After visualising God’s word as seeds, I need to plant in my heart and being mindful that my heart has to have the right conditions in order for the seeds to germinate, let’s look at the next step of the process of a flowering plant… growing.
Little Acorn looked down at himself and said, “I’ve changed.” His round shell was now a slender trunk.
“You are growing up,” Orange tree said. “Now you are a little oak.” Little Oak straightened himself and remembered his mother’s words: Within you is a great oak…. Maybe she was right, he thought, and he stood a bit taller. The Oak inside the Acorn, Max Lucado
My prayer for us is never to be content with where we are in our spiritual growth but to strive to live with an expectancy of growing more and more so that we can become more and more like Jesus.
As a woman, a mother, a wife… the fiery darts the enemy is shooting away at us can feel quite tangible sometimes! By renewing my mind, seeking God and His Righteousness above ALL else, on a daily basis, I am exchanging my righteousness with God’s OR in other words: I’m putting on my breastplate and making sure my heart stays in a position for this new revelation God gave me, this new seed that has germinated, to sprout up and grow. As I’m typing this I can picture a big red “BEWARE” sign you would find on a gate which closes in fierce dogs the owner of the home has to protect their home. While your revelation is growing… the weeds are growing too!
Song of Solomon 2:15
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
When something pops up and we see it’s not behaviour God would like from us, stop it before it gets out of control! Let’s listen to a friend who love us enough to council us in love and let’s not come up with a million excuses for why we said this or did that.
“We are only human” is what the world will say when they’ve made a mistake but as a daughter of the King, we should thank our gracious Father for his unmerited favour and grace in our lives, say sorry and move on without the little foxes. And when they come again, when the weeds sprout up again – get rid of them while they are young and easy to pull out.
Ecc 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
The enemy is so sly, he even takes advice from the Bible and use it against Gods children… just look at this weed – 4 strands!!! Pull out those “weeds” in our lives while they are still small and remember that you’re not alone. Let’s grow into a sisterhood who would stand up in prayer for one another and who would walk the extra mile for another sister in Christ.
Now, putting all the weeds aside… how do I grow? I read the Bible every day but I seem so far from God OR I know that He loves me, I read every day, pray often but I know just as little as I did 10 years ago and stumble for words when someone asks me to pray for them OR when I’m talking about my faith with others – it’s real inside but it’s not coming out!
I’m sure hundreds of books have been written with the 7 steps to Spiritual Growths but what I’ve learned in my life is the very thing that helped me learn my times tables! RECAP RECAP RECAP!
PrayMeditateTalk
When I’ve heard a sermon at church or a Ladies Conference, I’m usually so keen to dig deeper: I take notes, draw pictures and write down all the references so that I can see for myself and get confirmation that this is REALY from God and not just one person’s idea of what the bible says.
Three years later I find the notes, look over them and it’s just gone! The excitement I had, the revelation lost and I’m cross with myself for not meditating on it at home. It’s like a little cycle… learn something new, pray about it, meditate, talk about it… the more I talk about it the more God reveals new truths regarding the matter, the more I pray about it, the more I ponder on it… and so it goes on and on.
Let’s make time to nurture God’s word in our lives so that we can grow deep roots, grow big and strong above the ground and as a result produce the beautiful fruit of the Spirit. Let’s stay rooted and established in Him by going back to His word even when we think we’ve heard it all!
Stopping here, the growing phase of a flowering plant, let’s go back and ponder on how amazing this “seed” is that we have the privilege carrying the soil in which it can be planted. Later on, we’ll look at the final stages, Flowering, Pollination & Fertilisation and Seed formation before the whole cycle begins again.
Thank You Lord, that Your word is all I need to stand strong in this World. Thank you for bestowing on me a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. That I can too, be called an oak of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of YOUR splendor (Isaiah 61:3).