The Garden - Part 2

Continuing from my last blog on gardening - HERE

• If you don’t get the roots the weeds will grow again – you can break them off, but they will grow again…and again…and again. They seem to be able to grown from anything – broken roots, a leaf that falls, a neighbor looking at you the wrong way...anything at all

Sin is the same way – it grows easily from any little thing. We must take it all out – root and all in order to stop it from taking hold

• Weeds will come up much easier after a big rain – the ground is softer and the weeds come up by the roots

When we receive more and more of the Holy Spirit, the sins in our lives come out more easily

• Some weeds look nice, or have beautiful flowers (like the mustard plant), but they will eventually destroy the garden. A weed is a weed no matter what name we call it, or how beautiful it looks

Some sins might look good on the outside, but they are dangerous – they will take over our lives if given half a chance

• It is possible to cover your garden with protective layers of plastic or mulch – but…the weeds can grow through the plastic or mulch as they reach for the sun (they are pesky beggars) or they will settle on top of the plastic with their shallow roots only needing a small amount of soil or dirt that seems to settle there over time. Weeds are looking for sunlight – just like all your other plants

Sin doesn’t need deep, rich soil – anything will do and any barrier to it’s existence can be overcome. Give your heart lots of SONlight – it is an antiseptic for the weeds!!

• The longer they grow the harder the roots are to get out. They can grow quickly and become established deep in the ground. It is much easier to deal with weeds when they are young and before they go to seed. Once the seeds come, those weeds will be multiplied throughout your garden!

Sin’s roots can grow deep into the soil of our hearts if we neglect them when they are young. It is also much easier to dig sin out of our lives when it first shows itself – don’t let it become established, and especially don’t let it get to the mature stage where it is able to reproduce itself throughout the garden of your heart

• Another thing about mature weeds is that they can destroy the roots of your flowers and vegetables

Sin can take over and destroy the fruit in your life

• Weeds love to grow in cracks in concrete and other unusual places

Sin has a way of finding any crack in your spiritual armor, and settling in for the long haul

• As you grab weeds in your hand, you can’t deal with too many at one time. They fall out and start over in another place

Take care of your sins carefully – one at a time. Don’t try to “grab handfuls” of faults at one time – allow the Lord to point out the things that need to be dealt with each day

• A great key to keeping weeds at bay is to cultivate the soil regularly. This means disturbing the soil through digging and turning it over – the weeds don’t get a chance to take root if you continue to do this

In my last post, I mentioned the verse in Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. If we keep turning over the soil of our hearts and don’t allow it to get hard, we will keep the weeds away

• If you reduce the space between your flowers or vegetables, you will give weeds less space to grow.

The more good fruit you grow in your heart, the less space there will be for sin

Song of Solomon 4:16 THE SHULAMITE Awake, O north wind, And come, O south! Blow upon my garden, That its spices \may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden And eat its pleasant fruits.

Spiritually speaking it is always the season for sowing - ask the Lord for seeds of righteousness to sow into your life.

Prov. 11:18 The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.




Enjoy your garden - Appreciate the good fruit that comes from diligent gardening and all the hard work - especially in the garden of your heart!

The Garden - Part 1

I was working in the garden recently, and I came up with some thoughts about weeds – just looking at how they behave so much like sins in our lives. There is nothing more ugly than a garden overrun with weeds, and nothing more tragic than a Believer overtaken with sin. Notice that when we are working with people's lives, the "weeding" process must be completed with gentleness. Too many leaders barge into people's lives with giant backhoes, where a small rake might do a better job:

Gal. 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Here are a few observations – let me know if you can think of other ways that weeds and sins are similar. These are in no particular order:

• Weeds like to grow in bunches – once one or two get going, they all seem to gravitate to that area

Sin rarely stands alone - if we yield to one sin, others will likely follow

• Weeds can easily hide among the plants - some blend in and look like flourishing greenery. They take shelter under the greenery and steal nutrients from the plant

Sin can often hide - we know how to talk and act like righteous believers...at the same time as we have dark secrets flourishing in our lives. Sin likes to lie in the shadow of your beauty and strength. It is important to guard your strengths – don’t take them for granted. Look for subtle (and not so subtle) sins that seem to nestle right under the wing of your greatest gifts and strengths

• It is much easier to spray poison right on top of the weeds...but this is not always the best tactic as the poison can affect the flowers and you don't always get to the roots. It is better to dig up the weeds - roots and all! Often this requires hard work and special tools

Sin cannot be easily and lazily dealt with - it is better to get down to the roots. The greatest tools are: the light of the Word of God; the honesty of friends; the conviction of the Holy Spirit; true repentance and holy living

• The more you look, the more you can see (this might be an AGE ISSUE). I thought I was done in some patches...but when I looked again, more weeds just seemed to remain...it never stops!

The more you look into your heart, the more you will see. We don't need to be overly introspective, but we do need to take a good long look into our hearts during this season. Dealing with our sinful nature never stops - we need to be vigilant against sin

• Not many people like to do the weeding...but they sure enjoy the beautiful flowers!

You might not find many willing participants in this weeding process...they want you to do the work...and pay the price...and refine your life so that they can come and enjoy your ministry and gifts. There is nothing particularly wrong with that – our lives are supposed to be garden and reflection of the goodness of God so that we can bless others…but…true Christianity requires a diligent walk in, and pursuit of holiness

• You don’t have to do anything to grow weeds – they flourish in any conditions. I have a patch of ground that required me to turn off the water. The grass died away very quickly, but the weeds still require constant attention – they seem to grow even with a tiny whiff of rain once a month!

Oh how sad, yet true! While holy living needs to be tended with great care, my fickle heart can grow weeds of bitterness, anger, fear, unbelief, (and a host of other “weeds”) without any effort at all. Paul said that he had to “die daily” (1Cor. 15:31) – he had to put those “weeds” to death on a daily basis.

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

...more tomorrow - find Part 2: HERE