The Plow

Luke 9 And He said to all, If anyone would come after Me, let Him deny Himself and take up His cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?....And as they were going along the road, someone said to Him, I will follow You wherever You go. And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head...No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

Today the Lord asks for transparency and that is difficult.

He has also touched an area of my life and says to me, This must go. It is something that I do not really want to let go of. It is a fork in the road and we both know it.

Letting God plow us is never really easy but it is always necessary. Just as weeds constantly invade our gardens, sin is always looking for a place to grow in our lives. And just like weeds, the longer they are allowed to remain, the deeper the roots go and the harder they are to remove.

When I was thinking and planing for Israel the first time, the Lord required that that habit of smoking be left behind. The next time I left behind my "glory" :) Now He asks for something else.

Why is that, do you think?

Maybe it is because they are idols in our lives and He must be supreme; our first love. Maybe they are destructive or disease causing habits that He knows will cause us pain or damage our testimony. But maybe they are the chains that bind us to the flesh. To slavery. To this life.

I Peter 2 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil but living as servants of God.

Galatians 5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

A couple of nights ago, in a dream, the Lord and I went to the gardening shed and gathered tools to turn over the grass in the garden of my life. This is the beginning of a new thing. Pray that He who calls me will find me faithful.

Father I invite You to plow me up. Remove the rocks and weeds. Turn up the soil of my life until You find good ground in which to plant the seed of Your Word. Make me fertile. Prune away the useless branches. Set fire to the wilderness places and set me in order. I admit that I do not like the clippers, rakes and tiller but help me to look forward to the smell of wildflowers and herbs, the taste of grapes and figs. Make me a shelter for birds and rabbits. Place a fountain of Your Holy Spirit in me and make me a well watered garden that bears fruit for Your pleasure.