Post by nicfos on Mar 23, 2005 10:10:43 GMT -5
By Pat Hodges
On one particular day I found my self severely frustrated with myself, I asked myself, "What is wrong with me? Why on earth can't I seem to get this area under control? Why do I keep yielding to the flesh in this one area?" I'd prayed and agonized over this one area for years! My wife had prayed for me, others had prayed for me, but with very little positive result. I was to the point of giving up.
Then finally one day the Spirit of the Lord spoke to me. He said, this is not your real problem, this is a fruit of a root!" "A fruit of a root, well Lord what does that mean?" the Lord then showed me that this area was simply a manifestation of a deeper problem. He took me to the Word in Luke 6:43-44 which says,
"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. . . . " NKJV
I realized that all of these years I'd been trying to deal with the wrong thing! The fruit that was manifesting in my life had been getting it's life from a deep root that had been there for years! As the realization of this began to sink in, the Lord then showed me Mark 11:11-14; 11:19-21.
11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.
12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.
13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. And when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14 In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it.
19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.
20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." NKJV
The Lord said, "This is your answer! The tree has to be cursed in order to really deal with it once and for all." He then went on and specifically told me to curse the root of it.
As I began to research this I discovered that there are 3 primary roots:
1) The root of bitterness
2) The root of unbelief
3) The root of rejection
Much of the undesirable fruit that manifests in out lives can be traced right back to one or more of these 3 primary roots. I then began to seek God in earnest as to the root of the sin in my life. Within a few weeks I had the answer. What was the fruit that kept manifesting in my life all of those years? Anger! What was the root? Rejection! I'd gone through plenty of rejection in my younger years and had developed a nasty temper. The Lord showed me that the displays of anger was a way of venting my pent up feelings of hurt and anguish over the rejection that I'd experienced as a kid.
I began to curse the root of rejection in earnest, every day and every time I thought about it! Finally, months later, I was sitting in a cafe with my wife and I began to weep and sob uncontrollably. I was going through a massive healing and a wonderful deliverance all at the same time! It was like all the pain that had been there was suddenly being pulled by an unseen hand out of my chest! This process went on for 30-45 minutes, but it seemed like hours.
In the ensuing days I was walking in a peace and release that I'd never known before. People continued to cut me off in traffic as they always had, but I found I didn't have to try and control the anger that welled up inside me, because there wasn't any! I discovered that I no longer walked around in life in a frustrated and agitated state of existence. What a release!!!
I want to encourage you, if you're dealing with fruit in your life that just keeps coming back in earnest even when you continually repent for it. Stop the vicious cycle of "fruit management" and allow the Lord to show you the root that's giving life to the fruit that is manifesting. Let Jesus heal you and deliver you. He wants to set you free forever!
On one particular day I found my self severely frustrated with myself, I asked myself, "What is wrong with me? Why on earth can't I seem to get this area under control? Why do I keep yielding to the flesh in this one area?" I'd prayed and agonized over this one area for years! My wife had prayed for me, others had prayed for me, but with very little positive result. I was to the point of giving up.
Then finally one day the Spirit of the Lord spoke to me. He said, this is not your real problem, this is a fruit of a root!" "A fruit of a root, well Lord what does that mean?" the Lord then showed me that this area was simply a manifestation of a deeper problem. He took me to the Word in Luke 6:43-44 which says,
"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. . . . " NKJV
I realized that all of these years I'd been trying to deal with the wrong thing! The fruit that was manifesting in my life had been getting it's life from a deep root that had been there for years! As the realization of this began to sink in, the Lord then showed me Mark 11:11-14; 11:19-21.
11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.
12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.
13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. And when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14 In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it.
19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.
20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." NKJV
The Lord said, "This is your answer! The tree has to be cursed in order to really deal with it once and for all." He then went on and specifically told me to curse the root of it.
As I began to research this I discovered that there are 3 primary roots:
1) The root of bitterness
2) The root of unbelief
3) The root of rejection
Much of the undesirable fruit that manifests in out lives can be traced right back to one or more of these 3 primary roots. I then began to seek God in earnest as to the root of the sin in my life. Within a few weeks I had the answer. What was the fruit that kept manifesting in my life all of those years? Anger! What was the root? Rejection! I'd gone through plenty of rejection in my younger years and had developed a nasty temper. The Lord showed me that the displays of anger was a way of venting my pent up feelings of hurt and anguish over the rejection that I'd experienced as a kid.
I began to curse the root of rejection in earnest, every day and every time I thought about it! Finally, months later, I was sitting in a cafe with my wife and I began to weep and sob uncontrollably. I was going through a massive healing and a wonderful deliverance all at the same time! It was like all the pain that had been there was suddenly being pulled by an unseen hand out of my chest! This process went on for 30-45 minutes, but it seemed like hours.
In the ensuing days I was walking in a peace and release that I'd never known before. People continued to cut me off in traffic as they always had, but I found I didn't have to try and control the anger that welled up inside me, because there wasn't any! I discovered that I no longer walked around in life in a frustrated and agitated state of existence. What a release!!!
I want to encourage you, if you're dealing with fruit in your life that just keeps coming back in earnest even when you continually repent for it. Stop the vicious cycle of "fruit management" and allow the Lord to show you the root that's giving life to the fruit that is manifesting. Let Jesus heal you and deliver you. He wants to set you free forever!