Do you recall my blog about my Mexican Bird of Paradise flower I planted in my pot? Here is a link to it if you didn’t get a chance to read it. LET THE SON SHINE IN – “Contradiction #1… Life Can Emerge Out of Death”

 

 

Here is what it looks like today.

 

 

I was so excited about the little flower who endured such pain through the cutting and bruising process. It grew a few green leaves to let me know, “Look at me I am growing!” But, what happened?

 

• I planted it in good moist soil.
• It bathed in the presence of the sun during the mornings and rested in the shaded evenings.
• It was nourished by the water I gave it whenever the soil felt dry.
• It was gently and carefully tended to by me, its loving caretaker.

 

What happened to the flower was a mystery to me until now; I changed its diet. As I am writing this blog, my Papa just reminded me, one day I watered the plant with a different type of water. I watered it with my Dad’s special filtered water with no alkaline; obviously, the plant didn’t like it. Poor thing! Now, I have to start again with the other seeds I have.

 

Does this sound familiar in our lives? Most of us, when we gave our lives to our Lord was so excited about our New Life in Him! We couldn’t wait to discover the wonders of our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, our Father, and the Holy Spirit… we had a Special Diet!

 

• We were planted in the rich soil of our Lord’s life and love.
• We bathed in the glory of reading His Word.
• Whenever we felt alone, troubled, or overwhelmed by life, we turned inwardly to Him, in prayer, then gave our worries, and cares to Him.
• We trusted Him that He would take care of us and provide for all of our needs.

 

But, what happened? Now, we are easily stressed, angered, frustrated, feeling condemned, figuring out life on our own, trying desperately to be accepted of Christ, or trying to prove our love for Him. We feel like we are on a rollercoaster, one day we are good, the next day we feel like a failure. I have felt and acted this way many times. Today, I think I may have a solution for you… it may be your DIET.

 

There are many things that can affect our Amazing relationship with our Lord, but can I give you just two.

 

1. Unbelief – Unbelief says to us, “Do you really believe the Lord is going to work this out, or will He handle this?” “I don’t believe He is who He says He is or will do what He says He will do; let’s do something!” The goal of unbelief is to plant doubt in our minds and to attack our Lord’s character and nature.

 

Just the other day, the Air Conditioning (AC) stopped working. In Florida’s weather, that’s not a good thing.  We prayed and asked our Lord to direct us in how He wants to handle it. He reminded me of the AC company that installed it less than two years ago. We called them and they came out and gave us an estimate of how much it would cost $749.00. He also gave us his sales pitch on how to save money by joining their membership plan.  The Lord said, “Just wait before you go any further.” We had been two days without AC, however, we love our Lord and trust His way is always perfect. On the third day, my husband called the manager of the company to see if we could get a better deal. They referred us back to the builder of our house. Come to find out, the AC had one month left on the warranty so NO CHARGE! Tony and I have learned over the years not to “be anxious” for anything, no matter how big or small it appears. Being without AC isn’t always easy but it has been for us. God’s grace has sustained us every moment. If we get desperate, the upstairs AC still works; we never had to. We have three more days to go!

 

Our Father says, “But without faith, it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.” Hebrew 11:6 (Amplified)

 

2. Flesh Reliant – We were created to be Dependent Beings upon our Father, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit. The flesh within us has taught us to be Independent and to figure life out on our own, without asking God for His wishes or desires. We believe, ‘We can be as gods’… so we act like one in our own strength. The flesh’s goal is to make me happy and fulfill my needs through others and my own ingenuity.

 

Our Father says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Galatians 5:16-17 (Amplified)

 

What happened to my flower happens to all of us, we feel like we are withering away. We feel stuck trying to “DO” in our own strength, rather than just Resting in the Lord and Receiving from Him all that we need. He came to BE the Supplier of all of our needs not to HELP US. What I have learned over my 40-plus- year journey is this:

 

When I turn to the Lord with all of my heart, I talk to Him or write down my struggles and give them to Him. It is He who works in me and through me to do His Good Pleasure because He loves me! Only then, do I experience the harvest of His Love and Life within me!

 

Receive from His Life Today and Enjoy Him!