There was the constant drone of the chain saw as the old Ford maintained tension on the pull rope. And then, suddenly, a powerful “Crack!” as the remainder of the mighty tree crashed to the ground. A successful, controlled fall.
As I watched my eldest son, commander-in-chief of this project, I couldn’t help but think that my father would be pleased with his grandson. The two were so much alike! Like his grandfather, my son can tip back a few adult beverages and he enjoys having a good time. But also like his grandfather, he knows the value of hard work; how to not just get a job done, but get it done right. There is a difference you know.
The point of this project was to execute a controlled fall of an old, partially rotted tree on the boarder of our property. In the past six months, two large sections of this tree had fallen into the neighbor’s yard during windstorms. Our goal was to remove the rest of the tree on our terms instead of waiting for the winds of chance. Careful planning and the appropriate use of our available resources – the truck, the pull rope, and the chainsaw – made this possible.
Spiritual things can be like that as well. Sometimes a controlled fall of something old and rotted in our spiritual life needs to happen. The once mighty “trees” rooted in the ground of the world eventually decay; all things rooted in the world decay – no exceptions. The rotted material – habits, mindsets, faulty belief systems, even demonic influences – need to come down. Don’t misunderstand, most will eventually fall of their own accord, like the sections of our tree, but the damage of an uncontrolled fall can be costly and messy and even painful. Controlled falls are better.
Praise God! He has given us the appropriate tools and the directions for using them. By speaking the word of God and mixing it with our faith, we can safely remove the rotting junk before it crashes down around us in piles of devastation. Please note that both are required, the word and faith, just like we needed both the tension provided by the rope and truck as well as a chainsaw to fell our tree. One without the other would not be good enough.
God said that His word would not return unto Him void, or empty. When He speaks something, He considers it a done deal. We can and should apply the same principle. Got something rotten in your life that needs to be removed? Ask God to show you His word regarding that situation. Then speak that word often and loudly and with boldness and authority, like you really expect something to happen. And it will!
~Patricia
Western Days Ministries 