Christian Living

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Spiritual Character-The Roots of the Tree

John Simmons


David of Ancient Israel: King, Priest, Prophet. Mighty warrior. Giant slayer. A man of God who loved Jehovah God with all his heart, soul, and strength. We read of David's great dedication to the God of Israel Who wrought great victories for the tiny Nation that David ruled for many years.

David's love and reverence for God is something we should desire to emulate in our own lives. I never cease to be amazed when I read in the Word of God of the great love that the holy men and women of old had for our Loving God. I find it even more amazing when I consider the contrasting narratives that on the one hand speak of their devotion and reverence for the Lord, and on the other hand give us the accounts of their weaknesses and sins before a Holy God of Love.

Men and women are often referred to symbolically in the Scriptures as trees:

'And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water...'


The real foundations of the life and character of trees are always found in the tree's roots, which spring forth out of the seed. As the seed from which the tree grows germinates, the roots, being the foundation, grow quicker than the sprouts that push up through the soil, and begin to grow upwards, out of the developing roots. The outward, visible shape, form, and 'personality' of the tree is always determined by the kind of seed it grows from. The tree will always take form according to the 'character' of the seed, the 'genetic make up' of the seed from which the tree sprouts and puts down the roots that the tree draws it's very life from.

1st Peter 1:23 states:

'Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.'

This verse of Scripture tells us clearly that there is a seed planted by God within us upon our being born again of God's Holy Spirit. A new Tree is planted by Him in the soil of our hearts that has now been made alive by the Presence and Person of His Holy Spirit. There is from that time onward in our lives a possibility for our Father to grow within us a Priestly Tree that is Christ in us, fully grown, fully reflecting His Divine Character.

We are also referred to in Scripture as being a Temple that He lives in, walks in, speaks and acts through. God has given us 'all things that pertain to life and Godliness' in Christ. Yet there is a price for us to pay, battles to be won, if we are to truly walk in His Victory. The spiritual influences in life that we allow to mold and shape us will always be determining factors as to the kind of spiritual character that we will possess. Proverbs 4:23 states: 'Keep (guard) thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.'

Duality of spiritual character is spoken of concerning many people whose lives are well documented in the Word of God. It was the same duality of character that all Christians struggle with, and can win over, if we grow in His Grace. If we truly love Him, we will yield our lives to Him, as obedient servants. Obedience to Him is vital, if He is to finish the work of faith that He alone can be the Author and Finisher of in our lives. 2 Thessalonians 1:11

'Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power.'

There is a very real spiritual war that is being fought in the unseen realm. The fact that unseen spiritual beings have an impact upon the lives of men is a reality that is spoken of many times in the Scriptures. In the book of Psalms we are told that holy angels are sent to watch over those who are to be "heirs of Salvation." There was a rebellion in Heaven a long time ago. There are unholy spiritual beings, also. Ephesians 6:12:

'For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.'

I have always thought that the life of King David of old was a great example of how one can truly love God, and be dedicated to Him, and yet still wrestle with the power of the one who can 'appear as an angel of Light.' Satan was an angel of light, his name was Lucifer before his fall, and he is the grand master of deception. Jesus gave Satan the title of the 'father of lies'. The power of evil, and how it influences man, is anything but a myth.

The Scriptures included here concerning Satan and what is mentioned of him here is added in hopes of presenting a clearer picture of our real enemy. Lucifer is referred to symbolically in the following scriptures as the 'king of Tyrus'.

Ezekiel 28:11-18:

11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

In the Book of Genesis, we read where the spiritual natures and characters of all men were influenced by this once glorious, fallen archangel, when his Lie was believed by Adam and Eve. I'm always amazed when I consider how the events that were recorded of the Fall of Man, that had such a profound effect upon humanity, were worded by God in His Word in such a simple way. Some of the facts below you will probably not find in a Sunday School teaching syllabus, but God is more than able to quicken His Word to us, when His Word lives within us.

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Adam and Eve died spiritually when the power of the Lie deceived them and they yielded their wills to disobedience. They experienced a spiritual nature change, from being spiritually alive in God's Life, to spiritual death, when God's Holy Spirit left their spirits because of their sin. Our spiritual natures, without Christ, are natures of disobedience to God's Supreme Law of Love. (See Jeremiah 17:9)

Satan's Ages old, supernatural Great Lie has prevailed against us all, since that day: unless and until we are re-born into the Family of God by the Provision He has given us, in Christ. No spiritual battle is fought in the hearts and lives of those who are still enslaved by the Lie of the spirit of disobedience, by the spiritual nature of sin. Any act of sin is commited out of a nature of sin, in the unsaved. In our unsaved condition, our sinful spiritual natures are willing captives to the 'lust' spoken of in God's Word.

Lust spoken of in the Word of God is actually the soulish, deadly desire to believe this Great Lie that speaks (beneath our conscious awareness) to a disobedient spiritual nature. The Lie tells us all that we can experience a thrill, that we can 'be as Gods' by denying the Sovereignty of the Lord. The Lie tells us all that in rejecting God's Authority through disobedience, we can attain some exalted knowledge and stature that God is withholding from us by commanding us to be obedient. 'For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, (disobey Him) then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.' The spiritual power of the Great Lie is greater than our carnal selves. We need a Saviour.

'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Romans 6:23

Remember the illustration showing 'self' on the 'seat of the heart' and Christ outside the circle that represents us? (off of this web page: Illustrations of Spiritual Postures ) The spiritually darkened 'Self', apart from God, is in control of the Christ-less life. God's Holy Spirit is alienated from this life, and spiritual death and darkness reigns here.





Yielding to The Lie brought forth spiritual death in Adam and Eve. Disobeying God always alienates His Spirit from us. God is the Giver of our spiritual and physical Life. Our God is a Holy God. He cannot look upon sin, that being the complete opposite of His Character and Divine Nature. His Spirit cannot and will not dwell in a temple of willful disobedience. All of us as descendants of Adam and Eve have been born spiritually dead, our spirits are void of His Presence from our physical birth. We need to be 'born again' spiritually of His Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 14:12-15:

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Out of his jealousy Lucifer rebelliously proclaimed his authority to be above the Lord's, and he was cast out of Heaven along with his followers. The satanic spirit of pride that was born in Lucifer allowed him to deceive himself into believing that he that he could overthrow the Throne of his Creator.

Revelation 12:7-8:

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought, and his angels:

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Obadiah 1:3

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Now, as Satan the 'father of the spirit of pride', he understands very well the power of pride to deceive. It is through the spirit of pride that we can be deceived with the same Lie that Satan deceived himself with. Agreeing with the spirit of pride enables us (beneath the level of our conscious awareness) to be deceived into believing that we will be exalted through rebellion and disobedience, just as Lucifer was deceived by his pride. (See Jeremiah 17:9)

It is hard for us to comprehend a created being whose spiritual essence could influence everyone on planet Earth. Satan's darkened spiritual power must be great indeed for him to have been able to persuade 1/3 of all the holy angels to join him in his hopeless rebellion against the Lord. Lucifer, the 'Light bearer', 'Son of the Morning', was perhaps the mightiest of all the Lord's created Archangels. Only the awesome reality of the Power and Truth of Christ in us is greater than the deception of the Great Lie, and can deliver us from it's power. Thank you Heavenly Father! Thank you, Lord Jesus!

The Great Lie whispers to us all. It insinuates to all, both sinner (those without Christ) and saint (those within whom Christ dwells) alike, that there is some marvelous revelation that the Lord is withholding from us by commanding us to love Him, and be subservient to Him. It tells us that we don't need a Holy God of Love, that we can exalt our 'selves' by spurning His authority through disobedience, the authority that we know is His through what He reveals of Himself in Creation. The same Lie has resonated subliminally in the souls of all mankind throughout the corridors of history, always bringing only death and loss to each and every one of us who have believed it. One day the Arch Deceiver will be locked away for all time and Eternity.

Revelation 20:1-3:

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
God commands us to be obedient so that we can know Him, and the peace and fulfillment that can only come from being a loving, obedient servant to Him. Christ in us fulfills that obedience, out of love. God is glorified when we are obedient to Him out of love and gratitude for who He is, and what He has done for us. Our Creator, our Saviour, our Life Giver is the only One, through Christ, Who can be the fulfillment of our lives. Here is an illustration of a life that Christ indwells. Christ by His Spirit is in the 'Seat of the Heart', with the now dying old nature of 'self' removed from it's previously dominant position. God's Holy Spirit Indwells this life. This is an illustration of a person who has been 'born again'.






The 'S' for 'self' is still inside the 'circle of one's being'. Our old selfish nature dies hard, there is going to be a battle, here. 'Self' is not totally excluded from the circle when we are born again. Christ now lives in our spirits. The battle will be in the soul: the mind, the will, and the emotions. Our minds must be renewed by the power of the Living Word, as we give ourselves to study of the written Word. We must have fellowship with one another as we worship Him, and minister to one another.

Duality of spiritual character can only exist in those within whom the outcome of a spiritual conflict is being decided. Along with being born into the Kingdom of God comes the inescapable challenge of our being introduced to the arena of spiritual warfare. Where there was before no Truth or real spiritual power to overcome the Lie of the 'prince of the power of the air' there has now been placed within us the very real Presence, Character, and Obedience of Christ in us.

Upon our New Birth we are newborn babes in Christ. As babies we have lots of learning and growing to do. On our way to maturity we have many battles to be lost, thank God many more to be won. We are given Christ's delegated Authority to wage warfare against the real enemy of all men. Christ in you, the Hope of Glory. Christ is the Warrior within who will always be triumphant if we allow Him to fight for us the battles we could never win by our own power.

In our temptations, our only power is to yield our wills to either root source of authority: either the soulish remnants of the old nature that grew out of the root character of the old man of sin, or the transplanted character of the Royal Spirit of Christ, Who has now taken up Eternal Residence within us. We are seemingly faced with the dilemma of coming to grips with the fact that we have no power over sin within our own willpower. It is merely given to us to choose who we shall yield our wills to, and whom we shall resist. If we truly love Him, we will yield our wills completely to Him. Thank God for assuring us that we can have certain victory, even as He has revealed to us that: 'greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.'

A mighty oak tree that has grown from an insignificant acorn has no difficulty in being what God ordained it to be. There is no duality of character or natures that the oak struggles with. The oak tree, or any other natural tree exists just as God intended it to be. The plans for the oak's roots that are it's very life and foundation were genetically encoded into the acorn to produce above them just what God intended for the tree to be. Yet, we as the Trees of His Planting have within us the remnants of the roots of the now dying character of the old man of sin to be reckoned with.

What a humbling experience it is for us to realize that all we can do is stretch out our arms, and allow Him to crucify us, deaden us to the power of sin, so that He may then raise us once again from that which we have died unto. Cycles of death, and consequent resurrection. Forming Christ more fully within us. Only God can do this. The Lord reserves all Honor and Glory for what He has done for Himself, Alone. We have nothing to boast of. We can merely partake of His Victory, one that cost our Heavenly Father a Great Price.

All we can do to ultimately stand as victorious warriors is to allow Him to win that war that is being fought within us, by yielding our lives completely to Him. We can rejoice in His Victory over sin, as He forms the Image of Christ more fully within us. Jesus made it possible for us to be eternally resurrected in the Newness of His Life and Likeness when He offered His sinless Blood as a sacrifice to appease the just judgement of our Holy God upon sin. His Resurrection from the dead, and His laying of His Blood upon the Mercy Seat made our resurrection from the spiritually dead an opportunity that we must eagerly accept and embrace. Accepting Christ gives us the ability to take on His Character now, in this life, and is the only Way that God can make us fit citizens for His Eternal Heavenly Kingdom.

Romans 8:35-37 states: 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us'

John Simmons © December 15, 2008

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