What they don't know won't hurt them...

These little things can’t be that bad, can they?

They are so tiny – maybe ¼ inch… or even half that size!

These little tiny – granted, not-so-cute – bugs. You can squash it in a moment – without any effort. I mean, what can a little thing like this do?

If you even see it, you would likely ignore it. It’s not worth paying any attention to… right?
Well, it’s a little, teensy-weensy, termite.

One website I read said this: “Termites are the single greatest economic pest in the United States. They cause billions of dollars in damage each year to homes and buildings. If they go unnoticed and untreated a termite infestation will completely destroy wood structures.”

Left to themselves they will take down your house.
They seem so insignificant.
I wonder if you have any termites in your house?

There are numerous ways to identify them… They will leave dropping piles (I know, gross). They will leave tunnels, crevasses, and markers that they are present and at work, slowly, methodically eating away at healthy wood.

Now I have some good news… and some not so good news.
Good news first: Termites are fairly rare in Las Vegas.
Bad news: Termites in our lives are very present and methodically at work in our healthy hearts!
Let me explain.

When we make little compromises in our lives, seemingly small and insignificant ones, it is like allowing a little termite in and have a bite or two. Unchecked it will eat more, grow, and destroy over time.

In my counseling over the years I have seen termites ravage marriages. I’ve seen the affects of ruined integrity, destroyed character, and many a conscience that has been devastated. With each of the stories, not one of them began setting out to destroy anything – they simply left their heart unchecked. Small termites that slowly decomposed parts of their lives over a long period of time.

Let me give you one example of a little termite that creeps in a lot into relationships. I have heard people say, “What they don’t know doesn’t hurt.” That, my friend, is a termite! It is a small and subtle little bug that crawls into a relationship that thinks we don’t need to be integral if the other person doesn’t know. What it really is saying is this: “I can be one person in with my spouse and I can be another when they aren’t around.” God calls us in fact to be honest. He says in Colossians 3:9-10, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.” And in Ephesians 4:29a, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth”.

You see, a little termite that eats away honesty, integrity, truthfulness. Seemingly innocent but far from it!

Let me close with one significant caution in all of this. You cannot keep up with the termites that come in. We can’t exterminate those little creatures. We can try and try and do everything in our power to get rid of them, but we will exhaust ourselves. The Bible calls it legalism – man’s effort to be clean and right before God by our standards. No, these “termites” that come, they come daily, and can be routed out by the combined work of the Spirit of God and our dependence upon Him throughout the day.

Here’s what you do to exterminate:
1) When you see a termite, thank God for pointing it out to you – you see it because the Spirit of God is pointing it out!
2) Crush it! – no holding back, no compromise, no entertaining it, ignoring it or coddling it.
3) Keep walking with the Lord, enjoy Him and trust Him to protect you and keep you – that’s what He does.

May the Lord bless a fresh walk with Him in each of our lives. And don’t forget, if you are finding a colony of termites in your life, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or Angela, call us, we would love to help do some exterminating with you.

I love you, church. I’m with you. We need each other.
In His Grip,
Pastor John