So, they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God], The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3

 

Over the past few weeks, we have talked about the seasons we all go through and the challenges that come into our lives. We also discussed how our Lord is Faithful even when we feel faithless. I am reminded of Isaiah 61:1-3, how our Lord encouraged the nation of Israel, through the prophet Isaiah in one of their seasons of great distress. Isaiah said,

¹“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me
To bring good news to the humble and afflicted.
He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation]
to the [physical and spiritual] captives and freedom to prisoners,

² To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, and the day of
vengeance and retribution of our God,
To comfort all who mourn,

 

³ To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:
To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],
The oil of joy instead of mourning,
The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.

So, they will be called the Trees of Righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God], The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

 

 

Did you know that In Christ, WE ARE His Trees of Righteousness? Even though there are many scriptures related to our being Righteous before God (good enough and completely accepted), here is one verse I love.

 

He (God our Father) made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become The Righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified)

 

So, if that’s true, why don’t we see His fruitfulness in our lives. Today, I want to share a post written several years ago to help us to understand what hinders us from growing into WHO WE ALREADY ARE.

 

 

When I was a therapist working with clients or even now as a pastoral counselor, my goal is always to get to the ‘root’ of the problems which are presented to me. I look at each person as a tree. When you look at a tree that has matured, its foliage usually is green and healthy, right? However, when you look at a diseased tree, the leaves are missing. If it has leaves, they are usually brown, sickly, decaying, or withering, a definite sign something is wrong. I thought about when we look at the Body of Christ and we see each other sickly, decaying, and withering, we wonder what’s wrong or why is this the case. The Bible calls us “Trees of Righteousness, the Planting of the Lord. We are planted by streams of Living Water and our leaves will not fade or wither, and whatever we do through Him WILL prosper,” but why are those things not happening to us? For this reason, we must examine the ‘roots.’ What is causing our leaves to decay and wither away? What is causing our lives not to bear the fruit of the Life Source when we are connected to, Jesus Christ? What is hindering us from growing, maturing, or coming into “Full Bloom or Glory?” Just like a good counselor should do, I inquired of the Lord, and He said, “Examine the ‘roots’.” And so, we will.

 

 

ROOT PROBLEMS

 

The ‘root’ of a tree establishes its permanence and its firmness in the soil which covers it. If the ‘roots’ are not planted deep in the soil, held firmly in place as the tree grows, it will eventually become weak, fragile, and ineffective. Some trees die especially when a gust of wind blows. Another factor is, if the tree’s ‘roots’ are growing in unhealthy soil or mixed with impurities, it will die. Our childhood memories and traumas do affect our natural and spiritual growth in Christ, temporarily and even permanently…our past does matter; that’s where life for all of us began. There are other problems which cause trees to get diseased or die, let’s examine three of them:

Root Rot: Excess water makes it difficult for the ’roots’ to get the air they need, causing them to decay. To avoid root rot, it’s best to only water trees and plants when the soil becomes dry and keep it well-drained. Overwatering a tree can be damaging to its health. How many of us, read and read, study, and study the Bible, or go to church constantly and not allow what we have learned to become a part of who we are. We are listening, but we are not obeying. James calls us hearers of the word but not doers, we deceive ourselves thinking we are growing in the Lord.

Poor Nutrients in the Soil: If the soil is not at the right temperature, does not have the right balance of nutrients to feed on, the tree will die. Another reason for not growing or bearing fruit is we are still trying to please the Lord in the flesh by trying to act and obey but not trusting His Spirit to work in us. The Law always kills but the Spirit frees us to walk in the Truth and Life. Here are two fitting examples of us mixing law and grace:

 

• Trying to prove our worth and acceptance by doing works for God.

 

• Trying to be good enough for God through adhering to the rules and good behaviors.

 

What if the tree has the water, it needs and the right nutrients it needs to grow, and is still unhealthy, then we must look at another possibility? The most serious thing which can weaken or kill a tree is insects?

 

 

UNBELIEF – DOUBT AND FEAR ATTACK THE TREE

Insects: Insects are known for eating away and infesting the tree, so it stunts its growth and keeps it from maturing and becoming what it was designed to be. The greatest insect every child of God must ward off is ‘unbelief’ which manifests in our lives as doubt and fear. It is the monster we must face and fight with faith and truth every day, or it will eat us alive! This little insect appears to be harmless, but it clouds our judgment and our perspective of who our Lord and Father are and who we truly are In Christ. It tells us, “God is not who He says He is. God will not do what He says He will do. You are not who He says You are, so don’t believe Him?”  And we choose to listen to him and fall for his lies every day. Just listen to his lies… “Your Father or Jesus don’t love you. You can’t really trust them. No one understands you. You don’t need the Lord; You can make your own decisions. You are all alone and have to figure life out for yourself.” The lies go on and on then we allow them to get into our minds, our hearts, and our lips. We speak its words through our lips, and we believe the lies it tells us. ‘Unbelief’ is a liar and came from the father of lies. In Hebrews 3:12, our Lord warned us of this annoying little critter but how many of us listen to and obey what our Lord through His word tells us? He states:

“Be careful, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.” Listen to its strategy… to turn us away, even for a moment, from our Father!

When we are listening to and interacting with ‘unbelief,’ we can’t rest in our Father’s arms, trust in His words to us, sit in His lap, and cuddle with Him. Instead, we hide in books, social media, movies, food, shopping, and other activities. We are anxious, fearful, worried, trying to figure out life on our own, making our own plans, wrestling, and discontented. What do I do Tresca when I find myself this way? Here is what I encourage you to do. First, repent (acknowledge to the Lord what you are doing), then use your will, to say No! Tell that voice speaking to you through the flesh, “That’s a lie! That’s not the TRUTH!” Then, submit to the Lord and resist the evil one and he will flee. This is a battle that has already been won! BUT we must participate and do our part by standing in the Grace and Freedom our Jesus has purchased for us!

 

In conclusion, WE ARE who our Father says we are, His Trees of Righteousness bearing His fruit of the Spirit. And He will do whatever He says He will do. We must resist the lies of unbelief and draw from the life of Christ within us to bear His fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control. We can stand in Him because we have been set free from the powers of the Law, the flesh, sin, and the evil one!

 

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Enjoy Christ, Enjoy Life!