I recently had a friend over for coffee. This man works in remodeling and construction of homes in our area. I had never had the opportunity to give him the full tour of the home that I had recently bought. I motioned over to the hallway and invited him to come along.
We stepped into the half-bath that is located in the dark back corner of the master bedroom and his eyes lit up. I asked him what surprised him and he pointed to a few spots on the ceiling over the shower. He pointed out that the sheetrock was slowly turning black and brown. This meant that mold was forming in the attic and making its way through the wall. He nodded his head and said, “This is bad. You need to get that taken care of right away. That is not healthy for you and your family. If you do not address that now, it could make you sick.”
This was like a kick in the gut for me. Not because it meant work or spending money on the job. It was a dart in my heart because here I was comfortable and peaceful, raising my family in this place we called home all the while there was an enemy that was slowly creeping inside with one goal: to hurt us.
This got me to thinking one day. Could this be the state of some of us spiritually? My body has this mold out to get me, to hurt my body and those of my family. Could there be a “mold” that is out to get my spirit, soul, heart, and mind. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” This means that the enemy is out to attack each one of those areas in my life.
I woke up the next morning and took a look around at my room. I then walked into my office and analyzed everything that was in there. When I got to work I looked at my office surroundings and took them in. I asked myself – What are the things in my life that are like “mold”? Mold grows out of sight and in the dark. Just like in my bathroom, it grows without you knowing that it is there but you breath it in and out everyday. It will grow and live until you get rid of it.
I believe that everything and anything can act as “mold”. If we are not careful with what we touch, hear, or see then we can be effected by almost anything. In this day in age we are surrounded by the internet. Its in our phones and computers, at home and at work. Children as young as 3 are learning earlier and earlier to use it and adults as old as 99 are making the switch to the digital age. With pornography, music, images, and ideas so easily shared with the internet we must be very careful with what we “consume”. The internet was not made for this, of course. But just like with everything in life, Man always finds a way to use the innocent for negative.
It was a scary thought for me to think that I might be acting in a way that is hurtful for my spirit or soul and not know it. If you don’t agree with that sentence – then that makes two us. Well, not any more because I came to realize that most times when we are wrong or not doing something right – we don’t even know it. Its when we try something new that we learn through making mistakes. The English Standard Version of Lamentations 3:23, “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Everyday we live life again and its like trying something new because we move forward as sons and daughters, mother and fathers, uncles and aunts, workers and servants, and followers of Jesus.
If I am a man that is not humble……can I sense that? If I am a man that that is not merciful and passes judgement on others…..can I hear myself? If I am unjust with my wife and children……Do I see things through their eyes? If I hold resentment against those that offend me and don’t pray for them……why can’t I understand my wrong? Thats because mold grows where you can’t see it, or smell it, or hear it. If hurts you. It keeps your spirit from growing. It keeps your soul from drawing closer to God. It keeps your mind from being renewed by the Word of God and limits your understanding of what his purpose is in your life. The Bible tells us of a group of people that had to cross the desert to learn what God needed them to learn. It says that a lot of those people perished because they lacked understanding.
Whenever you identify something in your life that is hurting your marriage, your family, your workplace, your friends and then you recognize that it comes from you – don’t be afraid. I want to tell you something – there is nothing to be ashamed of. It is okay and all will be fine. All things in God are made new and the old things are gone and forgotten. Its all thrown in the most deep part of the sea. But you have to get rid of it. Whether it is a problem with pornography, music, images, etc or an attitude or characteristic, we can ask God and our Pastors for help on what to do. These things turn into a habit all too quickly and then all of a sudden we become “that guy”. “That guy…” that gets angry really easy. “that guy…” that can’t take constructive criticism. “That guy…” that is sweet to everyone else but is rude to his wife. “That guy…” that works all the time and pretends to know his family. “That guy…” that gossips about his Pastor and church. There are a lot of “those guys…” already folks. Lets be different like we were called to be.
Wither Or Thrive 