We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
https://2corinthians.bible/2-corinthians-10-5
Planting Seeds
As I sat in the classroom, helping a young man write his essay, two others were clowning around; it was the last day of testing and the opportunity for one to catch up on his work. I reminded him he still had time to complete at least one more assignment. They continued fooling around, so I said it was storytime.
I said, if you don’t take your education seriously, you will reap what you sow. He looked puzzled and said, I’m not sowing anything. Exactly, I said, then nothing will be harvested in the future. A gardener cultivates the ground, plants seeds, and waters, and tends to his garden; he fertilizes, pulls out weeds, and, after a while, collects good fruit. If you don’t discipline yourself in your studies and plant knowledge in your mind now while you still have time, you’ll grow weeds. While the others continued fooling, he heard me, and he did indeed finish his last assignment.
I woke up this morning with negative thoughts flooding my mind like weeds popping up everywhere, and for a minute, I found myself entertaining these thoughts. I realized these thoughts were not of the Lord but accusations from the devil; he is intrusive and comes when our guard is down. I opened my Bible, and the Word was there: “Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.” I prayed, Lord, how do I collect these thoughts and make them obedient to You? I don’t know how. Praise the Lord; He immediately reminded me of the gardener pulling out the weeds of negative thoughts and planting good seeds, positive thoughts. For example, bitterness and resentment will grow stronger with every negative thought. Unless you reframe it with gratitude, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion, these weeds will ruin the whole garden in your heart. Something has to be replaced when the weeds are pulled out.
Dear Lord, thank You for meeting me in the garden of my heart. Your Word was waiting for me to seek Your wisdom; if I had continued entertaining these thoughts, they would have overpowered me, and not only would I have carried these burdens through the day, I would have spread seeds of bitterness onto those around me. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for teaching in the way of God, making me a kingdom builder, and filling my mind with Your thoughts and my lips with seeds of gratitude, praise, and living words. Thank You, Father, for providing me with everything I need according to the richness of Your Grace, in Jesus’ name, amen.