Phyllis Nissila

It’s that time of the year in my hemisphere to clean up the yard, to remove the detritus of seasons past as terra firma warms and flora resumes. It’s time to clear out the old and opportunistic and feed and protect the new.

Gardeners arm up with “weed ‘n feed,” hand forks and hoes, and elbow grease.

Diligence required.

What brought this to mind is the need to “weed and feed” spiritually, too, particularly in the realm of good and evil that is neither terra nor firma yet prolific after its own kind in the unseen. And some say we live in an unprecedented era in this season.

Those tending the spiritual remind and warn us that many of the estimated 18% of all verses pertaining to prophecy in the Testaments (26.8% of all verses) that describe so-called, “end times” are now surfacing as reality in newspaper headlines and network news at breathtaking speed. [1]

And the dark side is also aware and afoot, it seems, in an equally unprecedented manner.

Cults and the occult are prolific.

Diligence required.

But before I tend the metaphor, some encouragement. Just as those who work the garden post little signs in backyard plots to inform (“carrots,” “beans,” “roses”) and inspire (“slow down and enjoy the garden,” “welcome to the garden and the sunny side of life,” and “weed it and reap”), the Bible offers many such informative and inspirational reminders for those who “work the spirit.” Here a few of my favorites from the New International Version of the Scriptures:

• 1 John 4:4  “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
• Isaiah 54:17  “’No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord.”
• Psalm 91:1-3 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.”

(Rest amid these for a moment, at will, and often.)

And now to the weeds…

According to an article in Mother Earth News [2] the worst garden weeds are as follows: crab grasses followed by “docks, lamb’s-quarters, knot weed and poison ivy.” These “garden invaders” have several pesky characteristics:

• They grow fast;
• They harm and/or crowd out nearby vegetables, flowers, and other “true,” as it were, plants;
• They sport sturdy, dense, deep, and/or prolific root systems; and
• They can look a lot like the vegetable or flower you WANT growing there.

Gardeners beware!

“Invaders of the spirit” (“tares,” if you will, aka false Christs and “other gospels”) likewise multiply fast, crowd and harm the “wheat,” and quickly spread their sturdy root systems.

They can also look a lot like the real thing.

Believers beware!

But whether working the seen or the unseen soil, there are remedies to rid a gardener of both green and egregious invaders.

According to Mother Earth, however, liberating the backyard of quack grass, pig weed, et al, is not easy, requiring equal parts of the following:

• Education pertaining to the specific type of weed;
• Hands-on, literally, in the dirt, hoeing, pulling, chopping, and mulching;
• Determination; and
• “Vicious persistence”.

Eradicating the spirit of the unwanted and harmful requires education of its own kind (Berean-styled); (the spiritual equivalent of) “hoeing, pulling, chopping, and mulching;” and, likewise, persistent determination.

Of course, proper “food” helps the remaining good crops, whether in ground or in spirit, thrive to fruition via time—and sunshine.

A visit to the local garden or home improvement shop reveals rows of specialty “food” for whatever crops grow in the back 40 or the back yard.

Spiritually, however, One Source serves all.

Here are a few samples of the recommended daily (spiritual) allowance:

1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”

Jeremiah 3:15 “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.”

Isaiah 25:6 “The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.”

And for “sunshine”?

The Son, Himself:

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  

One for all seasons.

***

[1] Statistics found here: http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/much-bible-prophecy/

[2] http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/pest-control/garden-weeds-zm0z11zsto.aspx?PageId=3

Images from https://openclipart.org/detail/209938/ilmenskie-garden-sign-herb-01a-g1 and the public domain.