Christian Living

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I spent a few days recently doing some spring cleaning at home. One of the items on my list was to pull some weeds. Let me make it clear in the beginning - pulling weeds is NOT one of my favorite things to do. If you’ve done any yard work, you can identify with this dread. It’s not an easy task, nor is it something that you can only do one time and be done with it. It’s a continual thing which must be done in order to keep the lawn looking good.

As I began my chore of pulling the weeds, I started by using a nifty tool designed to "pop" the weeds without having to bend over and pull them by hand. This worked on a few but there were several that needed a little more effort. There were some weeds which needed a little digging to extract the root. I had noticed in some places where I had pulled some before that a new weed had grown in the same area. I had failed to get the root out. So, it wasn’t actually a "new" weed, but the same one which had new growth.

Our lives also require the same attention when it comes to sin. (2 Corinthians 13:5) There are some who believe that once you receive salvation that you never have anymore problems with sin. Boy, wouldn’t THAT be nice? The reality is that although we become a new creature, we still must weed out some of the sin that might try to take root again in our lives. (Romans 2:17-29) If left unattended, our lives can again be choked with the weeds of sin. This requires constant maintenance on our part because things can get out of control pretty quickly. Some weeds can be removed fairly quickly but there are some which we must dig a little deeper so that we can remove the root to what is causing it. There are issues which cannot be denied and must be dealt with.

There was one place in the yard where I had hung a bird feeder but a squirrel had managed to invade it and knock it down. I picked up the broken pieces and cleaned up the area that I could see but now there are patches of grass growing in that spot. Some of the seeds I couldn’t see had taken root and now I will have to weed these out. The same is true for our lives. Sometimes we are going along fine and excited about serving the Lord but something in our life gets broken. It may be a relationship, our jobs or something that’s very important to us. Some seeds are sown which we don’t see until later when a root of bitterness or some other root begins to show itself in our lives.

I would like to ignore the weeds in my yard in hopes that they would go away on their own. You and I know that isn’t going to happen. It requires constant attention and effort to maintain a lawn free of weeds. We can’t just settle with covering it up or cutting off the parts that people see. The work is never done, nor is it just something done on Sundays. Some weeds can sprout up overnight, thus a daily walk requires daily examination. This is done by prayer and being led by the Spirit.

COMMON SPIRITUAL WEED PROBLEMS
Bitterness Filaree
Bitterness Filaree is an easily seeded but quickly rooting weed. A member of the strife family, it has grudge-like tendencies that, when rooted, may take years to remove. It has feathery appearing foliage on the outside but filled with rot just below the surface. It is recommended that any seeds of a Bitterness Filaree be removed before it can take root. Prevention is the best cure.

Critical crabgrass
Critical crabgrass seeds usually begin to germinate when the lawn is frustrated or not being maintained. Pre-emergent applications such as being more active in the local church or witnessing to others are generally effective in controlling this weed. We often see a good crop of critical crabgrass when God is getting ready to do something supernaturally or when a breakthrough is coming. Critical crabgrass dies when people turn more to Christ than concentrating on what others are doing.

Me-delions
Me-delions are also known as the selfishness weed. They usually germinate in the neglect of doing for others and go to seed shortly thereafter. This weed is a very prolific seed producer that can infest a lawn relatively quickly. Me-delions can be easily controlled with prayer, self-examination and being more focused on giving to others of time, effort or finances. As is the case with all weed management, constant mowing is a big help in controlling this weed.

Lust Ivy
Lust Ivy is a fast growing, highly deceitful weed. It can grow quite tall in the wild and undetected if unchecked in a Christian’s life. It can be controlled with persistent applications of Holy Spirit weed control. Less television is also effective on this plant. It is more aggressive in shady areas.

Rebellions
Rebellions are among the first weeds to appear during times of selfishness. They can appear in any lawn, but are especially noticeable in lawns of disobedience. These weeds can infest dormant dreams and callings. They are difficult to eliminate but regular prayer helps to control them. They do not survive very long into a season of surrender to the Lord.

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