Weeds Creep In

Luke 11:24-26 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

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I work at keeping my own lawn weed free; I like it that way. If I keep up with the task, it stays

very nice all summer long. Just pull up individual weeds as they pop up. While taking my daily

walks, I notice how beautifully green and perfect many lawns look. Sometimes I notice a weed

or two popping up right at the curb. I think about how that is going to spread if it isn’t tended to

right away. Other properties have large patches of weeds, some have been pretty much taken

over, with a few blades of actual grass visible. These undesirable plants have found fertile

ground and they flourish in the absence of diligent attention by the owner of that plot of land.

It can be like this with our hearts and minds. Do you, as Luke 10:27 says, ‘Love the Lord your

God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind?’

Of course. You’ve given yourself over to Jesus and have been born again into His love, grace

and mercy. Me too. Everything is great, what could go wrong?

Sometimes though, bad things, attitudes, habits and choices can nibble around the edges of our

well meaning, sincere love of our life in Christ. We might not notice this, or we might give

ourselves a pass because, well, what we’re doing or thinking isn’t that bad, who are we hurting?

We are hurting our relationship with God, that’s who. The little weed that we choose to ignore or

just aren’t paying attention to, can take up a prominent place in our hearts and minds. Satan

just loves it when he finds room in us for him to set up housekeeping, pull us away from our

Lord and get on a bad path.

We need to stay vigilant, be on the alert for when the evil one is trying to move in, even just a

little at a time. He’s good at what he does, and spiritual battle is all around us. We need to

remain strong through our belief and trust in Jesus Christ, and we do this by staying in the word,

in prayer, and in communion with other believers. That is the full armor of God, who is stronger

than any other force. Stay in Him so you are on guard and can stand against evil.

Janet Schultz