My Septic Is Backing Up - God Is The Master Septic Fixer

I want to start this week's final Bread by thanking you all for your encouragement and kind thoughts. This has been a very challenging week (both personally--I was sick most of the week--and professionally), and yet God has given me the strength (once again) to get through it (to His glory). By now I think many of you have drawn the same conclusion I have (if you haven't please take no offense) that your septic is backing up too. Don’t be discouraged brothers and sisters. You're not alone. It is a condition that's common to man, and it can be fixed.

1Corinthians 10:12-13 (NASB)Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Roman 7:23-25 (NASB)but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

1John 1:9 (KJV)If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Galatians 5:24-25 (NASB)Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

The truth is that once sludge is in your leach field, it will never function properly again until you get the sludge out. For this purpose, I'm glad there are people who dedicate their careers to fixing these types of problems. Even though I have a "do-it-yourself" nature, I know when I'm in over my head. I have neither the ability nor the desire to get "down and dirty" with my septic system. I need a professional.

Maybe you're at a point where you're in over your head. You know your septic system needs to be fixed, but you realize you can't do it on your own. God is the best in the business for cleaning out your spiritual septic system. He has the best staff (Jesus and the Holy Spirit), and He's available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. He'll come anytime you call and clear out the sludge build-up in your heart. It doesn't matter how many years it's been sitting their rotting away at your joy. It doesn't matter how long you've lived without peace. Call on him today and enjoy a guilt-free relationship with the Father. You can begin enjoying endless showers of His blessings today.

May God bless you all, and give you a wonderful weekend.

Bill

My Septic Is Backing Up - I'll Take The Best Rooter You Got

When sludge has infiltrated your leach field and your septic is backing up, the problem won't just go away. Today we'll consider some options that are available:

2 Corinthians 12:5-10 (NKJV) Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The sad thing is, our septic fiasco didn't just occur overnight. We had many "clues" that something was going on, but we just didn't know enough about the system to recognize the signs. We (me mostly because I do a majority of the yard work) thought the "puddles" in our backyard were due to "a particularly busy month". We didn't recognize the fact that other neighbors had their tanks pumped. We thought their systems were inefficient and they weren't using the "right" microbes to handle their waste. We even considered that it was a regular old plumbing issue. This was not unknown to us because even in California, pipes get clogged. So we called out plumbers to "roto-rooter" our pipes. This seemed to temporarily help, so we eventually got tired of calling the plumber (at $100+ a pop, we made the decision after a couple "visits"), and bought a rooter devise ourselves. We bought a nice one too. At $400, it would pay for itself in no time (and we would no longer have to wait to be fit into someone else's schedule). Our ignorance and zeal to "fix it ourselves" ended up hurting us in the end.

I'm sure you can already see the faith parallel. We have the same problems with our spiritual septic systems. We fail to recognize the signs that there's a growing problem. The off-colored jokes are no longer offensive. "R" movie sex doesn't cause us to avoid renting a movie or going to the theater. We consider gossip about another person as a way to help them. There are many clues. Additionally, we see other people performing maintenance on their systems and don't stop to think of our own situations…"Why is Johnny going to alter today? He must have a problem. I'm glad I don't have a problem, everything is just fine between me and 'The Man Upstairs.'" Or, finally, we try to fix things ourselves. We think we can clean up our own act so we will be "acceptable" to God (I'm curious to know if this one has ever worked for you…it has never worked for me). People, if your septic is backing up, you need to recognize you have a problem and you need to get it fixed. We'll talk about that tomorrow.

Blessings to you all.

Bill

My Septic Is Backing Up - Taking Short Showers

The problem with your septic backing up, is that it causes you to change your lifestyle. The same is true when your spiritual septic system is backing up.

Romans 7:14-23 (NKJV)For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

1 Corinthians 7:5 (NKJV)Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Heb 10:25 (NKJV)not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

As a result of our septic problems, we have been forced to make many changes to our lifestyle. Gone are the days of full-force long hot showers (sigh). These days we take very short showers, that have just enough water trickling out of the faucet to get the job done. Gone are the days of doing laundry at home. We have met many new people at the public laundry mat. Gone are the days of care-free flushing (every flush follows the "If it's yellow let it mellow" rule…I know too much information). Each flush is a painful reminder that we have a septic problem. I will be amazed if our children don't develop a serious neurosis about toilet flushing. My point is, you have to alter your lifestyle in order to avoid or minimize the painful reminder that you have a problem.

We do the same thing in our spiritual lives. Gone are the days of guilt-free fellowship with our church family. Many people avoid contact with church friends (especially close ones) who might ask embarrassing question about our life. In fact, we may be meeting many new people in the dark places our sin takes us. Gone are the days of constant communication (prayer) with God. After all, (we think) God doesn't want to listen to us when we're living our life apart from Him. Gone are the days when we enjoy showers of God's blessings. Because we're living "defeated lives", we miss out on what God really has planned for us. I think you get the point. We allow our septic problem to separate us from the one who's ultimately going to fix the problem (oops, I let the cat out of the bag :-). Don't let Satan beat you up with the fact that you are human and are going to make mistakes. You can't be perfect (only one person in the history of the world was), but you can get better. We'll talk more about this tomorrow.

Blessings to you all.
Bill

My Septic Is Backing Up - My House Is Beautiful

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that you are well and God is working His perfect will in your lives. I'd be surprised if many of you didn't read this title and think to yourself, "Okay, it's official, Bill's lost it." To be honest with you, I'd have to agree. I don't know for sure why God wants me to share this with you because this is a personal and embarrassing thing to confess. When I lived in California, I never had this problem. The great thing about public sewage is that when there's a problem, the city fixes it. Life is a little different in rural Southern Indiana. When your septic backs up, you're the one who has to fix it. This week we're going to look at a faith parallel, and I'd like you to ask yourself the question, "Is my septic backing up?"

Jer 17:9 (KJV)The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Luke 11: 39,40,44 (NKJV)Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? ...Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."

One of my hobbies is gardening. I love to spend time in my yard planting and pruning. It may seem like arduous work to some, but to me it's relaxing and fun. As a result of the hours spent in my yard, many neighbors have commented that my yard is very attractive and they joke that it's making theirs look bad. While I appreciate the compliments, they fly in my face when I consider my entire house. The brutal reality is that people are passing by my house thinking "That's a beautiful house", and they rarely (if ever) see the inside. If they did come inside they would immediately sense (via their noses) there is a problem here.

This causes me to ponder, what about all the people who pass by me and think "That Bill is has a beautiful Christian spirit". The truth is, inside I'm dealing with sin that would cause anyone to think there is a problem here. I'm grateful you can't see my sin, it's embarrassing. The fact of the matter is Jesus knows what's going on inside of me. He knows what's going on inside of you too. Are you making your outside beautiful for everyone to see, but inside your "septic is backing up?" I hope we can grow together this week while we look at some of the causes of our spiritual back-ups. We will also look at some ways to get things fixed.

Blessings to you all.

Bill