As an avid gardener, I enjoy picking tomatoes and peppers from my backyard so I can make my special blends of salsa once a week. After allowing weeds to overrun my garden areas, yesterday I spent a couple of hours ridding the soil from these harmful species. Since I took several days in the early spring preparing the soil to insure a successful crop, this round of weeding was a breeze compared to a typically year.
In the process of weeding, a passage from Matthew immediately came to mind. Although most biblical scholars often shy away from commentating on Matthew 12:43-45, I am going to use the context of Matthew 13 to share my heart felt belief. After a short comment about what it means to be part of God’s family in Matthew 12:46-50, Jesus tells back to back parables on soils and weeds at the beginning of chapter 13.
Soil often symbolizes environments, where we live and whom we allow to enter our lives. Weeds are like the obstacles that we face in life, things that we can’t control, but we must not allow them to take root, Ephesians 4:27. If Satan is indeed the ruler of the air, Ephesians 2:2, then evil can attack us in the form of our own flesh, through worldly influences or supernaturally. Therefore, if you want to be sober, habits, idea, and thoughts must be taken captive, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. This daily practice is like spiritual weeding out evil, to protect yourself from demons which roam throughout earth, Job 1:6-7 and Matthew 12:43-45.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 