Leaky Roof

December 30, 2015

Dennis Jernigan

During the weekend after Christmas 2015, our area was inundated with record-level rainfall for three days without end. Creeks overflowed. Roads were closed. And our roof began to leak…

We first noticed the seeping and leaking from beneath the baseboards in the basement - the basement we had just had sealed and made leak-proof a few months before. As the family used the shop vac to remove the deep puddles and manned the mop brigade to finish up, a new leak developed in the basement fireplace…

As the crew began dealing with this new leak, a cry came from upstairs. “The French doors are leaking and the floor under the piano is soaked!”

With the mop crew now fighting the leak battle on three fronts, my wife called from the bedroom, “The fireplace in our room is leaking!” Frustrating to say the least…

To top it all off, I could not physically help due to having just had surgery on my shoulder. This made me feel extra frustrated because I could do nothing to help in this battle, leaving my wife and children and children’s spouses to fight the good fight without me. The enemy began to have a hay day with my thoughts.

“Wow, you can’t even fix a simple leak. What kind of man are you?”

“Your wife and children think you’re lazy.”

“You are useless.”

As I mulled over the thoughts bombarding my mind, it dawned on me that I was allowing in a spiritual sense what was taking place in the physical realm. My mind had sprung a few leaks. A mind-leak is a lie I have allowed to penetrate the roof and walls of Truth God has built there through the years. What did I do to mop up the mess and seal the leaks in my mind?

Recognize the lies. Put off the lies. Put on the Truth. Keep declaring the Truth in spite of the rain of lies the enemy bombards my mind with. Leak seals. Mind is at rest. Peace floods in where lies once reigned!

The Truth? Whether I can fix a physical leak or not, I am no less a man than the macho he-man who can fix anything.

The Truth? My wife and children served me and blessed me and honored me by taking up the slack left by my infirmity. Love conquered even the physical leaks!

The Truth? Though physically weak, I became a prayer warrior during the three day deluge, asking the Lord to bless my wife and children and asking for the rain to stop. In the process, I saw my children walk in maturity and my wife not feel so alone in the great leak battle of 2015!

As with physical leaks, the leaky lies of the enemy are best battled with others on our side. That is why I surround myself with people who will tell me the Truth and help me pinpoint lies I believe. As with physical leaks, I take the necessary steps to mop up the mess left by lies by putting on the Truth. As with physical leaks, I take the necessary steps to ensure they are sealed properly…once again, with the Truth.

Got leaks in your thought-life today? Get Truth!

Dennis Jernigan

Tips for repairing the leaks of thought that come from time to time:

Do not call yourself something your heavenly Father does not call you

I use a simple phone app called MoodKit to help me keep my mind stayed on Christ. Within this app there is a tool called Mood Tracker. It allows me to assess my mood on a scale of one to ten. If my mood is anything less than a ten, I immediately ask myself and the Holy Spirit what lies, if any, I am believing. I then put off that lie and replace it with the Truth…and generally, my mood lightens within minutes!

Put on the Word of God with verses that help remind you of the Truth, like Isaiah 26:3 NASB which says, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.”