I have a large leaning pot that sits on my motorhome lot. It contains two Calibracho Cappuccino plants that I planted in that pot back in the spring. I have taken very good care of those two little plants, or so I thought. I watered them and fed them Miracle Grow and they took off and grew like mad. The flowers are really pretty. They close when it rains and at night. They open with the first hint of daylight. They merged into one large plant and looked beautiful. I say looked, past tense if you notice.

One day I saw that the blooms were almost all gone and many of the very small leaves were missing as well. There were also a lot of strange-looking seed-like pods on the ground underneath them. They were not seeds, the balls were from and made by something very bad, but I didn’t know what, at first. Then a beam of sunlight hit the plant and I saw a flash of bright green that looked out of place. I inspected the spot closer and saw the green had black vertical stripes, nasty nasty-looking mouth, and a red horn at the other end of it. I then pulled off a large caterpillar and threw it in the hay field across the road, where I suspect it became bird food. I. I found two more of these camouflaged creatures clinging to the bottom parts of the plant.

I remember that one day we saw a very large moth flying around our lot. It was the size of a hummingbird and it flew like one too. It checked out the Cappuccino plant and appeared to be feeding off the flowers. Not exactly, as it turned out. It was looking for a place to lay its eggs. I eventually pulled five of its kids off my flower.

I googled this creature and found it is normally found on tobacco and tomato plants. My nice flower had become the home of Hornworms, the offspring of the Hummingbird/Hawk-moth, one of the largest moths in North America.

The flower quickly recovered from this invasion and I now keep a careful, guarding eye on it. I also treat it with an insecticide spray on soap. I do the same for my HIbiscus plant to keep Dung Beetles (June Bugs) from eating its buds. Diane’s Orchid cactus gets the same care to kill aphids.

Now comes the point of this post, you knew there would be one.

We have to protect ourselves from spiritual worms. What are some of these invaders that can eat us up? Anger, greed, lust, you name it. And they can sneak up on us, planted there by circumstances, and or neglect. By that I mean, we don’t pray enough about some situation we find ourselves in. Maybe sickness, a financial need, or family issues. The anger worm can eat us up quickly. I discovered that to be true on more than one occasion. Maybe we are tempted by something not so good and we give into it slowly over time if we drop our guard.

Provers 4:23 tells us this: Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Paul had this to say:

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What are two of the biggest and most destructive worms that can invade our spiritual plants? Rebellion towards God, and worse yet unbelief..

Isaiah 51:8 ESV

“For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.”

Deuteronomy 28:39 ESV

“You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat them.”

The above scriptures both contain a warning and a promise to two groups of people:

Isaiah 51: 7 

“Hear me, you who know what is right,
    you people who have taken my instruction to heart:
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
    or be terrified by their insults.”

Deuteronomy 28:1 

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

Which group are you in?

Derrick.