"Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow,
to build and to plant.”--Jeremiah 1:9-10 (NIV)
to build and to plant.”--Jeremiah 1:9-10 (NIV)
The pictures tell the story!
One day while my husband and I were doing yardwork, he attempted to pull up what looked like a weed or some type of wild flora. He tugged at the stubborn leaves and only met resistance. How could a couple blades of grass be so difficult to uproot? It wasn't the exposed flora; it was the root of the exposed flora.
So often what happens in our lives is analogous to our (my husband and I) yard work experience. When we are plagued with trouble or difficulties, we may look to relieve symptoms or treat what is "obvious". However, I'm sure you would agree that in matters of the heart, without getting to the root cause--we will continue to experience symptoms.
But, there is good news for you today! We, as believers of Jesus Christ, have been given the divine ability to uproot (as in the case of Jeremiah [Jeremiah 1]). The word "uproot" in Hebrew is nathash, meaning to expel, pull up, root out, pluck up, to utterly destroy and overthrow. The best part is when we work in tandem with the Kingdom of God we are assured victory. Therefore whatever has been uprooted will not make a return appearance.
What proverbial flora continues to pop up in your heart? Anger, fears/phobias, anxiety, substance abuse, manipulation, toxic relationships? These examples are the result of an underlying root. If you can identify the root, you can pull it up! It may difficult because roots do not want to be dislodged--especially generational roots (habits, attitudes, traditions, mindsets, styles of relating that pass from one generation to another). However, if we are willing to activate our faith, take God at his word, put in the time, and do the hard work we will experience unprecedented victory in our lives and in our families.
One day while my husband and I were doing yardwork, he attempted to pull up what looked like a weed or some type of wild flora. He tugged at the stubborn leaves and only met resistance. How could a couple blades of grass be so difficult to uproot? It wasn't the exposed flora; it was the root of the exposed flora.
So often what happens in our lives is analogous to our (my husband and I) yard work experience. When we are plagued with trouble or difficulties, we may look to relieve symptoms or treat what is "obvious". However, I'm sure you would agree that in matters of the heart, without getting to the root cause--we will continue to experience symptoms.
But, there is good news for you today! We, as believers of Jesus Christ, have been given the divine ability to uproot (as in the case of Jeremiah [Jeremiah 1]). The word "uproot" in Hebrew is nathash, meaning to expel, pull up, root out, pluck up, to utterly destroy and overthrow. The best part is when we work in tandem with the Kingdom of God we are assured victory. Therefore whatever has been uprooted will not make a return appearance.
What proverbial flora continues to pop up in your heart? Anger, fears/phobias, anxiety, substance abuse, manipulation, toxic relationships? These examples are the result of an underlying root. If you can identify the root, you can pull it up! It may difficult because roots do not want to be dislodged--especially generational roots (habits, attitudes, traditions, mindsets, styles of relating that pass from one generation to another). However, if we are willing to activate our faith, take God at his word, put in the time, and do the hard work we will experience unprecedented victory in our lives and in our families.
