The Roots

by Susan Sampson

This week’s lecture was an answer to prayer in helping me see my sin as God sees it.  When Laurie drew the tree on the white board she was labeling it with my sinful fruit in trying to work harder to be more perfect or okay and in feeling cranky because I feel like a failure.  Feeling inadequate, incapable, less than, and not good enough.  Then showing us how this focus is all completely self!  Which then is a root of pride and idolatry.

I absolutely needed to hear that our adequacy does not come from self and when a “sense of inadequacy comes its meant to catapult us to Christ.”  I experienced all this yet again this weekend as I messed up reading our map on our way to North Carolina.  I immediately felt less than, incapable, and inadequate and was plunged into despair.  I remembered the words in the lecture that “inadequacy is pride” and cried out to Christ to forgive my sin and lift me out of the miry pit!  The power to change our hearts and overcome our sin all comes from the Lord alone!

However, we do participate in the work the Lord is doing in us.  This participation is clearly seen in Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”  This is why we want to fast. Denying our flesh will help us see our flesh to enable us to dig out the roots of our sins.  Remember our sins are weeds in the garden of our hearts and if we don’t get the roots the weeds always come back.

The greatest bondage can be lifted through fasting and prayer!  May the Lord give us much grace this week as we seek to get serious about our sin all the while thanking the Lord that He loves us and that Christ has already accomplished all of our righteousness for us.  He is the fulfillment of the law!  We are covered by the blood of Christ and now holy in God’s sight.  May we seek to be holy as He is holy.