As I looked out upon my neglected garden, which to me looked more like a wilderness (well ok - I’m exaggerating a little, after all it was April), the grass was quite long! It needed to be cut. Unfortunately, I hadn’t bagged the dead annuals that should have been removed in September. The whole garden looked uninviting and messy; a wilderness.
I was contemplating what to do first; weeds, lawn, or just close the door and go out for coffee? The Holy Spirit began to talk to me about how our hearts can be just like a garden. Full of life one minute and barren the next, if we don’t recognise the season we are in. The Holy Spirit went on to talk about how Jesus was led by Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matt 4:1-2).
Jesus modelled how to overcome the enemy by using the word of God, “It is written...” Jesus’s victory is our victory, if we follow His example.
One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Exodus 2:11–15
I don’t necessarily think that God wants us to end up in the desert, I think that we often end up in the wilderness through our own choices. Moses ended up in the backside of the desert because he acted out of his own understanding, and he allowed his emotions to dictate his actions. His wilderness lasted 40 years and culminated with a burning bush experience. (Do you ever wonder what would have happened if Moses hadn’t turned aside to go and see that burning bush?)
King Saul started his reign well, until Samuel the prophet told him to wait seven days at Gilgal for his return. Samuel was late arriving - or was he? Saul allowed the fear that he saw in his men to dictate his actions.
‘Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realised that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.
Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?”
Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Mikmash ready for battle. So, I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”
“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” 1 Samuel 13:8 – 14.
Disobedience and a lack of real repentance caused Saul to lose his kingdom.
Every born-again believer has undergone a complete inner transformation. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Notice how it doesn’t say that “all things are becoming new” or “have the potential of being new.” This verse declares the old life is gone (past tense), a new life has begun (present tense)—reality right now.
If you don’t understand spirit, soul, and body, you’re instantly set up for confusion, frustration, and ultimately unbelief when you see a verse like this. After reading about a total change and all things being of God, you look at your body and immediately start wondering because it hasn’t passed away or become brand new.
If you were overweight before receiving the Lord, that didn’t change the moment you got saved! A time will come when you’ll receive a glorified body, but that hasn’t happened yet.
“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:53
Although Christ’s atonement provided for you physically, your body has not yet been saved. It’s been purchased, but not yet redeemed.
Our problems don’t originate from our spirit, but from our soul, our mind, will and emotions.
A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45
I had neglected my garden. I made excuses’ too cold, too windy, too wet.
I thought to myself………How we look after ourselves, homes, gardens, relationships and so on - good, bad or indifferent - is often an expression of what is going on in our hearts!
I like my garden tidy, full of flowers, pleasing to the eye. When I sit outside, enjoying the warmth of the sun, reading a book or having a coffee, my soul feels at peace.
I’m not an avid gardener but I realise that there are consequences to neglecting the garden, the house, the car, myself and others.
This week has been at times very frustrating because I have been trying to find a suitable venue for hire to host a training day. In my quest to do this the Holy Spirit chose to do some weeding in my heart!
A very painful memory that was buried deep in my heart surfaced. There was no prior warning, it was there right in front of my eyes. It totally stopped me in my tracks. My emotions were tempting me to react to them. The enemy wanted to cripple me, silence me, and put me in a box. For a while all I could see was a wilderness.
My natural garden, in reality, probably only needed a couple of hours of work to get it into shape, ready for this season's plants. This buried issue was a small pocket of my heart that needed healing. After my initial reaction I had a choice to make.
‘Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage’.
Psalm 84:5
Was I going to embrace another journey of healing with the Holy Spirit or was I going to languish in the wilderness?
‘Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.’ Proverbs 13:12 MSG
‘When they walk through the Valley of (Bacca) weeping it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings’. Psalm 84:6
My soul was being tempted to pitch a tent and live at 15 Bacca Street. Alternatively I could choose to embrace verse 5, trusting the Holy Spirit to bring me through this pain by embracing the journey of healing.
Despite where I was emotionally, I decided I wasn’t pitching my tent in the valley of weeping (Bacca). I was going to embrace the journey of healing and pass through to a place of refreshing springs!
I have known what it’s like to live in Bacca Ville, so I decided to call a trusted friend. I knew that the moment I spoke out the memory its power over me would be broken, because I had brought it into the light. As she prayed for me over the phone something lifted! The power of that memory was broken.
If we embrace our journey of healing with the Holy Spirit, that often means having to be vulnerable and trust others and be willing to bring things into the light - things done to us and the things we do to ourselves and others. Then we can experience glorious freedom from being held captive by an enemy whose only mission is to rob, kill and destroy. Thank God for the but in that scripture because Jesus goes on to say, but I have come to give you life in abundance! John 10:10
So, I went out into my garden and cut the grass - it took 3 cuts! I pulled up the weeds and the dead plants. It felt good; my garden was no longer messy or uninviting, but more importantly my heart, though tender, was at peace and that pocket of my heart now had more capacity for the Holy Spirit to work in and through me.
‘The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring’. Isaiah 58:11 NLT
“Your mind is a garden; your thoughts are the seeds. The harvest will bring either flowers or weeds.” Jackie Trottmann
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