447 | MULTIPLIERS Part 5: A Million Ants in Our RV, Guarding the Doorways, and Freedom That Fights for Others (Ft. Zach Neese)

DADAWESOME BOOKFreedom & Forgiveness
Written By Jeff Zaugg

Episode Description

A $30 campsite with a canyon view felt like hitting the jackpot… until Jeff flipped on the lights and watched the floor move. In part five of the DadAwesome Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 19 of the book, "Ant Attack," and unpacks what a million ants taught him about spotting threats, sealing entry points, and cleaning up what already got inside. Then Zach Neese joins with a sobering four minutes on the doorways we open without realizing it, and why nobody else in this world is going to guard your house but you.

Heads up: this episode is not designed for little ears. The conversation goes into spiritual warfare, darkness, and the ways private choices affect the people we love most.

  • Jeff Zaugg is the founder and host of DadAwesome, a podcast and movement helping fathers turn their hearts toward heaven and toward home. What began in 2018 as a ten week experiment with a handful of friends has grown into 400 plus interviews with dads, grandpas, pastors, and authors, plus live activation events that have gathered over a thousand men. He and his family spent more than two and a half years traveling the country in an RV. He's the author of the new book DADAWESOME.

    Zach Neese is a pastor, worship leader, and author who has spent years teaching on worship, spiritual authority, and the doorways we open in our homes. His conversation with Jeff first aired on DadAwesome episode 159, and the clip featured in this episode digs into how entertainment choices, conflict patterns, and private habits can invite influences we never intended to host. (Verify current role and book title before publishing.)

    1. The first few ants are scouts, not the problem. Train yourself to look past what's obvious and ask harder questions about attitudes, friend groups, and entertainment choices before they become a full scale invasion.

    2. Real freedom propels you to lead. Freedom is not permission to do whatever you want. Healing, forgiveness, and wholeness are what unlock your ability to serve and protect the people God gave you.

    3. Threats come through old bridges and new ones. The septic hose was modern convenience turned against them. The tree branches were nature's ancient highway. The tactics evolve, but the goal stays the same.

    4. Sealing the doors is not enough. You have to deal with what already got inside, and then intentionally replace it with something life giving. Removing the threat is not the same as restoration.

    5. Nobody else in this world is going to guard your house but you. Not schools, not church, not extended family. The assignment is yours, and it takes courage plus God's strength.

  • Jeff Zaugg [00:39]


    Welcome back to DadAwesome. Guys, my name is Jeff Zaugg, and I'm so thankful you're listening today. This is episode 447. It's part five of this summer series, DadAwesome Multipliers. Highly shareable.


    It's a flyover of the core discoveries of this ministry. I'm reading a chapter in audio. I'm gonna read you guys a chapter from each section of the book. So you got another audio chapter coming at you right now. It's not available on Audible yet, but this is the early preview.


    And then I share an expanded version of the highlighted guest. So I go back in time and share today. It's a four-minute clip from a previous episode. So I'm so grateful you're listening today. Hey, invitation, DadAwesome Accelerator, our six-week coaching cohort.


    We're rocking and rolling right now. We're in the middle of cohort number 12, and we're kicking off in early September, the 13th cohort. It's about half full already, so I've got room for about four or five more of you guys to prayerfully apply and join us for this six-week sprint. Deeply impactful. Love, love the groups of men who have stepped in.


    We're over a hundred graduates now. So check out that information at dadawesome.org/coaching. Okay, short intro. Love you guys, grateful for you guys listening, praying for you guys as you listen.


    This conversation today is not designed for little ears. Freedom is the topic. So you've got little kids. We're gonna talk about especially the clip from the podcast. It's gonna be a little heavier topic around spiritual, spiritual authority and around darkness and some heavier stuff.


    So let's dive in. Glad you're listening. Freedom Week part five of the DadAwesome Multiplier series.

    Chapter 19: Ant Attack

    After a long haul from Minnesota to San Diego, we'd finally arrived. While Michelle took the girls to Costco, I handled getting the RV situated at our campsite. When I pulled up to our assigned spot, I couldn't believe our luck. Perched on a hill with a stunning sunset view that looked out over the canyon. The campsite seemed absolutely perfect.


    Thirty dollars a night in San Diego, where most RV parks charged close to a hundred bucks, this felt like we'd hit the jackpot. I remember thinking this is too good to be true. Turns out I was right. We went to bed that first night looking forward to the peaceful weeks ahead, completely unaware of what was crawling toward us in the darkness. I woke up early to make coffee and noticed a few ants on the countertop.


    Armed with a wet paper towel, I smashed the dozen intruders and thought I'd solved the problem. Then I flipped on the lights. The sight was horrifying. The floor was moving. Armies of ants covered the floor in what looked like an organized highway system leading to the counter, our table, the bathroom.


    There was even a flow of ants crawling up the wall in the back sleeping area near my girls. It was an invasion unlike anything we'd experienced or heard of. I stood there for a moment completely frozen in shock at the sheer magnitude of what I was seeing. This wasn't just a few ants. I was taking in what looked like a full-scale ant invasion, and suddenly that $30 price tag made perfect sense.


    The messengers of why this campsite is so cheap happened to be a million ants who had invited themselves into our RV as we slept. I did what any overwhelmed husband and father does when faced with something completely beyond his comprehension. I ran to the bedroom to wake up my wife. I'm usually gentle to wake up my sleeping beauty, but the attack I was navigating caused me to quickly shake Michelle awake, trying to explain the crisis unfolding in our RV. She was groggy and didn't share my sense of urgency.


    Without really opening her eyes, she reached down to the floor where her phone had been charging overnight. The moment her hand made contact with the phone, she jerked awake. Her phone was completely covered in tiny ants, and now her hand was too. She looked around the bedroom and saw the ants streaming up the walls, ants covering the floor, ants everywhere. That's when the screaming started.


    Michelle was shaking and hyperventilating as we gathered our sleepy girls and raced outside. It didn't take long to find the source. The ants had turned our septic hose into a highway, thousands of them streamed up the hose, creating a moving, pulsating river that disappeared into the RV's underbelly. Armed with ant traps my wife had thankfully stashed away. I began my counterattack.


    I disconnected the septic hose along with the power and water connections that were also serving as ant bridges. I placed traps at every ground connection point, including the leveling jacks and the tires. Coffee wasn't necessary. The adrenaline had me wide awake. And I fought to take back our home.


    I raced to the campground office. The staff explained the entire property sits on one giant ant mound and recommended diatomaceous earth, a white powder that repels ants. White powder. That's when I remembered every other RV had white powder around their tires. I'd driven right past the warning signs without asking questions.


    Within an hour, I had supplies and the RV surrounded. For a while, it seemed like we had won. The flow of new ants had stopped. But then my wife spotted something that made my heart sink. Another stream of ants was moving along the ceiling.


    Following their trail, I discovered that three small branches from a nearby tree were touching the roof of the RV, providing another bridge into our home that I had completely missed. Like the septic hose earlier, these branches were completely black with ants, looking almost liquefied. From the sheer quantity of tiny bodies flowing together toward the upper entry point of our RV. In frustration, I tossed a rope over the tree branches and yanked them to the ground. Finally, the last bridge for the ants was destroyed.


    With the entry point sealed off, we turned our attention to the carnage inside. My wife mixed an essential oil concoction to kill the stragglers while I went to work with roll after roll of paper towels. It was exhausting work. But by dinner time, we had reclaimed our home. That evening we paused long enough to enjoy a sunset dinner around the campfire.


    Hot dogs, teriyaki meatballs, and s'mores had never tasted so good. The struggle had made the victory sweeter. And honestly, that $30 view was pretty spectacular once we could actually enjoy it without being under siege. Dad tip for anyone camping in the coming years: if you see white powder on the ground around other people's RVs, It's a really good idea to ask more questions before going to sleep. And maybe reconsider that too good to be true pricing.


    Even after the physical threat was eliminated, we needed to reclaim our space emotionally. The invasion had left us with more than just dead ants and sticky floors. It had disrupted our family's peace. That night we gathered together and prayed over our RV, thanking God for protection and asking for his presence to fill our home again. Within a day, the invasion had become a family story rather than a family trauma.


    Something we had overcome together rather than something that had been done to us. We spent the rest of our San Diego stay ant-free, but we never forgot the morning we woke up to find our home invaded.

    Dads Are Defenders

    My thoughts and emotions were all over the place throughout that battle. Panic, confusion, anger, waves of being overwhelmed. But one thought never crossed my mind, stepping aside and asking my wife and daughters to fight this battle without me. Not happening. I'm their dad.


    Even when I didn't have all the answers, even when I was exhausted, I stayed in the fight. That's what freedom enables us to do as fathers. Paul wrote to the Galatians: You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, rather serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5 13.


    The freedom we're exploring in this section isn't a license for self-focused living. It's what equips us to protect and serve those we love. Too many dads think freedom means finally getting to do what they want, pursuing their own interests without constraint. But that's not what Paul is talking about. That's just selfishness with a spiritual label.


    Real freedom propels us to lead. That healing, forgiveness and wholeness unlock our ability to serve and love the way God designed. When you're not trapped in your own patterns, you can build better patterns for your kids. A dad fighting his own addiction can't guard his family's doorways. A father still carrying his childhood anger can't see the real threats to his kids.


    A man desperate for everyone's approval can't make the hard calls his family needs. But a dad walking in freedom? He can defend his family. As I disconnected the septic hose and spread diatomaceous earth around the RV, I wasn't just fighting ants. I was standing in the spiritual authority that comes when we stop being victims to our own pain and start leading from a place of strength.

    Fighting for Your Family

    This battle reminded me of Nehemiah's approach to protecting Jerusalem. When enemies threatened the rebuilding project, he didn't panic or despair. He organized a strategic defense that every father can learn from. Therefore, I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families with their swords, spears, and bows. Don't be afraid of them.


    Remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes. Nehemiah four thirteen and fourteen. Notice that Nehemiah posted them by families. This wasn't individual warfare, but family teamwork. Just as my daughters helped in spotting ant trails I'd missed, families defending together see threats that individuals miss.


    And Nehemiah's command is direct. Fight for your families, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your homes. We're protecting against more than physical threats. We're guarding the doorways of our kids' hearts and minds. We're defending against influences that would steal their innocence, compromise their values, or hijack their identity.


    During those frantic hardware store runs and desperate defense efforts, one truth became crystal clear. Nobody else in this world is going to guard your house but you. The responsibility doesn't fall to schools, churches, or extended family. It's yours. I'm my little girl's daddy.


    I'm the man of my house. I'm going to fight for my family. The freedom we've been building, grace for failures, surrender for wounds, simple systems before crisis, now enables us to see threats clearly and respond with wisdom rather than fear. You can't defend what you can't see. You can't protect when you're paralyzed by your own pain.


    But when you're walking in freedom, you can stand guard. You can lead the defense. You can teach your kids how to spot the enemy and seal the doors.

    Protecting What's Precious

    Looking back on the invasion, I can see four distinct moments that changed how I think about protecting my family. One, seeing the real problem. Those first few ants on the counter, they weren't the issue. They were scouts reporting back to the army I couldn't see yet. As dads, we've got to train ourselves to look past what's obvious and ask harder questions.


    That defiant attitude might not just be normal teenage behavior. That friend group might not just be going through a phase. Those entertainment choices might not be as harmless as we've convinced ourselves they are. Zach Neese, in episode 159, shared this wake-up call. Every open door is a spiritual gateway.


    Digital devices, media choices, and relationships can all function as doorways that welcome spiritual influences into our home. Second, cutting off access. Just like I had to disconnect the septic hose and cut down those tree branches, we need to identify and seal off the pathways threats use to reach our families. This isn't fear-driven isolation. It's the wisdom to defend and say, not in my house.


    What struck me about our ant invasion is how they'd found both old and new ways in. The septic hose was modern convenience turned against us. The tree branches were nature's ancient highway. Same thing with our kids. Threats come through timeless temptations and the latest apps.


    The tactics evolve, but the goal stays the same. Get inside and destroy what's precious. Third, dealing with what's already inside. Sealing entry points isn't enough. You've got to clean up what already got in.


    This is where most dads quit because it's exhausting work. My wife and I spent hours with those paper towels hunting down every last ant in our homes. This might mean hard conversations about content that's already shaped your kids' thinking, addressing friendships that turned toxic, removing entertainment that normalized values you never actually agreed with. It's messy, it's uncomfortable. But you can't just lock the doors and pretend the damage inside will heal itself.


    Fourth, taking back what was lost. Even after every ant was dead, we needed to reclaim our space emotionally. That night we prayed together in our RV, inviting God's presence back into our home. Removing the threat isn't the same as restoration. You've got to intentionally rebuild what was compromised, create new patterns, establish better rhythms, replace what was removed with something life-giving.

    Remember This

    My battle with the ants taught me the greatest threats often come through entry points we never saw coming. The same is true for our families. The freedom you've been building enables you to lead when threats emerge. You'll need sharp eyes to spot danger. And courage to seal it off, even when it's uncomfortable.


    When you step into your role as defender, you're showing your kids what it looks like when a free man fights for them. Nobody else is going to guard your house but you. So fight for your family with the courage and wisdom God provides. Seal the doors, clean up the damage, protect what God entrusted to you. This summer, this DadAwesome Multiplier series has been fun to expand even beyond the audio version of sample chapters from each section.


    I've also done an expanded clip from the highlighted guest. So in this chapter, we talked about Zach Neese, and he released a book on these concepts of doorways and opening. Man, there are doorways we open that are demonic. They actually bring deep pain and assault to those we love most. So here's a four-minute clip.


    And I mentioned at this front end of today's podcast that little ears, yeah, he what he shares here is heavy. And so just a reminder on that, this a little heavier than usual. But this is a clip about four minutes from my conversation back five years ago with Zach Neesee.

    Guest Clip: Zach Neese on Spiritual Doorways

    From DadAwesome Episode 159. Content advisory: this section addresses spiritual warfare, pornography, and darkness. Not intended for little ears.


    Zach Neese [16:50]


    So this is one of the things that we pray into as a family, and I teach my kids to pray into because we want the Holy Spirit to feel comfortable in our house. We want him to feel at home here. I want Jesus to feel at home here. I don't want him when he came into his temple right after the triumphal entry, he started flipping over tables. And the reason was he needed to rearrange the furniture of his father's house because it was not welcoming.


    It was not a place of prayer where communication between heaven and earth could happen openly and freely. So he rearranged. And we give him permission all the time to rearrange the furniture, so to speak, in our hearts and our house, so that he is the only spirit that feels welcome here. That's very important to me. We want you to be the only spirit of power in our house.


    And basically, what we're doing by some of our entertainment choices is we're laying out furniture or we're laying out a table for something else to come and dine with us. So there are things that I can watch, things that I can listen to that makes a spirit of rebellion go I feel right at home with you guys. There are ways that we even talk to each other. There are ways that we have conflict. My wife and I can have conflict that makes the spirit of division go I feel right at home with you guys.


    Thank you for hosting me. I think I'm just gonna kick up my feet and make myself a little place. That's what a foothold is. That's where you lay a couch down, right, for your enemy and you say, make yourself comfortable and watch this. And they go, That's great.


    That's actually pretty entertaining. That's exactly the kind of thing I like to watch. A spirit of rebellion and division is entertained. By division, a spirit of lust. If you want a spirit of lust in your house dad's sneaking off into his office, dad's sneaking off into his car by himself or into his closet.


    Since this COVID issue, our porn issues have exploded. Yeah. And let's be honest, this is one of the most difficult things that Christian men are dealing with right now. That doesn't mean you're an evil man, it doesn't mean you're a sick man.


    Jeff Zaugg [18:42]


    Yeah.


    Zach Neese [18:52]


    But if you're not careful, you're gonna be just like Lot. I'm gonna be just like Lot. And instead of guarding the doors of my house from the enemy that wants to spiritually rape my kids, I'm going, can we compromise about this? How about I give a little and you give a little? How about don't do this wicked thing.


    Let me just give you my daughters. And let's think about it, guys. I don't want to do that. I don't want to be that guy.


    Jeff Zaugg [19:19]


    Yeah.


    Zach Neese [19:21]


    Let me tell you a story. I was watching something in my closet one time and I love action movies. I love movies. I love westerns. I was probably kidding myself because we have a tendency to do that.


    I didn't know it was gonna be as dark as it was. But there were things that were happening in the movie that were dark and were more violent than I was comfortable with and honestly, it was fearful. It was scary, right? And I wouldn't let my kids watch something like that. But me alone in my closet watching Netflix if they're not around, it's not like it's gonna bother them at all.


    So my kid comes down and he's had a nightmare, and my kid came downstairs and I asked him what his nightmare was turned off what I was doing and went to pray with him. And he was telling me scene for scene what I was watching. He was dreaming what I was watching. And what that tells me is they're asleep and their little antenna are up, right? And I wasn't just being entertained by a movie.


    I was being entertained by the spirit behind the movie. And that spirit wasn't just in my closet. That was roving through my house. I'd given it entrance to my house. I think this is for you and me, this is one of the major issues of our day.


    Nobody else in this world's gonna guard your house but you. Nobody's gonna guard my house but me. And frankly, I'm not very good at it all the time. So I need Jesus' help. I need the whole I need cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

    Action Steps: Reflection, Multiplication, Activation

    Jeff Zaugg [20:54]


    Let's move into action steps. So today, episode 447, our action steps reflection, multiplication, activation. So to begin with, reflection, let's walk your doorways. We're gonna get out a piece of paper, make a note on your phone. It could be that as well.


    Think about phones, tablets, gaming systems, streaming devices, specific apps, YouTube, Instagram. What are the places where there's a doorway for the demonic for evil to enter your home, your life, your heart. So we're gonna walk the doorways today. We're gonna reflect in that way. Second, we're gonna look for the white powder.


    Okay, this is a little bit of a weird setup, but you guys get that from the books chapter, that white powder at diatomaceous earth. I can never say it right, but it's like crushed shells basically that repels ants. What are the warning signs I drove right past all those campsites that had warning signs. What are we noticing that's like, this could bring destruction? Okay, so we're gonna look for those signs.


    Another way to kind of reflect in this area is what are we noticing at a small level? What are some of the small level, like the a few ants on the countertop, right? It's not a big deal. It could be attitude, could be mindset, could be entertainment choices. What are some things that could lead to a full-scale assault?


    what are some of the small things that could become bigger? we're gonna check our own closet as dad. You know, Zach's nightmare story of the kid who knew it scene by scene. Like, what are some of the things that are hidden? But it's like, is it really causing harm?


    Well, let's think deeper about what are some of those areas that I need to enter a fight with more vigilance because they could affect the ones I love most. Man, that idea of giving the enemy our daughters is a deeply, deeply wake-up call type gut punch. And okay, so that that's plenty around reflection. There's more there even from the chapter, but I wanted to hit a few examples of reflection. We're gonna reflect this week.


    It's part of taking action. Multiplication is the next section here. Who are the men who know what's in your closet? Like things, the choices, the areas of like this could cause deep pain if it grows and takes over. Who knows about the small things in the closet or the large?


    Who knows? Who knows? Do you have some brothers, some friends, some other men who know. And how can we close that gap by building friendship and bringing something into the light? Sharing episode 447, what you're listening to right now, with a few other dads, is a stepping stone to building those types of battle brothers who are fighting with you around freedom.


    Joining us in the September cohort of the DadAwesome Accelerator would be an example of, man, I'm going to multiply the impact of today's episode by committing. Six weeks to growing, and freedom is one of the six weeks that we'll go deep into with homework and application and support, and you'll get assigned to Battle Brothers. So consider that. You need to apply though in the next couple weeks. This one will fill.


    The fall's a busy season. Another way to multiply is you can take that scripture from the book of Nehemiah and you can read that with your family. You can unpack that passage with your family around we're gonna fight as a family. What does that look like to fight as a family? And then And listening to the full conversation with Zach Neese, episode 159.


    That would be another way to multiply the impact of today's conversation. Go deep into the whole conversation because there's a lot more there. Alright, the last part here of taking action is activation. Here's a few examples of ways to activate the content from this week. Cut down one bridge this week.


    What's an area that you can cut down a bridge, an entry point? throw a rope over that branch that's full of ants, liquefied-looking ants covering the blackness. coming into our RV. What can you rip down by removing a subscription, removing a device, creating a new boundary, cut down a bridge? Another area to activate this is out loud praying and basically entering warfare with the demonic through prayer and your words.


    So praying out loud, the John Eldredge Daily Prayer. I'm gonna link it in today's show notes. I've recommended this many times, the head of household prayer is a way of out loud revoking, saying this no longer here, not in my house. So you can pray that prayer out loud. It's important that it's out loud because the demonic, Satan and demons, cannot hear your thoughts.


    You have to use your voice in the name of Jesus, and that brings power. The other part of activation is we're gonna replace, not just remove. So what are the things to replace? instead of just removing things that cause harm, what are you gonna replace it with? So this could be a book that you take on to read.


    It could be and Zach Neesee's book is out and available. So I'll link that in the show notes as well. He didn't have it out when I recorded the podcast. so it could be an example, but what are you gonna replace instead of just removing? And then lastly around activation, you can take this deeper by the DadAwesome Labs.


    Chapter 19 Labs is gonna take this deeper with more activation steps, discussion questions. Every chapter has a lab section to make sure we're putting things into action. So that will be linked as well. Wow, this is a heavier topic this week. There's quite a bit there under action steps, reflection, multiplication, activation.


    Thank you for being a part of pressing in. The theme of freedom matters and the warfare, the fighting, the building that we do as dads. This is a gift to our kids, grandkids, great grandkids. It passes forward. We can be the dads who fight, who are not casual in this area of freedom.


    I'm praying for you guys this week. Let's lean in, let's be dads of action, not intent. It matters and we need God's strength, but we also need to step in with courage. So do it. Let's step in this week with courage.


    Have a great week, guys.

  • Action Steps

    Reflection

    • Walk your doorways. Grab paper or a note on your phone and list them out: phones, tablets, gaming systems, streaming devices, specific apps, YouTube, Instagram.

    • Look for the white powder. What warning signs have you driven past without asking questions?
      Notice the small stuff. What are the few ants on the countertop right now? An attitude, a mindset, an entertainment choice that could become a full scale assault?

    • Check your own closet. What is hidden that you have convinced yourself is not really causing harm?

    Multiplication

    • Who are the men who know what is in your closet? How do you close that gap this month?

    • Share episode 447 with a few dads who are fighting for freedom alongside you.
      Read Nehemiah 4:13 and 14 with your family and unpack what it means to fight as a family.

    • Listen to the full Zach Neese conversation in episode 159.

    • Apply for the September DadAwesome Accelerator cohort.

    Activation

    • Cut down one bridge this week. Remove a subscription, remove a device, create a new boundary.

    • Pray out loud. Use the John Eldredge Daily Prayer and the head of household prayer. Out loud matters, because the enemy cannot hear your thoughts.

    • Replace, do not just remove. Pick a book, a rhythm, or a practice to fill the space.
      Go deeper with the Chapter 19 DadAwesome Lab.

    QUOTES

    1. "Real freedom propels us to lead. That healing, forgiveness, and wholeness unlock our ability to serve and love the way God designed." (Jeff Zaugg)

    2. "A dad fighting his own addiction can't guard his family's doorways. A father still carrying his childhood anger can't see the real threats to his kids." (Jeff Zaugg)

    3. "Every open door is a spiritual gateway." (Zach Neese)

    4. "We give him permission all the time to rearrange the furniture, so to speak, in our hearts and our house, so that he is the only spirit that feels welcome here." (Zach Neese)

    5. "I wasn't just being entertained by a movie. I was being entertained by the spirit behind the movie. And that spirit wasn't just in my closet. That was roving through my house." (Zach Neese)

 

Connect with DadAwesome

  • Get the book! DADAWESOME: Dad Discoveries to Activate Awesomeness (releasing March 17th, 2026)

  • Follow@dadawesome on Instagram

  • Make a Donation to DadAwesome (tax-deductible)

  • Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

  • Learn about the 6-week ACCELERATOR Coaching Cohorts

 

Listen on any of these platforms

Jeff Zaugg
Next

446 | MULTIPLIERS Part 4: A Ring Lost in Five Acres, The Giant Five, and Turning Success Upside Down (Chad Johnson)