So last night my home was invaded by a spider.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was the biggest, ugliest, scariest spider I’ve ever seen.
Being a strong, competent woman of faith and power, I did the only thing I knew to do. I yelled for my brother to come and kill it for me!
The only problem was that in the shuffle the horrible intruder escaped! Jamie was worried about being bit, (although he did say the upside of being bit was he could potentially become an avenger) and was tentative in his approach. While my brother was trying to kill him (and I was saying “Don’t miss, Don’t miss!) the spider escaped into a tiny crack that the carpenter forgot to fill in when he installed our vanity.
AHHHHH!!!! The frustration!!!!
Still, short of disassembling the vanity or creating a hole in the wall, there was no way we could get to the spider. It was gone (hopefully forever).
I needed to move on with my night.
The only thing was that no matter how many times I told myself not to worry, as I headed off to bed that night, all I could think about was the spider. Every time I closed my eyes I thought I could feel something crawling on me, and I’d pop up, turn on the light and check for spiders.
Quickly, it became apparent this was going to be a long night as my brain was on “spider patrol”.
Then a thought popped into my head.
“If you plug the hole, the spider won’t be able to get out”
I have to tell you that around midnight, this thought struck me as BRILLIANT!
Next thing you know I was in the bathroom plugging the hole in the vanity and the next day it was caulked shut.
Problem solved!! Unwelcome intruders could no longer enter my home!
As I went back to bed and tried to fall asleep, it occurred to me that the drama that had just played out in my home mirrored a key principle in our spiritual lives.
Here it is ladies:
We need to beware of the small cracks---the little things that we let into our hearts and minds---that give room for the enemy of our souls to work and torment us.
Anger, bitterness, unforgiveness.
Gossip.
Watching tv or movies that are filled with soft porn, foul language, or demonic references.
Listening to music that depresses us or has overly sensual content.
Sometimes something as simple as ignoring our devotional life or Bible reading.
These things (and more) create cracks in our hearts and minds that open us up to attacks from the enemy.
1 Peter 5:8 warns us "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
The only way to stop the attacks is to start spiritually caulking the holes and filling in the gaps.
How do we do this?
---Start by spending time with Jesus and in God’s Word on a daily basis.
---Allow time for the Holy Spirit to speak into your heart and convict you of any sin that allowing the enemy an opportunity to attack and defeat you.
---When the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin, quickly repent and remove it from your life. Do it as quickly as I filled that hole so that the spider couldn’t get back into my house.
The truth is that sometimes regaining victory or overcoming the difficulties in our lives is as simple as recognizing sins and choosing to make changes.
Stop watching tv and movies that are improperly influencing you.
Turn off the radio.
Work through areas of hate, anger, and bitterness.
Get back into the Word and begin applying it to your life.
The choice remains with us: Will we plug the holes or remain under attack?
Will we live in freedom or fear?
Today I want to encourage you to go after any cracks in your spiritual life as ferociously as we attacked the spider. If you have areas where you are allowing the enemy room to play with your heart or mind or attack you, close those gaps.
Be a woman of strength, of courage, and power and live in freedom!
