Catalyst Track: Kill the Spider // Day Two

This week’s 3-day track comes from the book, Kill the Spider, written by Carlos Whittaker.

This was the lie. This was the spider.

The spider is the lie that spins the cobweb.

The cobweb is the medicator that offers false comfort through the lie.

As you start searching for your spiders, it’s gonna take some work. It is. There is Scripture that helps us understand this. Paul is talking to the church of Philippi when he tells them, “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 CSB).

In this 3-day track, Carlos challenges us to look for the ‘spiders’ in our life. He explains that the best way to truly defeat your spiders is through prayer.

Whether you may realize it or not, we are all guilty of selfish intentions. By shifting our intentions, we can act more sincerely for others. Take the next few days to recognize ways in which your intentions are misaligned and use your relationship with God to mend those areas.

 

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DAY 2: Classifying the Spider

 

My wife also has the gift of hospitality. It’s a gift from God—a desire given to her by God. The dinner parties she puts on at our house make Pinterest buzz with excitement.

 

Awhile back, on a long drive somewhere, I had the bright idea of trying to convince Heather that her passion should be turned into a business of sorts. She could become the next Martha Stewart!

 

“Carlos, the second it becomes a business, it’s no longer fun.”

 

Being the entrepreneurial addict that I am, I could not understand this response. But I could tell it wasn’t gonna happen. So the conversation shifted.

 

“So babe. Why do you do it then?”

 

There was a long pause. I could tell she was thinking really hard about the question and choosing her words carefully. “Yes, I love it. Yes, I love to make people feel loved. But, you know what?

I’ve never realized it before now, but it also makes me feel loved.”

 

Wow. There was a moment. We all desire to feel loved. This was a way she felt loved, and that wasn’t a bad thing. But the more we explored this thought over the next few days, the deeper the conversation went.

 

Heather went on to lay it out for me. Her desire—the God-given desire to host and cook and love people—had become a cobweb for her. It had become something she used in order to manipulate how she received love. She had been using her gifting and desire to feed the need she had for others’ love. Mind. Blown.

Heather realized she had made an idol out of friendship, community, and the feelings of love she received from these things.

 

And the spider, the lie, was identified as: “I must do to be loved.”

This was the lie. This was the spider.

The spider is the lie that spins the cobweb.

The cobweb is the medicator that offers false comfort through the lie.

 

As you start searching for your spiders, it’s gonna take some work. It is. There is Scripture that helps us understand this. Paul is talking to the church of Philippi when he tells them, “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 CSB).

 

REFLECT:

What is a major spider in your life? Share your thoughts in the comments below.