My wife Connie recently discovered that we have bagworms on one of our evergreen trees. Bagworms can infest trees and shrubs and, if left untreated, can destroy your favorite sources of beauty and shade.
We searched online to develop a plan for ridding the tree of these unwanted pests — which included removing the worms by hand and following up with a spray-on pesticide to kill any remaining worms and prevent others from making their home on the tree. I removed 100 – 150 bag worms by hand and then followed up with spray. It was a time-consuming job but, if it saves a tree, it was worth it.
What do bagworms have to do with Christian leadership? There is a correlation in our life to the infestation of bagworms on a tree and the insidious nature of sin in the life of a believer. Sin, if left unaddressed, can lead to loss of ministry, broken relationships, spiritual apathy, damaged health and even death.
How can we address the sins that have crept into our lives?
1. Address obvious sins immediately: Sins such as lust, gluttony, gossip, pornography, anger and the like are things that must be addressed. Confess them to God and ask the Lord to help you deal with them. 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises the believer that, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” There is no sin that cannot be overcome by the grace of God in our lives, and we must deal with the obvious ones immediately.
2. Ask God to uncover hidden sins: Psalm 139:23-24 provides a model prayer for every believer who desires to walk in close fellowship with God and address their own sins. The psalmist prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” God is the Father of all born-again people and will lead us to identify our own hidden sin patterns and gain victory over them by His grace.
3. Ask a friend what they see in our lives: It is a good friend who will tell you when you have broccoli in your teeth or something on your face that they, and others, can see but you cannot. Who is in your life that could help you see areas of potential sin? Who could you talk to about your moods, anger, cynicism, complaints, critical spirit and the other manifestations of a deeper heart problem? Those of us in Christian leadership are called to be an example in faith and conduct — but we are no less susceptible to deep rooted sin problems than others. Find a friend who can help you see what you may be missing.
4. Put healthy safeguards in place: When it comes to protecting an evergreen from bagworms, the recommended safeguards include installing a bird feeder nearby and monitoring the tree annually. Apparently, birds can help keep these worms away from your trees. To protect ourselves from insidious sin, healthy safeguards could include being actively involved in a local church, taking in preaching on a regular basis, connection to a group of growing Christians, having an accountability friend with whom you can be fully transparent and even participation in an annual retreat or conference that could serve as a spiritual check-up.
5. Stay spiritually healthy: The best thing we can do to fight against sin is to stay close to God in His word and prayer. A daily quiet time and the humble practice of other spiritual disciplines will help us fight against temptation and sin. It was evangelist D.L. Moody who said, “The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.” There is nothing like letting regularly looking into the word of God as a mirror and seeing in our lives what is good and right and what needs to be rooted out.
Just as bagworms have killed otherwise healthy trees, unconfessed and unforsaken sin has ruined the lives of many. May the Lord help us to be diligent in fighting against sin in our own lives.
Dr. Todd Gray 