Do You See
Weeds or Flowers?
How wonderful to be starting spring. Flowers are blooming with abandon in gardens. The colors are stunningly intense. I am in awe at what God does with His spring palette. Take some time to look closely at a flower. See how it is intricately fashioned. Numerous hues can make up a single flower head. Each bloom can be slightly different from the rest. The majesty of God is surely visible in the garden!
A Weed Or A Precious Gift?
You may be wondering why there is a picture of a dandelion in this post about the exquisiteness of spring blossoms. If you look at the dandelion as simply a weed to be annihilated each growing season you will miss all that the dandelion offers. In His infinite wisdom God graced the lowly (in some human estimation) dandelion with beauty and tremendous healing properties.
If you only look on the surface of your perception you will miss the many gifts presented by the little dandelion. Look closely at a dandelion and really see the brilliant yellow hues. Note the deep green leaves that frame the flower. Named in the Old French as dent-de-lion or lion’s tooth after the lance shaped leaves, the dandelion has hundreds of tiny pieces that make up the yellow flower. It is really quite intricate above the ground and has a very deep root below the surface.
Dandelion is medicinal. The tea made from the root has many curative attributes that support the natural processes of the body. It was when I had cancer that I first became acquainted with the healing properties of the dandelion. Today I still drink dandelion root tea every day. Do a little research of your own and you will likely be surprised at the depth of curative qualities God has place in this little plant that some consider just a troublesome weed. You may begin to see the beauty of design brought forth in the dandelion. The leaves of the dandelion plant are flavorful as a bitter green in spring salads or added to sautés with garlic and oil. It is truly a spring tonic that helps the liver detox. Give it a try!
Do You See Division Or Unity?
Think of the body of Christ as God’s garden. There are different species (denominations) of plant and potentially many varieties (individuals) within a plant category. If you see only with surface vision you see only the differences that can divide. You will miss the beauty that others have. You will surely miss the healing that comes from embracing one another despite our differences.
If you wall off those who worship or pray or minister just a little bit differently from your comfort zone, you will miss the potential deep root system of wisdom impartation. If you maintain a horizontal concentration you see only what is taking place in the natural. You engage in the drama of the world. You can easily be swept up in division that will permeate your spirit and affect every aspect of your home and life. You begin to see only weeds. What may look like a “weed” to you may in fact hold the very healing balm you need.
It is only in sustaining a vertical concentration that your focus remains on the Lord. In elevating your walk to be Kingdom oriented you will see the beauty of God’s Body of Christ as a rich garden filled with a multitude of glorious differences. Rather than dividing, the differences compliment and come together to bring His Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven ‘for such a time as this!’
Keep Looking Up!
Now more than ever Christians must come together despite our differences to stand united or our house will fall. What matters is that we hold Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Period. Denominational differences are just that and not worth continual division.
Jesus welcomes all into His salvation. Now is the time for us to lay aside our differences and embrace what we hold most dear in Christ. Our rights as Christians are being diminished rapidly while we fight among ourselves. Do not worry about where or how your neighbor worships and serves the Lord. Make sure your relationship with God is solid. Direct your attention upward to Him and allow Him to direct His grace to you.
When your relationship with Him is firm in its foundation all else will fall into place in your life. Bloom where you are planted and be the most beautiful reflection of Him that you can be in your life. Do not compare yourself to others and do not judge others. For just as each flower grows uniquely and shares its own special gifts, so each of us blooms in our own set time according to His perfect timing.
Whether you are a dandelion or a stately rose God loves you just the same. Be all that He created you to be “for such a time as this.” We stand very close to losing our freedom and our very United States of America. With swift speed all we have held dear since our founding as a Nation is eroding. If this continues there will be no ‘land of the free and home of the brave’ for those who remain proud to be called American.
Christians are called to unite to keep our country united. You are here ‘for such a time as this,’ to be a shining reflection of God’s light in this dark season. Now is the time to arise united in this season for the healing of our Nation. How are you growing in God’s garden?
Quotes to Ponder This Week
“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” ~Jesus, Matthew 12:25
“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” ~ Jesus, Matthew 21:43
“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” ~Jesus, John 13:25
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise…from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” ~Esther 4:14
“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” ~Proverbs 3:6
“For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined.” ~Isaiah 60:12
“I believe God wants to so sanctify us, so separate us, that we will have that perfection of love that will not speak ill of a brother, that we will not slander a fellow believer whether it is true or not.” ~Smith Wigglesworth, Taken from the Smith Wigglesworth Devotional
“Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first-the most basic-expression of Americanism. Thus, the Founding Fathers of America saw it, and thus with God’s help, it will continue to be.” ~President Dwight D. Eisenhower
A Prayer Request
Thank you for your continued faithfulness to pray. Please keep all who serve our country, our servicemen and women and their families in prayer for salvation and safety. They are our front-line on the battlefield, let us be their front-line in the spirit. Also, let us cover all who have come home wounded that they and their families will receive the kindness, help and support they need to go forward in their lives. God bless all our diplomatic and military personnel and their families. May the Lord keep them safe.
Pray for all throughout the world for hedges of protection against radical Islamic extremists and all forms of terrorism. Pray for Christians who face violence and death for their faith. We have long prayed for spiritual victory over radical Islam in Esther’s Warriors Ministry. We now see the reality of this threat come to the forefront in this time in world history. As Iranians and Islamic extremists are shouting ‘Death to America,’ let us speak life, hope and a return to God in America!
Please pray for all in authority over us, for the full truth to come forth concerning Benghazi. May God richly bless the United States of America, bring to light every single crooked place and keep her safe. The lives lost in Benghazi, the continuing targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service, Operation Fast and Furious, the Department of Justice targeting journalists phone records, the National Security Agency overstepping its legal authority are hardly “phony scandals.” We continue to pray for truth to prevail in each of these situations. Pray for the families who have lost loved ones, for those relentlessly targeted and for all of us who are proud to call ourselves American.
May we may arise united once again as One Nation Under God in this auspicious season in our country’s history. These are treacherous times and now more than ever we must maintain our walk with the Lord, saturate this country in prayer and stand for all that is right in America. Fail not in this hour.
Pray for peace in Israel. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Please Join Me In Prayer
Father we thank You for Your faithfulness and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Teach us to walk in Your ways, to humble ourselves and to accept our brothers and sisters with an open heart. Cancel any divisive spirit in our heart in Jesus’ name. Let us grow in our relationship with You and extend Your grace to those around us. Grace us to pray without ceasing for our brothers and sisters who suffer at the hands of Islamic terrorists. Open the eyes of our leaders to arise in this season to defend the very belief in You upon which our Nation is founded. Thank You for keeping Your hand on America. We humbly pray this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen and Amen.