We learn to lean hard on God’s grace through each new trial. Though 2 Corinthians 9 was written about finances, we can apply verse 8 to our trials. It says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

All trials come stocked with God’s special provision of grace. Hebrews 4:16 bids us to come boldly before His throne of grace. Why? That we may receive His mercy and grace needed in our trial.

Paul learned to lean through the revelation that the Lord gave him. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 He told Paul that His grace would carry him through the thorn in his flesh. In verse 10 Paul got the revelation and rejoiced. He said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then  I am strong.”

Remember in John 16:30 Jesus said that He had nothing in Him that belonged to the devil. Unresolved issues are areas of ground occupied by demonic influences ~ inner strongholds that need to be destroyed. Jeremiah 1:10 says, “…to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”

Isaiah 5:13 says, “Therefore My people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge…” Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

We bury emotional pain because we don’t know the Lord’s character. This is so true as children. We bury to cope because we are not emotionally mature enough to process what happened. As we get older, we learn to rely on ourselves instead of Him because we have not become partakers of His nature through His promises. 2 Peter 1:4.

I love Mark 4:22. It says, “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.” This is such great news. There is nothing that we have buried and forgotten that He does not know.

We are created to glorify the Lord. Isaiah 43:7. We glorify Him by bearing much fruit. John 15:8. Unresolved issues contaminate our heart’s soil, allowing weed seeds to propagate. When a garden is first planted, weed seeds germinate quicker than fruit bearing seeds.

The Holy Spirit taught me years ago to pay attention to my over-reactions. They indicated that something was hidden. In my first book, Freedom! From Past Hurts, there is a chapter called Concealed Rage. Have you ever spouted off in anger? Have you ever had tears well up for seemingly no reason? Likely they were self-protective reactions because something hidden was exposed.

We need to have the mindset of going out to conquer. I encourage you to ask yourself, as I did, ‘What needs to be conquered in my life? What strongholds remain that need to be destroyed? What habits tenaciously hang on that do not exemplify the Lord? What emotional fillers do I turn to in order to neglect my hidden pain?’

In 1975 I had my light switch  hooked up to my radio. The moment I walked through the front door I would switch it on. Why? I wanted to drown out my emotional pain. The radio was my effective distractor.

In 1983 the Holy Spirit began dealing with the unresolved issues buried in my heart. That changed the course of my spiritual life. I had no idea. He is so faithful. He waits until we have the necessary groundwork of truth laid before He reveals the hidden. 

I love Hebrews 4:13 Amplified. I use it in prayer and counseling. It says, “For not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.”

I love the verse in Revelation 6:2. It says, “And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” To me it speaks of being intentional.

Romans 8:37 says, “Yet in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” The Greek word is two parts: over and above and to conquer. Jesus’ death on the cross conquered our enemy.

Colossians 2:15 says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”  1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”

Matthew 23:23 says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

I encourage you to go back and read Proverbs 24:30-31. The young man neglected to take care of his vineyard. His land was overgrown with nettles and the protective hedge of stones was broken down.

Neglect means to fail to care for something properly. I use the Song of Solomon 1:6 as a goad for myself. The Shulamite woman said, “…they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.”

When I have an essential ‘weightier matter’ to carry out but don’t want to, I say, ‘My own vineyard I have not kept.’ That becomes my motivation to right then do what needed to be done. Right now I am pulling weeds that have been neglected.

What Chokes Our Fruit? Part Two

Psalm 34:10 says that those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing. God’s wisdom makes us rich. Proverbs 3:13-16 says that the man who finds wisdom and gains understanding is happy. Wisdom: proceeds are better than silver, and more precious than rubies. Verse 15 says, “…all things you may desire cannot compare with her.” 

Other things are indicative of wrong priorities. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” ‘These things’ referred back to worry.

Worry, doubt, fear, unbelief, irritations, broken expectations, bitterness, and unforgiveness all have one thing in common ~ misplaced desires. They enter into our thoughts. If we don’t control them, they take over and choke out our fruit.

Thorns and thistles spring up. If they are not removed they sow weed seeds that propagate. I know. My back field had Star Thistle. The weed seeds contaminated my garden and flower beds. It was a fight to keep them dug out so my tender new plants could flourish.

Mark 4 recorded the parable of the sower. In verses 13-20 Jesus explained it to His disciples. The seed sown was the word of God. Verse 19 aptly describes for us the thorns that will choke out our fruit.

It says, “And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

Here is God’s way with the ‘cares’ in our lives. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I think of Paul when he cast off the viper. Acts 28:3-5. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” What cares or burdens do you need to cast off?

What riches are you pursuing that are choking out your fruit? Anything that this world has to offer is fruitless., because true riches are spiritual. Haggai 1:6 says that they earned money and put it in bags with holes. 

In John 16:8 we read that one aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work in our heart is to convict us of sin. The more we walk in the Spirit, the more sensitive we will be to His leading. Galatians 5:16.

Our desire should be that He will convict us of our evil thought before we speak it. Not every thought we have is of our own origin. When satan sends fiery dart lies, they often come in first person or accusations.

Ephesians 6:16 says that our shield of faith will quench the fiery darts. Hidden sin weakens our faith. We stand by faith (humility), but we fall from His grace as we entertain sin in our hearts (pride).

Whatever is in our heart seeps into our thought processes. We guard our heart by hiding God’s word in it. Psalm 119:11. It also is guarded with His peace by not being anxious, but rather praying with thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6-7.

David had a prayer that is an excellent one for us to adopt to help ward off inner defilement. Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”

Heart meditation based on the truths of God’s word will protect us from many diseases. God told the children of Israel that He would put none of the diseases on them that He brought upon the Egyptians. There was a condition however. 

Exodus 15:26 says, “…If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes…” Psalm 119:1-2 says, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” A defiled heart is fragmented.