When you’re two years old, everything’s fun. She and her sister and I were in the backyard one day. They were fluttering around in their fairy wings, enjoying the coolness of the morning, and I was watching them.
Glancing down, I noticed a big, ugly weed in the middle of my lawn. Grrr. I hate weeds. I grabbed my favorite weed pulling tool from the shed and dug it out. Then I noticed another. And another.
Dig, pluck.
Dig, pluck.
Dig, pluck.
Before long I had a trail of dislodged weeds, their long tap roots pointing to the sky. “Whatcha doin, Gigi?” Caroline asked.
“I’ll pulling weeds.”
“Weebs?”
“Yes, weeds.”
“Why?”
“Because weeds are bad. They kill the grass and make our yard look yucky.”
Bad and yucky must have been the magic words, because Caroline sprang into action. Grabbing one of the clumps I’d dug up, she flung it into the air and cried, “Go ‘way weebs! You are BAD.”
Her four-year-old sister followed suit.
“WEEBS! WEEBS!” they cried, tossing clump after clump skyward. “Go away, weebs, you are BAD!”
Caroline is right. Weebs are bad, not just in our lawns, but in our hearts. Weedy thoughts have more power to defeat and destroy us than any external influence. They are subtle yet powerful.
Now a weed is pretty easy to spot in a patch of grass, but it’s harder to detect in our minds.
Here are a few examples of weedy thoughts:
This is too hard. I can’t do it anymore.
God doesn’t love me or this wouldn’t have happened.
Nothing will ever change. Why bother trying?
I’ll never be happy again.
When thoughts like these take root, they begin to uproot the truth and undermine our faith.
I spotted the weeds in my lawn because I knew what good grass looks like. The same is true when we battle weedy thoughts. We have to know what truth looks like. “You shall know the truth,” Jesus promised, “and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:22).
When we know the truth, because we’ve filled our minds with God’s Word, weedy thoughts have a harder time taking root. If they do, we can quickly spot them and sound the alarm. “WEEBS! WEEBS!” Then we can pluck them from the soil of our hearts and fling them far away, where they can no longer harm or hinder us.
Second Corinthians 10:3-5 describes the battle plan: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Four Steps to Conquer Weedy Thoughts:
1. Learn the truth by reading and studying God’s Word.
2. Compare every thought to the truth of God’s Word.
3. Discard what is contrary.
4. Keep what agrees.
Now let’s give it a try. Ready? Here goes:
Weedy Thought: This is too hard. I can’t do it anymore.
True Thought: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).
Weedy Thought: God doesn’t love me, or this wouldn’t have happened.
True Thought: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness” (Jer. 31:3).
Weedy Thought: Nothing will ever change. Why bother trying?
True Thought: “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
Weedy Thought: I’ll never be happy again.
True Thought: “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
The truth of God’s Word is the best defense to guard the garden of our heart. Beginning today, why not spend some time in God’s Word? Ask him to fill you with his truth and give you the ability to spot the weeds that have sunk their roots into your heart. Then sound the alarm. WEEBS! WEEBS! Pluck them from your heart and mind, fling them from you, and plant in their place good seeds that will bear good fruit.
Father, help us discern what is true and what is a lie. Fill our minds with your Word so we can spot damaging thoughts and discard them. Give us the faith to believe the truth and set us free from the bondage of Satan’s lies. In the strong name of Jesus I ask, Amen.
Now it’s your turn. What weedy lies have you believed, and what is the truth that helps set you free? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts. If you’re reading by email, click HERE to visit Hungry for God online and leave a comment.
Matthew West's song "Hello, My Name Is," is a great example of how to remove weedy thoughts and walk in victory. If you're reading by email and can't see the video, click HERE.
You got me right in my massive struggling point of the day. Guess I'll need to bind Philippians 4:13 on my forehead then dig up and throw out the Weebs in my life. Thank you, Lori.
ReplyDeleteGod's timing is always an amazing thing, Sandra, and very comforting. It reminds me that he is intimately aware of all my struggles and graciously provides the encouragement I need, just when I need it. Praying for you today, friend. You, through Christ, can do this!
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