What's Watering Your Root System?
In Jeremiah 17:5-6, the prophet Jeremiah says, This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.”
Recently, I was a counselor at Opendoor Youth Camp, where the theme of our week was based on verses in Jeremiah. Much of what I want to share in this devotional with you comes from the speakers that week and notes I took.
Think with me, for a minute, about how often you put your HOPE in Jesus. If you’re a Christian, you might be thinking, “always, duh.” But for real, is your hope truly anchored in Jesus or do you hope in other things? Are you putting your hope and trust in a person? When you have that conflict at work, school, in your marriage, or with your children, is your hope actually anchored in Jesus or are you hoping that man will somehow change for you? When you have misplaced trust, you tend to be looking at people as your hope. However, your trust and hope must be rooted in the Holy Spirit for true change to take place in your life and in your specific circumstance.
Jeremiah continues to prophesy what the Lord says in verses 7-8: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”
We are the TREE. The Holy Spirit is the water. The water nourishes the tree. And if your water is the Holy Spirit, you are going to produce good fruit. What’s the fruit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If your roots are growing, your confidence in them are growing. What’s watering your root system? Is it the Holy Spirit? When your root system is the Holy Spirit, then your hope shifts to confidence. You are confident that the Lord hears you, His Holy Spirit guides you, and that a way has already been made for you. Are you letting the Holy Spirit nourish YOU?
I encourage you today to make sure you don’t have misplaced trust. Don’t be like the shrub in the desert. That shrub has no water. It can be blown all over the place and usually is. To stay in a desert sounds absolutely miserable realistically, yet we do that spiritually with our life sometimes. Be the tree planted along the riverbank with roots that reach so deep into the water of the Holy Spirit that when life comes at you, when people come at you, your confidence is firmly placed in HIM. You are growing in HIM. You won’t get weak and fall apart at what life throws at you because you know the ONE you are rooted in. You are drawing up water daily by fighting for a relationship with Jesus, engaging with the Holy Spirit, studying the Word of God, and surrounding yourself with people that seek TRUTH. It’s OK to struggle, but be planted by the water. Pull your strength from the Holy Spirit. There, you will find boldness, truth, and everything you need to live victoriously.
JOURNAL: Maybe you are particularly struggling with a certain area in your life, a circumstance you find yourself in, or the faith to believe for something right now. Or maybe life is going great! Whatever the case, I encourage you to really sit and reflect right now on where you are pulling your strength from. Can you honestly say the Holy Spirit is leading you every day? Are you going to Jesus as the source of your strength? Write down the areas in your life that aren’t fully submitted to Jesus and purpose today through prayer to keep drawing up the water of the Holy Spirit DAILY for strength.
PRAYER: God, thank You so much that You are my source of strength. Take control of every area in my life. You can have it all. I want to be firmly planted in You, not the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Recently, I was a counselor at Opendoor Youth Camp, where the theme of our week was based on verses in Jeremiah. Much of what I want to share in this devotional with you comes from the speakers that week and notes I took.
Think with me, for a minute, about how often you put your HOPE in Jesus. If you’re a Christian, you might be thinking, “always, duh.” But for real, is your hope truly anchored in Jesus or do you hope in other things? Are you putting your hope and trust in a person? When you have that conflict at work, school, in your marriage, or with your children, is your hope actually anchored in Jesus or are you hoping that man will somehow change for you? When you have misplaced trust, you tend to be looking at people as your hope. However, your trust and hope must be rooted in the Holy Spirit for true change to take place in your life and in your specific circumstance.
Jeremiah continues to prophesy what the Lord says in verses 7-8: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”
We are the TREE. The Holy Spirit is the water. The water nourishes the tree. And if your water is the Holy Spirit, you are going to produce good fruit. What’s the fruit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If your roots are growing, your confidence in them are growing. What’s watering your root system? Is it the Holy Spirit? When your root system is the Holy Spirit, then your hope shifts to confidence. You are confident that the Lord hears you, His Holy Spirit guides you, and that a way has already been made for you. Are you letting the Holy Spirit nourish YOU?
I encourage you today to make sure you don’t have misplaced trust. Don’t be like the shrub in the desert. That shrub has no water. It can be blown all over the place and usually is. To stay in a desert sounds absolutely miserable realistically, yet we do that spiritually with our life sometimes. Be the tree planted along the riverbank with roots that reach so deep into the water of the Holy Spirit that when life comes at you, when people come at you, your confidence is firmly placed in HIM. You are growing in HIM. You won’t get weak and fall apart at what life throws at you because you know the ONE you are rooted in. You are drawing up water daily by fighting for a relationship with Jesus, engaging with the Holy Spirit, studying the Word of God, and surrounding yourself with people that seek TRUTH. It’s OK to struggle, but be planted by the water. Pull your strength from the Holy Spirit. There, you will find boldness, truth, and everything you need to live victoriously.
JOURNAL: Maybe you are particularly struggling with a certain area in your life, a circumstance you find yourself in, or the faith to believe for something right now. Or maybe life is going great! Whatever the case, I encourage you to really sit and reflect right now on where you are pulling your strength from. Can you honestly say the Holy Spirit is leading you every day? Are you going to Jesus as the source of your strength? Write down the areas in your life that aren’t fully submitted to Jesus and purpose today through prayer to keep drawing up the water of the Holy Spirit DAILY for strength.
PRAYER: God, thank You so much that You are my source of strength. Take control of every area in my life. You can have it all. I want to be firmly planted in You, not the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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3 Comments
Thank you for this devotional. I am that tree planted in deep waters. it is not by coincidence the timing of the Holy Spirit sermons. I experienced a subarachnoid hemorrhage 6/23 while vacation in Indiana. God was preparing me for such a time as this. I have had a piece that passes understanding. God is so present and he is using me. I plan to return to Greenville Late August early September. Matthew 6:33-34. So blessed that God led me to Opendoor Church after my husband passed August 14, 2021 after a double lung transplant. To God be the glory!
Amen. For Jane: We are praying for your health and strength as you recover. May God surround you with skilled doctors and compassionate nurses. I hope that you see and experience God's love and heart in this challenging time. He never leaves us and is always with us.
Megan, this is so good. So true and a much needed word for me right now.