Weed Be Gone

While walking the other day, I giggled when I looked down at the sidewalk. This particular sidewalk was around a vacant lot. It was cracked, but you couldn't really see the cracks because they were filled with weeds.I was just hoping I wouldn't trip over them. As your Daddy knows, it takes a lot for me to just walk over those weeds and not just start yanking them out or at least running to grab my weed sprayer to kill them. It reminds me of that quote in the movie Jurassic Park where Jeff Goldblum's character warns the dinosaur geneticists, "Life finds a way." If there is a crack in the ground, weeds will grow. They always do.

It's the same with our lives. If there is even the slightest crack in our spiritual armor, weeds will grow. And if you continue to let them grow, they get even worse. For example, that one cuss word you utter. Just that one, opens the door for others to flow through. That one little white lie can lead to many, many more. Gossiping a little leads to gossiping a lot. Satan is desperately looking to get a foot hold (Ephesians 4:27). He is prowling, Peter tells us, like a lion looking to devour us. (1 Peter 5:8)

There is a reason why Paul uses armor as an example of our spiritual life in Ephesians 6. Armor for the warrior covers all the vulnerable parts that could lead to death: head, heart, internal organs, sometimes even the full body like arms and legs of medieval knights (I chuckle thinking of them trying to walk). But there are weaknesses even in those full body armor suits. Necks, under the arms, behind the knees. Wherever there's a crack, that is where the archers would aim. Satan, too, is looking for the cracks. So Paul warns us to have the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shield of faith and good news shoes on while holding the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Salvation, righteousness, truth, faith, the Word ... that is our armor! And we must be fully covered to be fully safe.

My dear children, know that every single day Satan is looking for your weaknesses. Every. Single. Day. How can he pull you from the Father? How can he get you to fail? Even just a little, because that just gives him an easier opportunity to get you to fail faster and harder the next time. The battle is on. He will try to get you to sin. Your whole marriage long, he will be working on you. How can I tempt them to ... ? He's got thousands of years of experience at temptation, and his success is epic. The Bible is full of relatable stories of failure. We are not immune to temptation. Even Christ was tempted. However, with God's help we can defeat it. Notice that with Christ, it was the Word He used in His defense. So meditate on it, memorize it, read and study the Word and let it become part of you ... so that there are no cracks for Satan to find.

When I got home from my walk, I saw a teeny tiny little weed growing near my front door and to its left an even tinier one. I grabbed the larger of the too and instantly pulled it out. But the tinier one,I couldn't get a grip on it. Just days later, that weed was a full blown plant. That's all it took. Yes, I got a good hold of it and yanked it out, but I noticed a tiny bit of the root was still in there. It will be back. So see to it when you are armoring up, if you already have some weeds, don't just pull out what's at the surface. Get to the root of it and destroy it. Or it will attempt to come back.

Arm yourself. Weed out the bad. Get to the root of it. Get it before it gets you. You will save yourself much heartache, confusion and deeper sin by prevention, protection and a good thorough weeding.

Discussion: Are there weeds in your life that need pulling? What are some areas where you need some spiritual armor strengthening? Can you share a story where you let a "weed" grow in your life and its consequences.

Prayer: Sometimes, Father, we don't notice at first the evil that is lurking and successfully creeping into our lives. Give us your Holy Spirit incite to catch those moment and eliminate the temptation from our lives. Give us courage, strength and perseverance. In Christ we pray, Amen.

Who's The More Foolish?

Today is April Fool's Day. I hate this holiday, mostly because I am pretty gullible. I expect people to be honest and forthright, so when they try to pull one over on me, I'm thrown and less trusting. A holiday designed to encourage people to prank one another just isn't my forte. It's designed to make someone else feel foolish, and that just doesn't seem Godly or encouraging in any way to me. I know people say it's "all in good fun," but ask the pranked person if it was fun for them. If in a crowd, they may say it was and laugh it off, but it truly isn't fun at all.

I wanted to see what characteristics qualified a person as a "fool" in the eyes of the Lord, so did a little digging. According to the book of Proverbs as fool despises wisdom and instruction (1:7); is complacent (1:32); brings grief (10:1); lies and slanders (10:18); does whatever he wants (12:15); is prideful (14:3); deceives (14:8), is hotheaded (14:16), spurns parents' discipline (15:5); won't hold their tongues (17:28), is perverted (19:1); quarrels (20:3); is untrustworthy (26:6); repeats their poor behavior (26:11); and rages and scoffs (29:9). Based on this information, the one pulling the pranks on this holiday is a fool. According to Ecclesiastes 2:14 a fool "walks in darkness." And one that truly has weight with regards to marriage, Ecclesiastes 5:4 says a fool is one "who doesn't fulfill a vow."

The one that got me most however was Psalm 14:1 and 53:1 (they are identical Psalms) which begin with this verse, "A fool says in their heart there is no God." That person is the most foolish of all. We know there most certainly is an Almighty, All-Powerful, All-Loving, Creator God and we'll all one-day be face-to-face with Him.

Find ways this day to be completely opposite the fool. Seek wisdom. Be loving. Use kind words. Be humble. Work hard. Be obedient. Be trustworthy. Those are things the Lord values.

Discussion: Have you ever been pranked? Have you ever pulled a hoax on someone? How did you feel after both instances? Do you have to work on any of the foolish characteristics listed above?

Prayer: We give all glory and honor to the King of Kings this day. Thank you, Father, for wisdom. May we be diligent to seek it. In Christ, Amen.

Whatever Is True

After days of rose petals torn from a silk flower, pearls, Swarovski crystals, netting and satin stripped from a hair accessory, ribbon, feathers, tiny seashells and charms strewn around my office, I finally sat down the other afternoon and tried to make a belt for Ayla's wedding dress. Now she's already had one donated to use that's blinged out, but while at the bridal store, Ayla tried on a different belt that was intriguing. She wasn't sold on it, but I thought it might be fun to try to personalize one for her. So I looked for coral and sparkly elements to try to make one. And viola ... it's complete. I had so much fun making it, I may make another more of the sparkly variety. We'll see.

Whether or not she uses it makes no difference to me. It was so fun to do! Personally, there is only one belt that I want Ayla to wear ... and Rob, Tone and Kayla for that matter. That's the belt talked about in Ephesians 6:14 as part of the full armor of God ... the belt of truth. See we live in a world where truthfulness is glossed over, inflated or eliminated. Far better to tell people what they want to hear than the truth. Far better to exaggerate your story than tell the truthful one that may not have as much impact. Far better to outright lie than admit the truth. But see, when folks start going that direction, it just leads to more and more untruths. God saw such importance in truth telling that He made it one of the Ten Commandment. "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16) Psalm 10:7 tells us it is the wicked man whose mouth is "full of lies." 34:13 says, "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies." In John 8:44 Jesus warns about lies saying, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." No one wants to claim to be his son. Colossians 3:9 says, "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices."

This means you don't even tell those "little white lies." We heard a TV series character call them "sugar lies" saying they were meant to make someone feel better. Psychology Today says, "Sometimes it's wise to fib just a little. Telling the whole truth to a person who isn't prepared for it can destroy the trust and good will between people. White lies often come from a sense of compassion, not a desire to deceive." But Scripture doesn't give allowances for "fibbing." A lie is a lie. 

You will find truthfulness is so important in a marriage. You need to be open with one another and tell the truth. Anything less will certainly destroy trust between you. So be honest. Stand firm and put on the belt of truth.

Discussion: Do you think it's okay to tell little white lies? Why is truthfulness important to you?

Prayer: Lord, you have told us to be honest and for us to think about what is true (Phil. 4:8). We will have more credibility, integrity and more trust placed in us if we are honorable enough to be truthful. May we be obedient to Your word. In Jesus, Amen.