Planted Not Defeated, Destroyed, Not Destitute

"Everything I am going through is planting something valuable inside of me"

Have you experienced a season in life maybe days, months, or even years where you faced extreme hardship? Yes, maybe you are thinking of someone else who could have had it worse but in that time or even right now as you still plow through these difficult moments, it is a very extreme situation for you. No matter who has it harder, right now you need the enemy to turn you loose.

• Have you cried yourself to sleep?

• Have you felt so defeated that all you could do is say MERCY! Reaching out to others to petition in prayer on your behalf?

• Have you slumped down into a chair, your sofa, or bed, or maybe just sat in the car before entering your next destination to call out to the Lord asking for peace to calm your spirit?

You my sister like me and so many of our sisters are experiencing what it feels like to be planted. Have you heard someone say they are experiencing “trials and tribulations on every hand?” That is, if you’ve lived a while longer. Perhaps, if you’re just starting out, you may know the term “growing pains.” But today I want you to hear the word planted. You’ve probably heard it before, but have you affirmed what that means in your season? Because yes sister—no matter how long you have endured, it is a season. We know this to be true because of the promises made to us for everlasting life in eternal peace with the Father.

Zechariah 8:12 ‘For there will be peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. 1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. Luke 8:11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Mark 4:8 Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

In Zechariah 8:12 the planting that is referenced concerns a time of past troubles but now the peace that the Lord gives will allow the seed that is planted to produce and inherit. When you feel like God doesn’t hear your cries and your situation is unbearable, remember you are called to peace. When you attempt to cast your cares on the Lord but somehow you still cannot rest, you are still toiling in the soil. Let your heart rest knowing that what you have prayed for and asked with obedience to the Father is sealed in heaven. Saturate yourself with the word of God. It may not feel like a magical turn of the situation but your faith in the Father as a child of God holds weight! You are his and he loves you and he just needs you to trust him and the word.

• Peace is already yours, do you trust him? Do you believe you can and you will inherit that which he has promised in the word?

• Do you believe the seed needs time to be planted, watered, receive light, sprout roots, come out of the ground, and yield fruit?

It is not instant while you watch it grow but it will indeed grow with nurture.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6, the word reminds us that it is not just about who plants and waters the seed (like Paul and Apollo) but that it is God who helps us grow. Our teachers are important to our spiritual knowledge and understanding but it is beyond those who plant and water the seed, it is the Father who conditions us toward development.

This means that we cannot depend solely on our teachings for development, but it's the conditions we are placed in and go through that lead us to the word and then the Lord is able to develop us. While that situation is attacking you on every level---remind yourself that you are 1st called to peace and 2nd you will grow stronger because the Father is in the situation with you. 3rd your mental battleground is in prayer and in the word.

Luke 8:11 reminds us that the seed planted is the word of God. If you have not caught up to speed by now this is your moment. My dear sister this is the part that even I had to take a moment and say BUT Merciful Father! I too am on the journey with you. I am also trying to stay afloat and fight through trying times. So take heed now and hear this—though this verse is about the Lord speaking in parables and the disciples asked what the Lord meant, he reminded them that they had the knowledge of the Kingdom but others did not. Others focused on what they saw and what they heard. That when faced with trouble they were not rooted and easily would fall away when the devil destroyed the word from their hearts.

What we learn from this is that the seed, which is the word, must be rooted in our spirits so that when faced with trouble we do not fall away. Let’s be honest, sometime when trouble finds us and we are under attack relentlessly we find ourselves slipping away into hopeless thoughts, worry, anxiety, depression, and we simply shut down. We shut ourselves off from the world. When this happens we have to acknowledge that we need help. We need our teachers, our brothers and sisters to minister to our spirits and remind us to be called to our word that the enemy may NOT take hold of us and that we belong to the MOST High! Because it is at our weakest moments that the one who attacks is able to dig into our minds deeper causing us to fall away.

Finally, I leave you with Mark 4:8, here we have arrived at a point where the Lord teaches that we should fully accept the word in our hearts, still harvesting and bearing good fruit despite our circumstances. We cannot curse God during times of trouble (Job 2:10), we cannot fall away and forget his promises. We must remain rooted knowing that we will reap the harvest in due time. We cannot get distracted by “the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things so no fruit is produced” Mark 4:19. Continue to shine the light of Christ no matter the troubles faced knowing that the closer we draw to the Lord and his teachings the more is revealed to us and the more we understand about the season we are in.

I did not prepare this to tell my sisters the troubles would simply go away, I prepared this to help my sisters remember that you are not in your season alone, to know what to do while still braving the storm, and to remember that the seed is the word, which produces inheritance and growth in you. This is building you up, you were planted—not defeated, not destroyed, not destitute. Do what the Lord commands in times of trouble and you shall see harvest soon. I challenge us to continue with Mark 4:39 When Jesus rebuked the wind and silenced the waves. Why? Because whatever storm you are facing sweet sister, he is CHIEF IN COMMAND!

Prayer Heavenly Father thank you for your seed. You understand what it means to be under attack. You know the flesh emotional response to anxiety, which is rooted in fear. You know what it means to feel depressed and cry out for help. Hear my cry oh Lord! Know that your humble servant needs your help. Give me strength and courage through this season knowing that this too shall pass. Father surround me with your wise counsel and reveal to me in your word the purpose in my life during this season. When I fall short Father remind me that you came, you defeated, and peace is already available to me. ~ Amen