Unrelenting Weeds

Oh boy, did I let my vegetable garden get out of control with weeds this year! It all started out so beautifully when I tilled the soil in the spring and planted all my veggies in perfect rows. Not easy work but the results are so rewarding. We brought out our two torquoise garden chairs that we love and our small wire table with the silver platter as a top and sat there to admire our hard work. With a craft beer for my husband and a chilled glass of wine for me, all we could do was bask in the beauty of it all. Then came the rains and more rain until about a month later our garden was invaded by a million tiny weeds!

My husband and his brother went at it and weeded the raised beds along with the pathways. It looks so tended and loved within those gates when they were done. Then again, the rains came and the weeds grew. We went up there and weeded the raised beds but didn't do the pathways. Our intentions were to spray the paths with weed killer but we never did it. So, weeks later the tiny weeds became tall weeds and a few weeks later the tall weeds became amazon weeds. We couldn't keep up and it all seemed so overwhelming that we surrendered to them. We handed over our garden territory to the enemy and as a result the weeds choked out our fruits. Every glance toward our once beautiful garden covered us with shame.

How often do we let this scenario play out in our minds, hearts or lives? Where there once was a joyful song in our heart, we let the negativity take over as life's trials watered it. Where we once had a nice roll going of being in God's Word daily turned into busyness and our spirit life shriveled. Weeds are inevidable and so are the ups and downs of life but one thing I've learned is that whether you're tending a garden, a heart, a mind or your life...it needs to be tended daily! My saying is, "It's better to do something small than nothing at all." Yet, I did not live that out in my garden scenario. I didn't FEEL like going out there daily (I'm more of an indoor person) and that choice, that neglect, allowed my enemy to take over that territory. My garden bore no fruit.

Let's not allow this to happen to our minds and hearts though. The garden is just the example of when we get lazy what happens. Next year can be a new start with lessons learned. No great great loss. But, loosing precious territory in our mind or heart IS a big deal! That territory is God's and at ALL cost we are to defend and protect it! There is no margin for error when it comes to our spiritual lives. We are to plant God's Word daily, water it with the Holy Spirit daily, tend it with perserverence, weed it with truth, till it with love every day. We are to share the fruits daily, feeding and nourishing others. I'm sad and a bit ashamed at what I allowed my garden to turn into. But, as it went unattended I was busy going to bible studies, worshipping God through song, going to church, sharing the gospel, reading and studying my bible... and the garden of my mind and heart were producing the fruits of the Spirit!

Children of God, maybe we can't do it all and maybe there are some of you who can but at the cost of some precious moments. One thing I do know is that NOTHING should ever come before tending the Spiritual garden of our hearts DAILY. And don't allow the enemy of our souls to deceive you that it is a joyless task for it is not. Take joy in it! Sing along to worship songs, read your bible out loud, smile as you serve, talk with God all day and focus more on thanking Him. There's SO MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR. Act out these joyful tasks and He will bless your heart's garden with all the fruit of His Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God's Spirit is the best organic weed killer. Your heart's garden will display His glory for His glory.

Psalm 68:19, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who DAILY bears our burdens." (If God bears our burdens daily then surely we can praise Him daily.)

Matthew 6:11, "Give us this day our DAILY bread..."

Luke 9:23, "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross DAILY and follow Me."

Hebrews 3:13, "Encourage one another DAILY..."

Knots

I've admitted that I'm not a multitasker and when too many things get on my plate I get overwhelmed easily. So often I am amazed at how others handle so many major issues at one time along with the multitude of small things happening in between. This morning as I was doing some sewing I was praying and asking God to guard my mind with His helmet of salvation in regards to some things that are coming up. As I was praying the spool of thread dropped and I ended up with a handful of string that was in knots. It didn't upset me too much because for some reason I love to unknot things! I think because it keeps me focused on one task and it clears my mind of other issues. It relaxes me and in that state of mindlessness I'm able to hear God in  ways I otherwise could not.

As I began to unknot the string the Lord spoke to me regarding how I need to let life unfold in His terms and not mine. I looked down and in my hands were so many knots and I had to just start at one end and one at a time along with patience and joy (I had Christian music on) take one knot out at a time. I couldn't focus on the knots ahead and I had to stay intent on the one knot that was on my attention. One knot at a time. As I worked on it the Lord kept revealing to me that that is exactly how He wants me to handle my upcoming issues. God works along with us to unravel the circumstances and trials of our lives. We are never alone, we never have to be all-knowing, we never have to get ahead of ourselves. The All-Mighty God of the universe who designed us before the foundations of the earth handles our knots. In His timing all things work together for good!

All God wants from us is trust and obedience. When we surrender to His timing and trust in His grace we are free from anxiety, worry and control. Relinquishing control to our unseen God is probably one of our hardest tasks and only reveals a seed of unbelief in our mind and heart. So many times we want to take the machete from Him, tell Him to get behind us and just start chopping our own path through the jungle before us. We often do that and it just leaves us exhausted and lost, laying there praying to Him to help us. Let's try a new way! Let's surrender to Him and trust Him to make a way before us that is best for us. One knot, one mess at a time.

Isaiah 25:1, O Lord, You are my God, I will praise You. I will give thanks to Your name. For You have been faithful to do great things, plans You made long ago.

Psalm 9:10, Those who know your name will put their trust in You. For You O Lord, have never left alone those who look for You.

Isaiah 46:11, "I have spoken, and I will make it happen. I have planned it, and I will do it, says the Lord."

Deut 7:9, "Know then that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God. He keeps His promise and shows His loving-kindness to those who love Him and keep His laws, even for a thousand generations."

Filled and Pouring Out

One of the bible studies I'm currently doing is on The Armor of God by Pricilla Shirer. The insight that God has given her has been blessing so many of us women. Yesterday she taught on the Shield of Faith and so many things became clear to me about how I handle being overwhelmed. She explained that in ancient times the warriors had wooden shields that they would raise above their head when the enemy was shooting flaming arrows at them. I always thought about it from the perspective of protecting themselves but never really expanded the reasoning of why the opponents set the arrows on fire. The reasoning was that the flaming arrows would set the wooden shields on fire thus making the warriors that were being attacked have to break their turtle shell formation rendering them vulnerable and distracted by having to put out the flames!

Pricilla went on to explain that that is exactly what satan's demons do to us daily and that the Shield of Faith that God calls us to take up will extinguish those fires instantly. The fires are not to kill us but they are intended to distract us, discombobulate us, overwhelm us and to get our focus off God and onto our problems! This hit me so profoundly and I could see clearly for the first time how satan's army did this to me repeatedly throughout my life! I spent most of my energy focused on all the situations and the feelings that they evoked rather than seeing this offensive strategy.

I have been applying the truths that I've been learning throughout this study along with the teachings of my other study which is on Joy. The empowerment and insight are like a covering of peace that I've never fully experienced before. I just want to encourage you to draw near to God (James 4:8) because He promises that if we do that He will draw near to us! You wouldn't bake without a recipe or try to fix something without tools so why would you try to live your life apart from the ONE who loves you most. He has the tools and the recipe for living a life filled with wisdom, discernment, joy, soundness of mind, ...

If I didn't join bible studies throughout the years then I would not have all this information that is changing my life from one of ineffectiveness to one of power. All through these studies God used me in my sister's life to help her get through some horrible times. If I wasn't armed with these learned truths then I would have been ineffective in that mission but God knew what I needed. I committed to drawing near to Him through study and He equipped me with knowledge and wisdom that not only changed me but encouraged and changed my sister! God wants to make your life remarkable! He wants it to be a life saturated and flowing over with His power, His love and the soundness of mind that only He can give (2 Timothy 1:7). It only takes a simply step of faith toward Him, then, abundance in Him can be yours and yours to share!

Ephesians 3:17-19, I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love. I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how deep His love is. I pray that you will know the love of Christ. His love goes beyond anything that we can understand. I pray that you will be filled with God himself.

Child of God, A brick of red hot coal soon goes out when it is removed from the source of fire. 

New Attitude

I have friends coming to visit from California and I'm really excited about seeing them. Yet, as I stand here in the middle of my house I have this feeling that I'm not on top of things but that things are on top of me. I have some sewing to do, projects, laundry, cleaning, and I have two Bible studies that I need to finish for the week. The old me would go crawl in bed and feel overwhelmed but because of all the growing I've done through God I can stand here now and simply ask the Lord to unfold my tasks while making my day joyous. Everything will work out and I will enjoy the journey. I love the new me that I have allowed God to make me! Instead of life overwhelming me I let God overwhelm me with his joy instead! My husband always says, "How do you eat an elephant?" And he makes me say back to him, "One bite at a time." So, I'm going to go put some Christian music on and enjoy my day!

2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

A Poem

Happy Day by Dee Hartmann

Oh, to be young and wear a tulle skirt with sneakers. A flower wreath in my hair, without a care. Swinging, laughing, being honest with my body and heart! Living my part. To feel so deeply that weeping and rejoicing are friends along with my dear, true friends, my really friends. The burst of spring, shedding of fall, winters rest and summers call, all in my eyes as I twirl my tulle skirt with hands to the sky.

Ashamed?

If we try to walk in our own worthiness our shame smothers God's flame of freedom. Choices we've made, unbridled words, actions that caused pain to others are just some of the behaviors that have dropped seeds of shame in our minds and hearts. We suffer with grieving thoughts and heavy guilt from our past and it's as if we are living life with a load of bricks that we drag around behind us. Does God want us to live like that? Can our mind ever be free from the past? Yes, there is freedom and I can assure you that God DOES NOT want us to carry those burdens.

Proverbs 14:30 states, "A heart that has peace is life to the body, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." The condition of our heart determines the life we have in our physical state. How we talk to ourselves and to God sets the trjectory for our life. Beginning each day by acknowledging God's majesty in all things sets us up for joy no matter what our circumstances are. Confessing our sins and then confirming His forgiveness and love toward us sets a platform of freedom under our feet. Giving thanks and knowing that He is in control of everything brings us peace. Surrendering our needs and concerns to Him gives us hope! Joy, freedom, peace and hope are what our hearts need. Yet ever so often we choose to begin our days with regret, sorrow and anger. Who has the better way, God or us? It is in His worthiness not ours where we should hunger and thirst to be.

Proverbs 17:22, "A glad heart is good medicine!

Psalm 42:11, "Why are you sad, oh my soul? Why have you become troubled within me? Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my help and my God!"

Each day begins with a choice of either regret or joy, forgiveness or anger, depression or hope. You may have busied yourself to a point where you don't conciously think about it but there is a river that runs through your soul and hard times or times of illness will reveal its properties of either being bitter or fresh. Ask God to reveal you in His worthiness and not yours.

Safest Place

Whatever you are going through right now, good or bad, is happening right in the palm of God's hand! You are safe and loved.

Floodlight or Laser Pointer?

I awoke this morning from a dream that would not let me go. As I struggled with it and finally pulled my senses together I began to see how the dream was a reflection of fragments of my life right now. I was searching for someone that I loved but could not find them in the crowds. My anxiety and frustration mounted until I woke from it, yet, it kept trying to pull me back in.

As I layed there trying to process all of it I realized that I was looking at each issue with a laser pointer. Focused with an unconscious inner frenzy as to how to deal with each one. As I pondered and prayed, God began to unfold truths to my mind and I began to deal with the issues from a new perspective. In line with how God works in His wondrous ways, He had given me a visual experience earlier this week that He applied to my morning dilemma. When issues begin to surround us it is imperative not to give each one the mounting attention it does NOT deserve! God deserves our attention NOT "worrying".

Last week as My husband and I stood outside our home and looked at all the weeds that had consumed our property, we were overwhelmed! We are new to upstate NY and moved here from California a couple years ago. Things are done very differently here because of the four seasons, the amount of rain and the size of the properties. We went from a neighborhood to a seven acre home where 3/4ths of it needs to be maintained! Each year we've toiled to get this project manageable and we're getting closer but it is taking not only labor but a new mind-set to get on top of it.

As I was driving home last week I was talking to God and telling Him that we need a gardener/landscaper to help us. I asked Him to just let me see a crew working so I could pull over and get their information. It wasn't more that a minute after I said that and there was a crew and I pulled over. Two days later the owner showed up at our house to go over what needed to be done. Brian and I were expressing our feelings regarding weed encroachment and as we spoke you could see the frustration and anxiety rising in both of us. The landscaper began to talk and there was a peaceful, knowledgeable, quiet commanding way about him. He intelligently and systematically layed out a plan to get everything taken care of and told us what to do between his work days. He ended  by saying, "Everything will be okay and it will all work out." After he left, Brian and I just looked at each other and said the same thing, "Wow! That guy was awesome! He just made us feel so at peace!"

We continued our discussion on the porch and my husband and I were amazed how someone who has knowledge and experience can settle the hearts of the anxious. Then, instantly (being the kind of person I am) my mind began to see all the metaphors in the situation and how God has a floodlight view of our lives. He sees all, while we tend to focus like a laser on encroaching problems and injustices. We get overwhelmed and frightened, while God is sure, just and all knowing!

 The weeds in our yard are just one area in our life right now that feel out of control. There are some loved ones that are struggling and suffering with their own personal issues and our hearts are breaking for them. We are holding them up in intercessory prayer and on our knees fighting in Christ's name for their spiritual recovery. God gave us the weeds and the gardener to show us metaphorically how He is so intimately involved in our lives. We focus on the problems while God has a broad view of the solutions. If we look close enough, we can see Him in control and confident regarding our problems and needs.

The weeds represent the relational issues and problems in our lives. The gardener revealed God's character of wisdom, peace, trouble shooting skills, concern and love for His garden of souls. God speaks to us, "All will be well. I have a process. Rest in my promises." I could feel God telling me, just as the gardener did, to keep busy, pull weeds and work methodically while He does the heavy work of not just pulling weeds but making it so they can't take over again! (Weed cloth and thick mulch).

My dear friends, this is a sinful and tainted world where we must realize that there are vermin, pests and weeds that are relentless but we have a Master Gardener who they can not hide from. His Floodlight exposes them and He uses them to teach us lessons about many things. We must stop letting the enemy get us laser focused on the attacks as we stand in the shadow of despair and rather choose to be flooded by God's light and wisdom! God offers a broad view to us through scripture and communication through His Holy Spirit so that we can live in confidence and security that He is in control. We are to look at the One who calms the storms not the one who stirs up dissension!

May your weeds be few, your lessons many and may you choose to walk in God's warm light rather than the shadows of worry.

Psalm 27:1-3, The Lord is my light and the One who saves me! Whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life! Of whom should I be afraid?