The root system of a tree symbolizes our spiritual life. We know that roots provide nourishment to the tree to bear fruit, so how and what is nourishing our spirit? What are we feeding on?

We may have some roots that we need to dig up!

The Word tells us in Jeremiah 4:3 – “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.”

Also in Colossians 2:6-7 it reads – “In the same way you received Jesus our Lord and Messiah by faith, continue your journey of faith, progressing further into your union with him! Your spiritual roots go deeply into his life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by your devotion to him!”

There are several ways and reasons we may have unhealthy roots, but it isn’t too late to dig them up! Keep in mind, that we have several roots!

Just because we have some unhealthy ones doesn’t mean we don’t have good ones, too!

But to bear good fruit, we must dig up the bad roots to allow the good ones to grow!

 

Matthew 13:6 – “…but when the days grew hot, the sprouts were scorched and withered because they had insufficient roots.”

These are some roots that we have personally struggled with and had to dig up:

Roots of Fear

Fear is one of the biggest struggles we face as a people. Roots of fear can manifest in different ways for different people. Some roots of fear that God wants us to uproot include fear of abandonment, fear of rejection, fear of other peoples opinions, fear of failure – the list goes on.

But we do not have to fear for 2 Timothy 1:7  tells us – “God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” 

Fear is = False Evidence Appearing Real. On the contrary, we know that Faith is = the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Both have the word evidence, and evidence is facts, proof right? But, we see that fear is false proof, false truth and we cannot live our lives off of false truth but in Faith!

Roots of Bitterness

We can become bitter for a number of reasons, mostly due to unhealed wounds. Roots of bitterness can easily be overlooked when we decide to allow these wounds to grow in us without confronting them. 

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

 

Hebrews 12:15 “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God: lest any root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by this many become defiled…”

There is hope, though! When we choose to uproot bitterness, God promises in:

Ezekiel 36:26 – “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

Roots of Unforgiveness

This is huge because we may not even realize sometimes that we are walking in unforgiveness. That’s why 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves. We can easily allow things in and not even know deception has taken root. 

We need to uproot unforgiveness because it serves as a hindrance to receive anything God has for us. Remember that forgiveness toward others releases US from God’s judgment. Forgiveness isn’t easy and doesn’t right any wrongs, but it does release YOU to be open to receive God’s blessings. 

Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Now that we know what some of the unhealthy roots are, how do we uproot them? The answer is simple, yet complicated… CHOOSE TOO…

Sissy and I have dealt with most of these and probably more. Dealing with roots becomes a part of your life, nature and honestly comfort. Digging them up literally comes from standing at a crossroads where you are finally fed up of going around the same mountain any longer.

You make the hard choice to go against your flesh and what you are comfortable with and you choose to grab onto God’s hand and run! Psalm 1 now becomes your safety net – surrounding yourself with Godly influencers who will encourage and support your efforts. I’m not talking about those that will stand on the sidelines and pray for you, but the ones/one who will get in those trenches with you no matter how many times or how long it takes.

You will get out what you put in. As my sister poured into me, “HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?” Remember fruit doesn’t grow over night! Give yourself grace as it takes time for fruit to grow!

You literally live a life of worship. You wake up and you pray! You drive to work and you worship!! You pray without ceasing, as the Word says. Worship is in everything you do, how you operate and function on a daily basis. You immerse yourself in His Word that is the living water! The water that nourishes your spirit!

You do these things and THEN – THEN you will be like a tree planted by rivers of flowing water!!! THEN you will bring forth good fruit! THEN your leaf will not wither and THEN – THEN WHATEVER YOU DO WILL PROSPER!!!

Jeremiah 17:7-8 – “Good will come to the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. He will be like a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the river. It will not be afraid when the heat comes but its leaves will be green. It will not be troubled in a Dry year or stop giving fruit.”

Last week, Sissy and I were walking an unknown trail. As we walked, we noticed huge trees on both sides of the trail. There was one particular tree that stood out. From decades of rain it washed the dirt away and half of this trees roots were open and exposed. It was very beautiful to see. We usually don’t get to see the roots of trees because they are hidden underground. This tree was massive and so were its roots. I felt God in that moment. I knew there was something about this tree that God was going to speak to us about and I had to stop and take a picture.

The obvious was the root system, but I felt this pause in my spirit to continue to allow God to speak. I knew there was something spiritual He was trying to convey, but sometimes we have to take a moment to truly hear from God and wait for His voice. 

Later that day, I looked at the picture again and this time, God clearly spoke a verse in Psalm 1:3 to me, which says, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither: and whatever he does shall prosper.” 

How great would it be to yield good fruit and prosper in everything we do? We look at that verse and see the blessings of God being promised, but if we back up a couple verses and read it in its entirety, WE have to do something. WE have to walk in the counsel of the Godly and make wise choices. 

PSALMS 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

Let’s take a look at each verse:

Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit n company of mockers…..”

This Psalm basically contrasts the two paths of life we can choose – the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked; the faithful verses the faithless. The first verse talks about the man who is blessed because he chooses NOT to walk in the way of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners. 

We are easily influenced by those around us, especially those who society may deem as “cool” or we have the social media “influencers” these days, which add even more pressure for our generation to flock with just to stay popular. God has called us to be different, to be influencers of HIS Word and walk with others who have also made that choice to follow Him. To disciple and bring others to Christ, we have to set the example and look different than the world and raise a standard against sin and ungodliness. 

The people we allow to influence us will determine if we become like that tree in Psalms 1 

Yes, we are called to minister and witness to unbelievers, but that doesn’t mean we take part in their lifestyle or allow ourselves to be associated with sinful living. People should be able to see Christ in is, in our actions, decisions and behaviors and a lot of that revolves around WHO we hang around with, whom we call friends and allow in our inner circle. Are those closest to you sharpening you in the things of God, edifying and encouraging Godly decisions in your life? Ask yourself these questions…

Proverbs 13:20 – “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Psalm 1:2 “…but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night…”

Once we have Godly friends and people to uplift and encourage our walk with God, WE have to know His Word! When we are at work or out in the world and all hell breaks loose, do you have the Word hidden in your heart? Can you pull scripture out and declare the Word of God over that situation if you don’t have it stored in you?

Psalm 119:11 says I have hidden your Word in my heart…

Joshua 1:8 – “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

I know that when I am not in my Word in the mornings or don’t have my prayer time with the Lord, my day goes much differently. I am not as armored and equipped for what may come, and if you wake up in the morning, know that something will come your way! That’s life!! How you deal with it when you have had your time with God and been strengthened is going to be much different than if you go at it on your own.

We will go further to say that you also need those who will speak truth and life over you and your situations. We need those that will push us to God not away!

Psalm 1:3 “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

Wow – now here’s the part we like – haha! We’ve got our Godly influencers in our inner circle! We are meditating on His Word day and night! If we are doing those things, the fruit should be evident. As we grow closer to God through His Word, we should be bearing productive fruit that touches those around us, affects others lives, as well. The more we are in His Word and in His presence, the more fruitful we should become.

John 15:5-8 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

The more we meditate on scripture and remain close to Jesus (the vine), our fruit grows prosperously because He is prosperity. Conversely, when we are NOT in our Word or in His presence, there is no nourishment feeding our branches, thus leaving us dry and brittle, useless and unproductive, bearing NO fruit.

What is good fruit? God tells us in Galatians 5:22 that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The concordance translates this verse stating that, “whatever he does shall prosper,” does not mean immunity from failure or difficulties, but rather when we apply God’s Wisdom, the fruit we bear will be prosperous. As a tree soaks up water and bears luscious fruit, we are to soak up God’s Word and display fruits of love, joy, peace etc., revealing in our very actions and attitudes that we have God inside of us. We hope and pray that God spoke to you!