Last week we began our investigation into what it takes to develop a strong and healthy spiritual root system that will feed our souls and strengthen our spirits. If you missed last week’s post, I strongly encourage you to pause now and read part 1 of our discussion.

To recap, we learned the Bible has much language in regards to agriculture and our relationship with God. To better understand why the authors and Jesus, Himself would use such metaphors, I broke down the ideology into four categories to help our modern day mindset digest these teachings more effectively. Last week we discussed soil quality and fertilizing. This week we will continue by looking at watering and diseases and pest management.

Watering

As early as elementary school, you probably learned that plants need three basic elements to develop and grow.

Soil
Sun
Water

So when I speak about plants needing water to grow, I can feel the collective eye roll oozing from the screens, followed by a loud comment in unison- “Duh!”

But let’s dig a little deeper, shall we? Roots extract water from the soil, which then acts like a transport train carrying needed nutrients up through the stem and depositing them to the leaves, buds, flowers and fruit. The water collected in the leaves, is the key ingredient needed for photosynthesis to occur, which turns sunlight into food for the plant. If that is not miraculous enough, the pressure of the water in the stem helps to hold its shape and creates flexibility, allowing it to move in the wind. Water is vital for the plant’s survival.

The sun was extremely hot that day as sweat drops slide down the small of her back. The weight of the water pitchers hanging from the pole stretched across her shoulders, seemed twice as heavy and she hadn’t even filled them yet. Her face flushed, skin burning, she welcomed the sight of the well in the distance. “This is what happens when the choices you make for yourself bring shame upon you. Why can’t I just get my life together?” she thought to herself.

Lost in the endless loop of the same guilt, laced words rolling through her mind, she didn’t notice the stranger sitting by the stone wall until he spoke. “Give me a drink.”

Startled, she stopped immediately and stared at him cautiously. She could tell by his dress he was a Jew which confused her even more. Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans, for they thought of them as an inferior race, so why was this man speaking to her? Her pulse quickened as a thought caused her blood to race, “What if he knows my reputation and is looking to take advantage of me?” But there was something in his demeanor that caused her fear to settle and she found the courage to speak.

“How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman for a drink? For the Jews have nothing to do with the Samaritans.”

His reply perplexed her greatly, as she could not take her eyes off the face of this man who was a stranger, and yet had a familiarity about him somehow. What is he talking about? Living water? What does he mean? And how is he going to draw anything from this well without a pitcher to dip with? These questions moved from her mind to her mouth as she continued her conversation with the Jewish Rabbi. The next words from his lips were so intriguing, she knew this had to be no ordinary man.

“All who drink of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never thirst anymore. But the water that I will give shall become a spring of water welling up within him unto eternal life.”

Do you feel a dryness in your soul that things of this world cannot saturate? An empty and parched barren place, deep within yourself, longing for refreshment to quench the thirst? A nagging sensation that just won’t relent, telling you there is something more in this life beyond the ordinary day to day. What you seek is the Living Water, Jesus Christ.

When you accept Jesus as your Savior, there is a transformation that takes place deep within your heart. Every longing, desire, want and need are found in the person of Christ Jesus. The woman at the well (John 4:1-42) had been searching her whole life in all the wrong, misguided places for something- anything to take away the dry, endless thirst from her soul. That day, she found it in the Jewish Rabbi.

The life giving water He offers will fill you up to complete satisfaction; however, if you have accepted this Living Water and yet find yourself in a place where you still lack fulfillment, could it be you have developed a kink somewhere in your lifeline that is restricting the flow of this vital nutrient? Let us examine a possible cause and solution.

I cannot stress enough the importance of drinking deep from the well that never runs dry. Prayer goes beyond a quick, “Thank You Jesus for this food, Amen”. It should be a time to sit and speak with the Almighty, connecting in a genuine and intentional way. It is literally a direct pathway leading to our Savior, not to be taken for granted or treated flippantly. Draw away from the busyness of the day and find a place of peace and rest at the Master’s feet. If you do not fight for your time with the Lord, I can promise you, this world and the darkness that owns it, will throw every distraction in its arsenal directly at you.

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Screwtape Letters, presents the ideal that overwhelming levels of noise in the lives of Christians, is a tactic used by the enemy to pull their focus away from Jesus. How utterly correct this brilliant author and apologetic was! The devil is the master at luring our attention and affections away from our Creator, but we do not have to be deceived dear friends! Engage in the battle on your knees!

Turn off the television, even for just an hour.
Limit the amount of time you are scrolling on your phone each day.
Try to schedule less activities throughout the week if at all possible.
Get up slightly earlier in the morning to allow for extra time with the Lord.

Do whatever it takes to get in the presence of the Prince of Peace. Just as water is the essential element needed for healthy plant growth and development, the Living Water is necessary for spiritual growth. Actually, apart from Jesus- you will wither, wilt and eventually die.

Diseases and Pest Management

I have raised garden beds beside my barn, where I love to grow a variety of yummy vegetables and fruits. Each spring I excitedly freshen the dirt with compost and plant my seeds in anticipation of a bountiful harvest. Over the years; however, I have learned there are many elements of opposition that a backyard gardener such as myself must overcome, to get from seed to table.

I have dealt with powdery mildew on my squash and zucchini plant leaves, which is a fungus that occurs when it gets too hot and humid, and battled tomato blight on my Romas and ear rot on my sweet corn which causes the fruit to decay and rot. Even more frustrating are the pests that seek to invade and ruin my hard work and destroy my crop yield. Squash Bugs, Cabbage Worms, Japanese Beetles, Asparagus Beetles, birds, bunnies, squirrels, raccoons, skunks… it’s a wonder I harvest any food at all each year.

Tackling these many issues can be exhausting, discouraging and lead to a desire to just give up the hobby all together, but when it comes to the diseases and pests in our christian lives, we must never grow weary of the fight because sin seeks to kill you.

If I may be quite frank with you, we have a sin problem in the big “C” church today. I am amazed at how unbothered we have become by things the scriptures clearly define as sin and how lazy we are at removing these cancerous diseases from our lives. I believe the greatest issue that is killing the roots of our spiritual lives, is pride. We refuse to completely surrender to the King of Kings.

Too many church goers today use Christ as “get out of hell” insurance. “Jesus, come be my Savior, but not my Lord. I’ll “clean up” enough to make it look good on the outside, but I’ve got habits I don’t want to quit, places I still want to go, things I want to watch, thoughts I want to entertain and people I want to be with. I’m just not willing to lay that down.”

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:27-28 (words of Jesus)

If we ever hope to thrive in our relationship with Christ, we must- and I stress must- eliminate sin in our lives immediately. This is not something you can play around with. Evil desires are unyielding in their objective- death.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 6:23

“Then desire when it is conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” -James 1:15

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” -Proverbs 14:12

I know it is not popular to speak about sin in today’s culture, but I’m not here to win a popularity contest. I am here to speak the truth in love and to spur us on to run this race well and finish strong. Out of all of the topics we are discussing in this series, I believe none bears more weight and importance than this one. If you allow even the smallest, tiniest, minuscule speck of a sin into your life, it is only a matter of time before that ultra fine particle will grow and expand, seeking to overtake you.

Sin is never content with being contained.

“A little leaven, leavens the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9

Leaven is another word for yeast and if you know anything about making bread with yeast, even a small amount will spread, “eating” its way throughout the dough until it is fully consumed. What you may try to justify in your mind as “No big deal”, will slowly eat its way into other areas of your life. As the Casting Crowns song says, “It’s A Slow Fade.”

We are in a war and wars are violent. Fight like your life depends upon it, because it does…

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” -Matthew 16:24

“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” -Galatians 5:24

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” -Romans 6:12

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” -Romans 8:13

I’m not asking you to walk perfectly, none of us can, but we need to at least try to live in obedience to the commands of our Savior. I don’t have to list out the things we do the Bible calls unholy, if you are honest with yourself, you already know and can probably identify some in your own life. I, myself, know immediately when I have sinned against my God- it happens often. I am weak flesh, but I have learned over the years to repent quickly and get the blackness out of my heart that seeks to suffocate me. Learning swift repentance to remove the disease and pests of sin, is crucial for any healthy believer. May we be as bold as David and pray this courageous prayer of surrender:

“Search me, O God and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” -Psalm 139:23-24

Maybe in reading this discussion the past couple of weeks, you realize you don’t have a relationship with the Lord. If you would like to discuss what it looks like to give your life to Jesus and begin growing your faith roots, please reach out to me from my contact page and I would love to discuss that further with you.

Spiritual health and strength originates in our roots. Soil Quality, Fertilizing, Watering and Diseases and Pest Management are to be used cohesively to produce a mighty network of strength that is not easily overcome. Storms will arise in our lives, but when roots run deep, the believer remains secure, regardless of what the day may bring.

When Roots Run Deep- Part 2

Watering

Diseases and Pest Management

Boundary Lines

Let’s talk thighs…