As I was pulling the massive amounts of Bermuda grass out of my flowers beds, I knew there was a devotional challenge in it. I thought about sharing earlier in the week, but put it off. Now is the time…
Have you ever pulled Bermuda grass up? The roots run fairly shallow, but they spread like crazy. As you pull it up, there are roots that have taken ground all over the place. It starts out with just a small amount and pretty soon, it has overtaken your flower beds. Isn’t sin just like that in our lives? It starts out minor…with just a thought perhaps that we dwell on for too long or a small compromise that we make and then sometimes it’s more than that, we take action and say or do something that isn’t pleasing to the Lord. Before we know it, we have established a bad habit and/or allowed Satan to develop a stronghold in our lives. It can be negative thinking, bitterness, pride, unforgiveness, lust, greed, etc. It almost seems like our problems came out of nowhere, but it all begins small. Satan is crafty. He’s been at it for years. He understand the way we think and act.
So, I decided to reclaim our flower beds this week. It was extremely hard work because I had neglected them for months. The job isn’t completely done because there are roots hiding beneath the service that are just waiting to pop through the mulch. I had to sacrifice some plants because the weeds had become so intertwined in the plants, I didn’t think there was a way to completely rid the plants of the Bermuda.
Let me fast forward to later this week, I had a icky day yesterday. It was just yucky. I’ll spare you the details, but as Derek and I left for Bible study I just felt overwhelmed and tired. I thought “I can’t do this anymore. I’m tired. I don’t have anything left to give.” In that moment, I’m not sure what I was wanting to give up—my role as cook, my role as launderer, my role as personal shopper, my role as mom, my role as wife, my role as friend, my role as preschool director. Who knows? Just feeling like I needed to run. (Just for clarification, I didn’t really contemplate running away. I knew it was just emotions, which don’t always reflect truth.) As I sat in the quietness waiting for Bible study to start, I told the Lord “I need a word from You tonight. I’m tired. I need some strength to go on. Please let me hear from you.” Oh friends, our God does not disappoint. Rob S., Mike F. and Monty L. were on a “parenting panel” and I got a personal word from each of them.…not just about parenting, but about my life and my relationship with Christ. Then Monty brought a challenge charging us to engage in the war. What war? The cultural war, but also the spiritual war that is waging all around us. Oh I could feel the fire begin to burn in my soul. That’s what all this is about! There is a spiritual battle going on. I’m wanting to quit…to throw in the towel and just give up because it’s too hard and the cost is too great. Satan and his demons are cheering on the sidelines hoping that I’ll do just that. Or if I won’t quit, then maybe they can just discourage me enough to make me ineffective in my home, in my neighborhood, in my church.
God set my soul on fire again last night and I am declaring war on the enemy. I am reclaiming the ground that he has taken (look at Joel 2:25). Just as David ran toward Goliath (1 Samuel 17:48), I am running toward the battle line as well. I’m going to stand in the gap for my family and my church. Satan wants to steal, kill and destroy. We all need deliverance or victory in some area of our lives. It’s ours to claim. Stand up and take your place as a child of the King. There is no weapon formed against us that can prosper.
I’m going to be doing some “weeding” in my life. Some things may have to go. It’s probably going to hurt a little, but I am determined that God will find me a faithful soldier. Monty challenged us to not be content to be a “normal Christian”. There’s enough of those to go around, that’s not what I want for my life or my children’s lives.
So, I’m declaring war once again on the enemy! Will you join me? Will you do some weeding of your own and ask God to show you what needs to be removed? It won’t be easy. Satan will try to disrupt the work that God wants to do. Satan knows what will happen if revival really breaks out in America. Just as David said, “The battle is the Lord’s”, but we need to be engaged in the battle. Let’s stop playing defense and run towards the enemy. Let’s fight him off with the full armor of God! (Ephesians 6)
Let the war begin and let the revival begin and let it all begin with me!!
