When there's still roots (Part 2)

Last week, I talked with you all about how our grapefruit tree was blown over in a rainstorm but how BECAUSE there was still roots in the ground from the tree, a new tree has begun to grow in place of the old one. Refresh your memory with When There's Still Roots Part 1, today I want to talk to you all about part 2 of this aspect. Last week we saw the positive aspect of what can happen when you still have roots in a good thing, something new will begin to grow from it. 

.

However, while roots in something that is good will bring forth something new that is good, when something bad is cut out of your life, if you have roots in something bad, something new, that is bad will once again begin to grow. It's good to cut out bad things in our life. Ungodly influences, worldly lusts, carnal desires, but check yourself, you have to do more than just cut down the tree, you have to get down to the heart of the issue. You may have cut the item out of your life, buuuuuuut did you also dig out the roots? 

.

If you find yourself struggling over and over again with the same thing, perhaps its because you never dug out the roots. The roots of the issue must be completely dug out and destroyed, never to grow back again in another form. Search your heart today, ask God to show you if there are any roots in your heart that need to be dug out! 

If there is something, 

GET THE SHOVEL,

 it's time to start digging!!! 

"“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” (Hebrews 12:15)

♥Mary Frances :)

No rearview mirror!!!

"I'm shootin for the moon, an I'm in a spaceship, an this spaceship don't even have rear view mirrors, so that means I ain't even tryin to look back." 

*

My friend said this to me a while ago. It was a slightly ODD statement to say and yet, the AWESOMEST quote ever. I just loved it!!! Its like soooo ghetto, yet sooo profound. "...An this spaceship don't even have rear veiw mirrors..." <----- SOOO Ghetto...BUT sometimes I think we need to GET GHETTO!!!

Often times its the luxurious things in life that are holding us back in the kingdom of God! We have everything figured out just right. We're still in our comfort zone. We know all of our surroundings, we have our seat belts on, our seats just right, and our mirrors adjust perfectly. We're moving forward but we can still see behind us.

*

You don't need to see what's behind. Leave your past and just go. In the Bible, before destroying the City  in Genesis 19, God tells lot and his family, "...Escape for thy life; look not behind thee..." However, Lot's wife did look back and she was turned to a pillar of salt.

*

What did lots wife need that she looked back? The WHOLE city was being consumed by fire, what did she need??? NOTHING!!! When your buried in the name of Jesus, THERE IS NOTHING in your past that you need to look back too. Looking back to this old world will ONLY destroy you.

*

" But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

*

We need to leave behind the things that are holding us back. You don't need to look behind you living for God. There's NO REARVIEW MIRRORS on your way to heaven. Who cares if your spaceship is a little ghetto?! You don't need the fanciest transportation, as you travel this journey, you just need to GET TO HEAVEN!!!

*

All you need to do is get on the straight path, rip off those rearview mirrors and make up your mind...

I'm on my way to heaven and...

 "I ain't EVEN TRYIN to look back!!!" 

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

♥Mary Frances :)

MORE trust!!!

No Mary! We're scared! We can't see!!! This is the voice of my girls yelling at me on a Wednesday night Bible class as I blindfolded them and were doing an object lesson with them. Leading them around outside the church, they couldn't see but I could and was leading them. They were freaking out, I laughed at their dramatics and said, you can't see BUUUUUT you know ME, you know I would NEVER do anything to hurt you guys.

.

Do you trust so and so?! Has anyone ever asked you that? And i'll think, yes, to a certain extent I trust them, BUUUUUUT, I don't really know them that well, the people that I truly trust enough to let into my uttermost thoughts and feelings are the people that I truly know. The ones that have been there for years and their friendships have stood the test of time. I know their character and I know that they love me and only want what's best for me. These are the people have been there in the good times and the bad times, they've seen me at my best and they've seen me at my worst and they've stuck with me through it all. They know ME and I know THEM and that IS WHY I trust them!!!

.

That got me to thinking about trusting in God, sometimes we say we trust God, but we trust him like we trust someone that we don't really know that well. We see him as that person that we don't know very well, that nice co-worker, or the friendly acquaintance we have fun and take pictures with at a conference but we don't truly know them, so we trust them yes, but only to that certain extent. And that's how we are with God at times, we trust him yes, but do we trust him with the uttermost part of our hearts? Do we trust him with all our fears, our hopes and our dreams? 

.

If your having trouble trusting in God, it's only because you don't know him well enough. But its SOOOO SIMPLE, if you want to trust God MORE, just get to know him MORE!!! I promise you, the more you know God, the more you will see his true character, you will see for yourself his nature, his loving-kindness, his mercy and his grace. How do you get to know him more, pray more, read your Bible more, ask him to draw you closer to him, seek his face, you will not be disappointed with getting to know The Lord!

Then when the hard times come and it feels like your blind-folded and your scared because you can't see the way, I can imagine hearing the Lord saying, but why are you scared when I'm leading you? you know me my child, you KNOW I would NEVER do anything to hurt you!!!  Just get to know him more, he will show you that he is true! The more you know him my friends, the more you will trust him!!! 

"I am the good shepherd...

. and know my sheep, and am known of mine." (John 10:14)

What's different???

Do you remember as a child, you would see in a magazine two pictures that were ALMOST identical, but they really weren't. Within the pictures, there were some SLIGHT alterations and it was your job to sit there and look and look and LOOK, until  you found the differences.

And although this was an incredibley fun thing to do as a child, as a Christian, we shouldn't have to play this game. When people look at us, they shouldn't have to say, "What's different?" They shouldn't have compare us to this world like...hmmm...they seem exactley the same as everyone else...."What is it?" They shouldn't have to WONDER about us really living for God, they should ALREADY be able to tell. The way we act should be different, the way we talk should be DIFFERENT! Who we fellowship with should be different! The way we dress should be DIFFERENT! The way we treat people should be diffenrt!!! Everything in our life should be DIFFERENT! Sometimes we try SOOOOO hard to fit in with the world, but we shouldn't. Its sad seein a good, christian and not even knowing they are a Christian, because they are TRYING sooooooo hard NOT to be DIFFERNT.

Living for God is NOT like some kind of "WHERES WALDO" game...

God doesn't want us to be like Waldo and just 'blend in'!!!  God wants us to stand out in the middle of a crowd of ungodly people. We don't need to try and make it hard for the world to see that we are a Christian. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:17, "Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye seperate, saith the Lord..."

"If you want to make a difference,

 you've GOT TO BE DIFFERENT!!!"

♥Mary Frances :)

Blog round up!!! #2

I like to gather up some really good, thought provoking, encouraging, inspiring posts from fellow bloggers and of course some of my own latest as well. God is doing great things in the lives and through the lives of other bloggers! Healings, victories, deliverance, Holy Ghost outpourings, and much more!!! Check out these posts I've selected and if you've come across another post from a blogger that perhaps I don't know about, please feel free to email me about it at MaryFrancesWriting@gmail.com

.
Now is not the time to be careless!!!
Becoming a Spark Plug!!!
Dear Cows!!!
Do I really want to be a teacher?!
Heritage 2014
 (Read the Heritage one ALL the way to the end to know about the amazing
move of God that happened with these young people!)
Last Sunday!!!
Sciatica Healing!!!
Modesty Venting!!!
When I Just wanted to be ordinary!
By Popular Request!
Right Before A Diamond!
The Truth about being used!!!
Dumpster diving???

You can check out the 

first blog round up HERE!!!

♥Mary Frances :)