Mr. and Mrs. Benton, you have termites! My heart sank to my feet recently, as the pest control guy spoke those words to us. Dollar signs flashed before my eyes.
The front of our home has a huge window that measures about ten feet by seven feet, and has a large ledge at the bottom. The area gets morning sun, and from time to time, insects like to sunbathe there. As a result, I check the area at least a couple of times per week to see if any critters are making it home. I refuse to share my home with critters!
One morning as I looked at the ledge, I saw about a hundred little wings in several piles, and a few bodies. Surely those can’t be termites! We used to have the yearly contract on our house to insure termites could not take up residence, but we had allowed it to lapse. I took a picture of the insects and sent it to a neighbor who owns a pest control company. Within minutes he informed me that we had termites, and he would need to come inspect our house to see how bad the infestation was and how much damage had been done.
Termites tend to move in during the stormy, rainy season. While homeowners move routinely about life, these pests find a vulnerable, subterranean entry and, if unchecked, will virtually destroy a building. Termites love to do their work in the dark. Seldom, if ever, will you see them, yet they quietly eat away, until one day the beams can cave in, and the house is destroyed.
Alan checked our whole house, and then gave us the verdict. “Fortunately, you have kept your eye on this area, and caught it before the destruction could spread. We will destroy the termites before they can destroy your home.”
Termites have to be evicted or they will destroy the place they inhabit.
As believers we must be careful of spiritual termites. They try to take up residence in the hidden place of the heart, especially during rainy, stormy seasons of life. These pests invade us from the inside, take up residence and eat away, destroying our faith, hope and joy.
Make no mistake about it; our spiritual lives are vulnerable to “termites.” It is essential that we are aware of the things that desire residency in our spiritual house – things like unresolved anger and hatred, hanging on to the past, lying, immorality, faithlessness, prayerlessness, spiritual apathy, sowing of discord and a host of others. We must be alert to that which tries to take up residence in our lives.
Thank God I did regular inspections on that window area. Because of that, I saw something that did not belong there, and destroyed it before it destroyed us. Canisters are now all around our home to ensure that we have victory over the termites. Today, we are termite free!
God’s people have His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit to destroy the things that try to destroy us. Through His power, we have victory over the things that will destroy us, but we must deal with things quickly. Declare this over your life. “Satan, I refuse to share my temple with critters. Every evil insect that you send to take up residence in me, is destroyed by the Holy Spirit right now! It has no place in me. I am termite free!”