderfully You designed her. Bless her and fill her with your Holy Spirit and allow her to experience your peace and joy.
Such a great illustration! I love how we can relate the physical to help us understand & address the spiritual needs. So good! Hope you are doing well! Your devotions are always such s blessing!
Renee, I do too. So many parallels that help us understand the unseen realities.
This was such a good illustration of looking beneath the surface to find the root of the problem. May we have hearts willing to ask the Lord to search us, reveal to us, and then remove from us those hidden things which will erode our walk with Him.
Amen! Renovation is messy and intense in the short run. But the payoff is lasting!
These are cautionary words, my friend! Thank you!
Thank you, Michele.
This is such a great analogy, Debbie. Seeing the picture of those worms is a vivid image of what can go on in the spirit world. We need to be alert to these dangers.
Barbara, I wasn’t sure whether to include that picture, but I agree, a picture is worth 1000 words! That little drip of water seems harmless until you see what it leads too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
A wonderful illustration, Debbie, and an invitation to examine the soil of our hearts.
Thank you, Lisa.
Debbie … sometimes those leaks come slowly and do great harm behind the scenes. And other times a torrent of water appears and we’re overwhelmed. Either way, I’m so glad that our Father doesn’t find Himself befuddled or shaking His head. We find our refuge, peace, and wisdom in His loving care.
Me too, Linda. He is our help in time of need.
It’s so true that we need to get to the root of our issues instead of just skimming the surface for a quick fix. We have wasps that occasionally appear in our house. We have yet to figure out how they’re getting in, but I would love to stop them at the source instead of having to eliminate them one by one as they’re flying around my living room. 🙂
I hear you, Linda. We dealt with something like that after another renovation brought on by another leak. Addressing the source is so much better. Hope you find it!
What a great message, Debbie. We try to treat the symptoms when we need to find the cure in Christ to heal us. Thanks and God bless!
Thanks, Nancy. God bless you!
Good thoughts. So often what’s on the surface isn’t the main problem. We need to invite God to search us deeply.
Thanks, Barbara. It is easier and better in the long run.
Great question to ask Ms. Debbie. In my life, I think there’s a couple of areas. Negative self-talk and too much comparison to the world. I have to remind myself that I can’t measure my success by worldly measures. It’s less what the world thinks and more what God thinks of what I’m doing or how successful I might be doing it.
J.D., those are two biggies I think most of us have to guard against. They only produce misery!
You know Debbie, your message today made me think how similar this is to my recent focus on Matthew 7:3-5 about first taking the log out of our own eye first. I find that your message entwines with the same instances. We need to intentionally check ourselves first and ask God to search our hearts and bring to the forefront things we need to address in ourselves so we can see Him and others clearly. Thank you so much for sharing this as it really resonated with me.
Visiting today from Joanne’s.
Paula, that is a perfect compliment to this. When we’re critical of others we need to look at ourselves first and deal with our stuff before we can see clearly to help someone else. Thanks so much for adding that.
Debbie, what a gross problem with a great analogy! Thanks for sharing these wise strategies for self-examination.
Annie, it was a gross discovery! 🙂