At one time, the yard with our new home had been loved. Plantings of Crepe Myrtle, flowers, and decorative shrubbery are evidence of the care the lawn had once received. However, with the passing of time, undergrowth took over, trees grew wild, briers, poison ivy, and poison oak grew unabated, ticks moved in, snakes slithered, and the land became overgrown.

We stay busy trying to regain control of the property. After spraying ourselves thoroughly with anti-tick spray, and covering our bodies with material to protect against the poison ivy and oak, we take our yard tools — machete, ax, weed-eater, hedge clippers, bush-hog, and various others – and slowly take back the land. Much remains to be done, to keep things under control. Fortunately, we love what God has given us, we love being outside and working and seeing the fruits of our labor. The work is hard but very rewarding.

In the same way, the Israelites were told to drive out the enemies who lived in their promised land. They had to take action against evil, but the Israelites became complacent, ignored the enemy and didn’t implicitly follow God’s directions. What wasn’t removed, became a thorn, snare, and continued heartache.

Our world is being overtaken by the enemy. Satan sows weeds of discord, fear, anger, and evil. We’ve got to take back the land. If we don’t love God, respond to live the way He commands, the enemy wins ground.

To work to reclaim the land, we can’t do it alone, but we can work together with God’s power. Let’s humble ourselves, turn from sin, and remember our first love by loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds (Matthew 22:37). Let’s read God’s Word to renew our minds, to get our focus back on God’s kingdom and seek Him above all else. Let’s pray and be active in helping others by ministering to the lost world and our Christian brothers and sisters. Let’s remain diligent to complete the work God has called us to complete, for His burden is easy and His yoke is light. Let’s joyfully stay in love with the Lord, casting our cares on Him because He cares for us.

The land is messy and overrun, but nothing is impossible for our God, nothing is too hard for Him, and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. To the land, friends! To the land!

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

From We Were Meant for Paradise by Lisa Buffaloe, https://amzn.to/2H8KQWc