So, I'm watching Animal Planet the other night.   "River Monsters" is airing an episode about Red Bellied Piranhas.  The host was documenting cases of human fatalities in the Amazon at the appetites and bites of these killer fish. It was crazy.  This is a church blog, so I will assume that you know enough about Red Bellied Piranhas that you get the picture.  (If not, just google them and you will find out more than you ever wanted to know.)

The lazy river looked so calm on the surface, but lurking beneath were thousands of schools of these carnivorous fish.  The water "looked" so peaceful and easy.  Underneath it was a death trap. 

It reminded me of some trouble we had in a church I served.  We had a problem with termites.  The church building was infested with them.  We were enjoying worship, and they were feasting on the support beams and studs!  We were growing at a few members a year, and they were multiplying by the thousands each week.  They were destructive and silent.  They were doing their damage and we never knew they were there.

Piranhas and termites. 

Life is full of them. 

 They do their work under the surface.  They are deadly and silent.  They school and colonize.  They destroy and terrify.  They do thier damage in the dark where no one is looking.   They multiply faster than we do.  Where there is one, there will be more.  They are attracted to the weak and dying.  They are the "monsters" of our souls.

What are your "piranhas" or "termites?"  What is eating at your soul?  What is going on below the surface of your life that one one can see,...but you can feel?  Is there some addiction in your life that is stripping the meat off your spiritual bones?  Is there a dishonesty that is gnawing at the foundation of your relationship with a spouse or friend? 

Are you feeding them? 

or...

Are you exterminating them?

My prayer is that we begin a spiritual termite and piranha eradication program in the lives of our families, church, and community.  Let us join forces in looking deeper into our souls instead of just looking at the surface.  Let us quit feeding our addictions, envy, greed, gossip thirst, and narcicissm.  Let us kill the termites and piranhas in our lives.

"The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly!"  John 10:10

Jack