Getting rid of the Weeds in Your Life

GETTING RID OF THE WEEDS IN MY HEART

I have been having problems with a profusion of weeds in my yard both the back and the front of the house. Each day I look at those weeds I can't help but think how ugly it makes my yard looks. I get in the yard and start pulling them up from the roots most times and spray a solution of white vinegar, salt and liquid dishwashing detergent to kill these unwanted pests while praying to God in the Spirit and asking Him to help me to get rid of these pests in my yard.

Somehow, I equated these yards pests in forms of weeds to the weeds I hold in my heart. You know those pests we hold close to our breasts and hope nobody will notice except you. Well, I have been having this conversation with God today and He has so graciously opened my eyes to see these infernal weeds in my heart. One of these weeds I have been holding on to for a long time is a deep-seated anger. You know things happen in your life that cause so much pain and havoc that eventually if you don't get rid it settles deep within your heart and in your mind and ultimately your body. Do you know that when we hold on these weeds it can actually choke the Word of God in your heart?

I thought about one of Jesus' parables in Matthew 13 and this is what it says: "Consider this: There was a farmer who went out to sow seeds. 4 As he cast his seeds, some fell along the beaten path and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell onto gravel that had no topsoil. The seeds quickly shot up, 6 but when the days grew hot, the sprouts were scorched and withered because they had insufficient roots. 7 Other seeds fell among the thorns and weeds, so when the seeds sprouted, so did the weeds, crowding out the good plants. 8 But other seeds fell on good, rich soil that kept producing a good harvest. Some yielded thirty, some sixty, and some even one hundred times as much as he planted! 9 If you’re able to understand this, then you need to respond."[b]The Passion Translation

Jesus emphasized that when weeds grow in our hearts it robs us of the word of God that we have already placed in our hearts, it chokes out the good word and we are consequently left with nothing but more weeds. This is very frustrating to me because my desire on earth is to please my Father, to please my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have opened my heart to God and I have asked Him to help me to identify these pesky weeds and to teach me how to get rid of them once and for all. That my friend is my determination.


The interpretation of this parable is simple and this is what it says, so listen: "The seed that fell on the beaten path represents the heart of the one who hears the message of the kingdom realm[j] but doesn’t understand it. The Adversary then comes and snatches away what was sown into his heart.

20 "The seed sown on gravel represents the person who gladly hears the kingdom message, [k] but his experience remains shallow. [l] 21 Shortly after he hears it, troubles and persecutions come because of the kingdom message he received. Then he quickly falls away, [m] for the truth didn’t sink deeply into his heart.


22 "The seed sown among weeds represents the person who receives the message, but all of life’s busy distractions, his divided heart, and his ambition for wealth[n] result in suffocating the kingdom message and prevent him from bearing spiritual fruit. [o]

23 "As for the seed that fell upon good, rich soil, it represents the hearts of people who hear and fully embrace the message of heaven’s kingdom realm. Their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times as much as was sown." {The Passion Translation}

It is my determination as a child of the King to bear much fruit and to get rid of these weeds that somehow have overgrown in the garden of my heart. If it was so easy to spray some homemade pesticide on these weeds wouldn't that be easy. Unfortunately, it is not so easy. That is why I have gone to the Master to elicit His help in getting rid of these weeds I have so dearly held on to for so long. The work has already begun in my heart. The most difficult part is to identify those weeds and to dispense of them. Some of these weeds are: pride, anger, jealousy, envy, strife, gossip, greed, selfishness, lust, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, backbiters, boasters, disobedience to God and to our parents, outbursts of wrath, and this list can be expanded by our own pet peeves and those secret thoughts that we believe no one knows; but God does, He sees it all.

So, this Spring I am applying the sweet aroma of the Word of God in my heart daily and renewing my heart on the Word. When weeds try to raise its ugly head in my heart I will uproot them immediately. It is a war against these pesky, annoying weeds. Even though these weeds are destructive to our hearts in a sense we also appreciate the growth of these weeds so that we can identify the problems deep rooted in our hearts. I have some real hard gardening to do to be rid of these weeds and to be very vigilant so they do not return.

The fruits we need to bear is taken from the book of Galatians: joy, peace, love, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are fruits of the Holy Spirit we all have in our hearts and all we have to do is to yield to them. As I draw nearer to the Presence of God I have asked Him to hold me accountable and convict me when I neglect to water the garden of my heart with the Word of God. God bless you in your efforts in getting rid of those old, tired, looking weeds in your heart.


A side note: Today, at church, I attended our monthly women's group and it was enlightening and it truly blessed me and the other women in attendance. We spoke about the issues women have to deal with in the midst of chaos etc. Pastor Kendall gave us two Scriptures I would like share with you:

2 Corinthians 5:17 English Standard Version (ESV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. [a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Romans 8:1

8 Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]

Shalom

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The Law of Kindness



THE LAW OF KINDNESS

Kindness is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit that all who believe in Jesus and is of the new birth has the law of kindness in their spirit. The way we receive this fruit is by yielding to it. When I think of kindness I think of Jesus, the Author and Finisher of Kindness. There are so many stories of kind acts of Jesus and the Father throughout the Bible. Early in Jesus' ministry He performed miracles to enhance the lives of others and to show the love of the Father for us. Some instances were the healing of the Centurion's servant; cleansing a leper; healing of the paralytic; restoring the life of a young girl and healing the woman with the issue of blood. This list is inexhaustible.

Jesus was very kind and compassionate and He cared about His followers and even those who were not followers of the Way. He healed the daughter of a gentile woman who was possessed by an evil spirit. Back in those days the gentiles were what we will now consider someone outside the Christian community. He made an exception to this woman who was so desperate to have her daughter delivered from the cluthes of demonic possession. Jesus made reference to her faith even though she was not of Jewish descendant.

Even in our world today there are so many random acts of kindness reported around the globe. People realize one act of kindness could generate a ripple effect to others in our world that speaks through the heart of love. When we open our hearts to others and demonstrate kindness it makes our world a better place to live and it give those who are in depair hope in humanity.

When we look around our world today it seems all we can see is darkness all around us and some of us can even feel the heaviness of this dark omnious cloud of evil pervading through every aspect of our lives. As evil ramps up its ugly head and has contaminated everything we once held dear to us, now seemed to be offensive by the Enemy and his followers- those who are influenced by evil. So when those of us live out our lives as Jesus did and make an amazing impact the lasting effect can reverberate around our world. It is like sending ripples of kindness over the surface of the ocean of goodwill and the effects are astounding.

In September 11, 2001, I was sitting in a classroom in Brooklyn, New York with my fellow students when we received the devastating news of the attacked on U.S. soil by the forces of evil. We were quickly ushered out and were told to leave immediately and to get home as safely as possible. I had two major problems. One there were no subway transportation for me to get to my daughter's school to take her home and beside that I was on the othe side of town. All the buses were overpacked and they were no longer making any stops to pick up passengers.

Funny enough that was the day I wore brand new shoes and they were not comfortable for walking a long distance. Back then I had no sense of direction and I had no idea how to get to my daughter. But God is an Amazing Father and He sent angels on my path to guide me to my daughter's school. There were three kind people who helped me at each juncture of my trip, and yes, I did have to walk with those stupid shoes. I do not know today how to reach any of those kind people, my angels, to say thank you again. I did make it safely to my daughter's school and we got home safely. I can visibly see the hand of God in every step of my journey.

In the Bible there is a famous landmark story of the Good Samaritan, a story told by Jesus in Luke 10: 25-37. This story will give you a more concrete example of what kindness means to others.

Luke 10:25-37 New American Standard Bible (NASB) (Bible Gateway)

25 And a [a]lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? [b]How does it read to you?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live." 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

The Good Samaritan

30 Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and [c]beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day he took out two [d]denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?" 37 And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do [e]the same."

This story always touched my heart each time I read it because even as Christians as in the story above, we fail to operate on the Law of Kindness and we will reap the consequences of not abiding in the Word of God. Just as God commands each one of us to Love, He also expects us to show kindness to others and compassion. These are twin sisters kindness and compassion go hand-in-hand.

It is astounding to me how we treat those closest to us in our lives, in our homes and even where we work. We treat those in our lives with little regard and sometimes a stranger or someone on the outside of the home circle are most times treated with respect and honor. I have been guilty of that also but I have asked God to teach me His ways and to develop an attitude of kindness toward others. So I am practicing every day to do some kind act when given the opportunity to do so.


 We have to be conscious of those around us and especially our loved ones. It starts in the home and children witnessing these acts of kindness will also act kindly toward others. Children who are loved, and parents who demonstrate kindness and compassion to their offspring are teaching them how to live not selfishly but to consider the feelings of others. Today, unfortunately, we are seeing less and less of this.

These are some Scriptures worth meditating on daily to develop your kindness muscles:

Ephesians 4:32 The Passion Translation (TPT)

32 But instead be kind[a] and affectionate toward one another. Has God graciously forgiven you? Then graciously forgive one another in the depths of Christ’s love.

Romans 2:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Hebrews 13:2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Romans 12:10 The Message (MSG)

9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

　

　

　

　

　



THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR

THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR



THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR:

O WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY!

MY JESUS IS ALIVE AND ROSE TO DECLARE

VICTORY OVER DEATH.

　

O WHAT A PRAISE WORTHY DAY!

MY JESUS IS ALIVE AND NEVER SAW DECAY

HOLY AND SURE BLESSINGS HE GAINED.

　

O WHAT AN EXALTED DAY!

MY JESUS IS ALIVE AND CONQUER DEATH

AND DEFEATED THE ENEMY AND HIS PLANS.

　

O WHAT A WONDROUS DAY!

MY JESUS IS ALIVE LET US ALL CELEBRATE

FOR MY SINS THE PRICE WAS PAID.

　

O WHAT A MIRCULOUS DAY!

MY JESUS IS ALIVE NEXT TO THE FATHER IN GLORY,

HE LIVES AND I TOO LIVE WITH HIM IN GLORY I REIGN.

　

O WHAT A PRECIOUS DAY!

MY JESUS IS ALIVE AND HIS MIGHTY POWER PROCLAIMED,

ALL FLESH SHALL BLESS HIS HOLY NAME.

　

THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR

SHINES BRIGHT IN MY HEART

TODAY I HAVE LIGHT BECAUSE JESUS IS ALIVE.