The other day I was in my daughter’s room praying. At one point I looked out her window and saw a vine growing from the top of a large bush that is in our back yard. I hadn’t noticed it while walking past it, or while cutting the grass around it. I needed to be in the right position in order to see the vine.
I knew that though the bush was healthy, if I didn’t remove the vine, it would continue to grow and would slowly overtake the bush to the point it would choke all the life from it.
Vines are deceptive and destructive!
They grow unnoticed at the base of a larger plant. They wind their way around the inner branches slowly working their way to every branch. It is a slow process that steals the life of the plant. It suffocates it from the air and light the plant needs. Until eventually the plant is no longer recognizable, and all that can be seen is the vine.
When I was finished praying I went to the garage and got the tree trimmers and went to do business with the vine.
Since the bush is so big and thick I couldn’t see where the root of the vine was. So I began by pulling on the top of the vine and discovered there were several vines growing within the bush. As I cut these off I continued to dig deeper into the bush, I knew I needed to get to the root or the vine would continue to grow. Eventually I found the root! I pushed back the branches, holding them out of the way while I pulled with all my strength to get the whole root out.
As I was pulling on the vines, searching for the root, and then digging out the roots I thought about how similar what I was doing for the bush was like what I was doing while praying in Kayla’s room.
Purposely praying in the presence of God supernaturally reveals hidden things!
I have found that when I purposefully spend time in God’s presence He shows up. Whether I go there because something overwhelming has happened and I need to pour out my heart to Him, or whether I really don’t know what I should pray for, God always has something to show me that I didn’t see before.
‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3
What an amazing invitation!
To be personally invited into the presence of God…
the Creator of all that exists will personally show me great and mighty things!!!
the God of the supernatural will show me things I do not know!!!
That invitation should cause us to leave everything else and to run straight into the presence of God!
Too much of life is lived just looking at the outward appearance. As long as we look good to those who pass by and to those who spend some time with us, we conclude that everything is good. When people ask how we are doing we answer, “Good.”
But just because things look good, doesn’t mean they are good. The bush had me fooled. And we can fool others, and we can even fool ourselves, but we can’t fool God.
It wasn’t until I put everything else on hold and went into the bedroom to pray, to talk with God, that I saw the vine.
And this is often the same when it comes to the “vines” that are growing in our lives. Lies of the enemy are as those vines in the bush. They begin small and go unnoticed, but slowly creep into the branches of our lives. Their deception covers our thoughts with fears. They twist their way around our hearts so our faith is weakened. And they overcome our souls so compromise leaves us unrecognizable.
Lies are deceptive and destructive!
But, that is why God invites us to call to Him!
When that bush was planted it was intended to grow and add beauty to my yard. It was never intended to be a host to a vine, to be choked out by another plant.
The same with us…when God formed us and knit us together in our mother’s womb His intended good for us. We exist by God’s design to bring beauty and purpose to His kingdom here on earth.
And just as the vine that grew in my bush, God knows there will be lies that grow within us. God was the One who sent Satan to reign and rule the earth and He knew some of Satan’s lies would take root in each of us. And that is why He invites us to call to Him so He can show us things we need to see, and to tell us things we need to know.
In the presence of God lies are revealed!
When I saw the vine growing from the top of the bush I could have responded in several different ways…
I could have just excused it away believing that it was nothing to be concerned about.
I could have been glad to have seen it, but put off taking care of it until another day.
Or, I could realize the real danger that vine was to the bush, knowing that I needed to go out that morning and cut it down before I got busy and forgot about it.
These responses are the same choices we have when God shows us things in our lives that don’t seem right. When we see the evidence of a lie, or we see a fear that keeps affecting situations in our lives we can either excuse them away, believing they aren’t anything to be concerned about. Or we can see the lie, realize the fear, but choose to leave it go until another day. Or, we can do business with the deception, we can destroy the lie, and be free from the fear.
Forgotten, uncut vines will continue to grow, creating greater and greater damage!
While the vines covering my bush were somewhat easy to cut and a little bit harder to pull out by the roots, cutting down the deceptions and lies of the enemy can seem impossible. But, be encouraged, God doesn’t tell us we need to do it ourselves…
“It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Zechariah 4:6
Remember, when you are in the presence of God you are in the realm of the supernatural!
When God opens your eyes to see the deceptions, lies, and fears that are slowly creeping into your thoughts, heart, and soul, He will also show you how to cut them down and pull out their roots. Remember His promise… to show you great and mighty things you do not know!