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DO YOU KNOW WHY?

July 9, 2020 By Mikki Jo 8 Comments


I sat in the shade of the old oak tree and smiled. I weeded the garden, repotted some houseplants, and picked some cucumbers and tomatoes. Yes, I was proud of myself.

ME: Good for you! You repotted that plant deep enough this time!
JESUS: Do you know why you haven’t been planting deep enough?
(At this point I basically jerked my head to hear what He had to say)

All summer I did the same thing. I didn’t plant my garden seed deep enough and had to replant some. I had to repot a few plants because…you guessed it, I didn’t plant them deep enough. And here Jesus comes, interrupting a quiet conversation with myself while I was giving myself high fives and a well deserved (eye roll) pat on the back. What the heck?

Continued: Me and Jesus

ME: Good for you! You repotted that plant deep enough this time! 

JESUS: Do you know why you haven’t been planting deep enough? 

ME: Uhmmm…You’re not talking about plants or garden seed are you Jesus?

JESUS: You’re afraid of commitment. When you don’t plant yourself deep enough, storms come and you’re too weak to remain rooted in me. Your roots aren’t deep enough to hold you and you get swept away. Why are you afraid of committing yourself fully to me? 

ME: I have some work to do, thanks Jesus. 

JESUS: I’m here, I’ll help you  

ME: Thanks so much!

Me and Jesus

So, I’ve been learning to trust Him more. Working on commitment. Listening to His voice. 
Praying and reading scripture. 

Believe it or not, I am a perfectionist. If it can’t be done right, I do nothing at all. I’m learning that I don’t have to have everything in line to continue my journey. I don’t have to have all the ingredients, I mean…ain’t nobody gonna miss the garlic cloves in my homemade pickles. So just make the pickles anyway. 

I will journey on and Jesus will add what I need along the way, if I stay committed. My walk with Him can be just as sweet even if I don’t read the entire Bible in a year, or even if I’m not as perfect as the virtuous woman, and even when I have trouble staying focused when I pray coz ADD will have me all over the place before I finish my quiet time with Him. 

When Jesus first asked me if I wanted to know why I wasn’t planting deep enough, my little ears perked up. I immediately thought, this will make a great blog post and may even help someone.  Ain’t that funny? Yep, this was all me. It was MY help. I’m thankful He speaks to me and just sort of inserts himself into my quiet moments. He knows He’s always welcome to sit me down and teach me a thing or two. 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. 

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

 

DO YOU TRUST FEAR MORE THAN GOD?

November 3, 2015 By Mikki Jo 11 Comments

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Has fear consumed your life? Does it captivate your every thought and even cause you to live your life based on that fear? I have lived like this, and it’s miserable. You are a prisoner.

Fear is a stronghold that satan uses to paralyze our walk with God, stunt our spiritual growth, and eventually lead us to TRUST our FEAR more than we trust the PROMISES of GOD.

 

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If we don’t trust Him, we can’t possibly have faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

No amount of fear will keep a loved one safe, or bring them to the foot of the cross, or keep us from becoming sick or keep us from losing a job.

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Fear cripples, faith walks. Fear hides, faith shines. Fear falls, faith stands. Fear gives up, faith takes down. Faith takes down the strongholds in our lives.

The enemy attacks us and uses fear to control our thoughts and actions. Faith is the gift of God to strengthen our thoughts and actions. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

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This don’t mean we will never experience fear. But we can’t allow fear to rule our lives. Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Pray, read and study the Word of God. Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

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Allow the Lord to grow our faith by studying His word and praying. 2 Corinthians 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

In Ephesians 6:11-18 We learn about the armor of God and how important it is in our battle against satan. So remember, trust in the Lord, not in your fear!

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