Imagine discovering a bear living in the crawl space under your house.
That’s what happened to Ken Johnson of Altadena, California. When he first noticed bricks scattered beneath his home, he assumed it was a raccoon or a stray dog. But after installing a camera, he woke up to a shocking discovery: a 550-pound black bear had moved in. Not for a visit. Not for a night. It had settled in.
As reported by Christine Hauser in The New York Times and later noted by Christianity Today, Johnson tried everything to drive the bear out—blasting music, sounding air horns, even using leaf blowers. Nothing worked.
Meanwhile, the bear made itself at home—rummaging through garbage, shifting bricks, and strolling the neighborhood like it owned the place.
Experts warned that the real danger wasn’t just the bear’s presence, but allowing it to stay long enough to think the crawl space was its den. Once that happened, removing it would be far more difficult.
It’s a striking picture of how sin enters our lives.
Sin rarely barges in—it settles in.
Not all at once. Not always with obvious danger. A small compromise here. A quiet resentment there. A habit that begins with a shrug. At first, it seems manageable—even harmless. But left unchallenged, it begins to rearrange the interior of our lives the way that bear rearranged the bricks under Johnson’s house—slowly, persistently, until it feels at home.
And once it settles, it does not leave easily.
I was reminded of this when leading a recent teen discussion on the importance of discipline. From an early age, we must learn to exercise self-control over our minds, our emotions, and our habits.
The apostle Paul used the metaphor of an athlete striving for victory when he wrote, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27).
First, discipline your mind.
Once impure thoughts settle in, they are not easily removed. If we dwell on them, they grow comfortable and begin to take up residence in recurring patterns of thinking. The answer is to train the mind to focus on things that are honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8).
Don’t allow worldly, carnal, and unclean thoughts to make a home in your mind.
Second, discipline your emotions.
While we may not always control what we feel in the moment, we can control how we respond—and whether we allow those emotions to take root. Too often, people justify angry outbursts, harsh words, or bitter attitudes by saying, “That’s just the way I feel.”
But feelings that are fed become feelings that stay.
If anger, jealousy, envy, or resentment are allowed to settle in the heart, they become far more difficult to remove. As Solomon wisely observed, “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back” (Prov. 29:11).
Third, discipline your habits.
As Rob Gilbert observed, “We first form our habits, then our habits form us.”
That simple truth speaks volumes about character, integrity, and spiritual growth. Sinful habits can take hold of our minds, emotions, attitudes, and actions—becoming as difficult to remove as a 550-pound black bear.
But there is hope.
With God’s help and by His grace, we can change. We can grow. We can overcome the temptations of the evil one (1 Cor. 10:12–13). But it requires effort. Diligence. Daily engagement in spiritual disciplines that shape righteous living.
Don’t let sin settle in.
Don’t let it get comfortable.
And don’t wait until it feels impossible to remove.
Take whatever steps are necessary to remove what hinders your relationship with the Lord and harms your spiritual well-being.
Don’t let the bear stay.
—Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
ThePreachersWord 