While working in the fields during the teen ministry trip, the Lord had some practical applications for me to see as I pulled weeds out of the soil. With the heat burning at my back and the pain of bending over hundreds of times starting to creep up on me…tiredness had begun to set in. As I continued to push the machete into the soil to pull up the vines that were threatening to choke out the life of the newly planted rubber trees, the decision to keep working hard, rather than slacking off, became a mental discipline of choice and will. Lesson One…weeding takes work!

 As I worked, I began to think about how scripture uses the metaphor of that weeds choking out the seeds of truth that had been planted. As I observed these vines growing up around the rubber trees, I noticed they would wrap around the tree, using the tree itself to get higher up and closer to the sun. Eventually the vine would begin to steal all the sunlight blocking the tree from getting any light—and ultimately any food or energy for it to grow.

As I considered these vines (which by the way…did not pull out of the soil easily!) I began to realize that it wouldn’t take long for a small vine to eventually grow big enough to destroy the rubber tree altogether. The same is true for us in our spiritual lives as well. Think about how a little lie or belief (a vine) can eventually destroy our joy and freedom in Christ and ultimately hinder us from producing the fruit that we were intended to bear. If we aren’t actively removing lies that we believe, they have the power to destroy us and hinder our ability to live the abundant life in Christ that we have been called to live, just as the vines choked out the source of light for the trees in those fields. Lesson Two—Weeds (Lies) choke out life by blocking the light (truth).

 Lies can be somewhat simple things in the beginning. Maybe you struggle to believe that God can truly be trusted. Most of us wouldn’t readily admit to believing this, but often our actions demonstrate a heart of disbelief whenever we worry about things we can’t control.  Another example might be the lie that this life is really all about me getting what I want.  We may not say that this is what we believe, but our actions are often the proof that we cannot hide. We grasp at false satisfactions like recognition, adventure, relationships, material things, careers….all trying to meet all our earthly longings by going after everything we want instead of stopping to ask God what He wants. Often the hardest lies to recognize are those that are so ingrained into our behaviors that we don’t notice them. These are the most dangerous “vines” simply because we don’t actually realize that they are there.

 Have you ever tried to pull up a stubborn vine with your bare hands when the roots were really deep? Let me paint the picture for you. You grab at the vine and pull with all your might, only to have the vine snap right at ground level and leave the root system completely intact. Now you have less leverage to pull with and the job is much harder. Talk about frustrating! You feel defeated knowing that it will only take another good hard rain to have that vine right back to full size again, so it’s not an option to quit. The truth is…it’s hard to dig up a vine by the roots, and it’s equally just as hard to get to the root of our own beliefs! It always took a lot more work to get under the roots and actually pull out the entire vine, and I couldn’t do it without the proper tool – a tool that acted much like a sword. The machete I was using was a crucial part of getting the vines out; without it those weeds would have snapped above ground each time. The Word is our machete at times, or more metaphorically it is our Sword. And just as the machete had to dig out chunks of soil along with the roots—sometimes the work of the Sword has to tear at our hearts as it performs surgery to remove the lies that are deeply imbedded into our way of thinking. After several hours of bending over, pushing the machete into the soil to get under the roots and pulling it up, it was also really tempting to do the job only half way. Diligence at removing lies in our lives is hard work. After all, when your back is sore, it’s in the 100′s, and you are covered in sweat and dirt…shortcuts are tempting! Nevertheless in life, shortcuts never last and you end up having to pull that same weed up again and again and again if you don’t really dig down to the roots.  Lesson three go for the roots (the start of the lie) and use the right tools (the Word)

Amid all the laboring, there is the temptation to just go after the bigger vines because those are the ones that other people will notice more readily. It’s tempting to think, “Those little tiny shoots with only one leaf popping out of the soil – no one will notice those, right?” It’s sad, but true; we think this way sometimes. We forget that when we are dealing with untruth it doesn’t matter whether it’s noticeable on the outside or not, the dangers of letting it grow are still there. The reality is that not only are others hurt and affected by a job half done when it comes to uprooting our issues of unbelief…but so are we! It’s easier to think that the little false beliefs about God, or ourselves, aren’t as dangerous. But it only takes one or two more rains and they become just as big as the ones that were choking the trees completely and by then, they are a lot harder to pull out. Lesson four…attack quickly…don’t wait for the weed (lie) to grow roots.

Lastly, as I began to look at the field as though it were a perspective on my life it was overwhelming at first. When we started, the field was covered with vines—they almost looked like an intentionally planted crop —and the belief that I would ever see those fields vine free seemed to be a distant reality. Then it hit me, if I were as overwhelmed at the “vines” in my own heart even half as much as I was by looking at that field…I wouldn’t spend nearly anytime trying to point out other peoples vines because I’d be so humbled by the work I needed to do in my own heart first. I am convinced that one of the greatest tactics of Satan is get believers so preoccupied in pointing fingers at other people’s areas of sin, that we completely miss seeing our own. If I could get really good at wielding the Sword to help me “de-vine” my own soil, maybe others might noticed and pull up their own lies alongside me, and if I did notice the weeds in someone else’s field the motivation to bring it to their attention would be as a fellow servant in love and protection for their soul. Then it would become a joy to work alongside each other and source of mutual encouragement, but the focus should first start with me. Lesson five…focus on your own sins and it’ll instill in you patience for other people’s imperfections…knowing that it’s HIS kindness and patience that leads us to repentance.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not much of a farm girl. Nevertheless, I doubt I’ll look at weeds or vines in the same way again. I hope and pray that God has spoken to your heart as He did to mine, and I ask that you pray that whatever lies and false beliefs I still need to dig up by the roots that God grants me discernment in how to use the Sword and the determination and courage to not settle for anything less than complete victory and abundant living.