Spiritual Community Garden - Preparing the Soil

My initial seed planting and prepping of the ground will be a little more extensive than the seeds I will plant in the future.  I thought that sharing some of the initial things we discussed in our time together in the past two weeks would be an excellent way to till the ground for our Spiritual Community Garden.  Please set aside 10 minutes to read.

Disturbing the Ground/Turning the Dirt

Defending Our Faith Against:

      ·         Mental attack (our own/the enemy)
      ·         Questions from others regarding our beliefs
      ·         Life circumstances
      ·         Unanswered questions to God

Identify/Define your faith:

       ·         Identify what your are defending (an understanding of faith)

      ·         Identify your enemies/areas of attack
      ·         Identify your areas of weakness
      ·         Develop a plan of defense
      ·         Inventory your weapons of warfare

Battling Wounded:

      ·         What do you do when you are lost behind enemy lines?
      ·         What do you do when the smoke is too thick from the battle and you can’t see to forge 
               forward?
      ·         What do you do when there is radio silence (can’t hear God)

Seeds:

      ·         Never make major decisions based on or on the heels of a major disappointment
      ·         Don’t react to situations out of your emotions….let the dust settle and respond out of   
               wisdom
      ·         Learn to be patient
      ·         “The Lord makes firm the steps of those who delight in him; though he may stumble, he will
               not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” Ps 37:23-24
      ·         “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me. You will stretch forth Your hand
               against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect
               that which concerns me. Your mercy and loving kindness O Lord endures forever.”
               Ps 138:7-8
      ·         It is what we refuse to do or give that locks us in our circumstances
      ·         We do not determine God’s lessons/growth process for us but we can determine if we will
              learn through joy or pain

Spiritual Gifts/Armor:

      ·         Check your armor for cracks/weak areas before you step onto the battlefield (a daily
               exercise)
      ·         Become a master (wisdom/understanding) of your spiritual gifts and armor (study/prayer)
      ·         Why is the enemy able to use God’s greatest gifts/weapons against us? (stay
               alert/conscious)
        o   Keeps us separated, in bondage, angry, weak and blind
        o   It is a dangerous thing to willingly hand over to the enemy the very things God
                          created in us/for us, to be used by the enemy against us and those around us.  Do not
                          allow the enemy to manipulate you and use for evil the very things God put in us to
                          be used for good. 
        o   Spiritual gifts absent of God’s anointing become a curse.

WHEW, my garden work for today is done!  I will pick up the shovel/tiller tomorrow and continue the first phase of this prepping. 

I pray this is a blessing to you so that you may be a blessing to someone else.  The harvest from this garden will feed a multitude.