The Enemy...

I love Rose bushes. I think there is just something so refreshing, new and beautiful about them.

When we first moved into our new house, I was so excited to see that we had two huge beautiful flourishing rose bushes in our back yard. They simply took my breath away. I loved that I could cut roses from them for my table and yet it appeared as though new roses were blooming daily.

I guess I have somewhat got lost in the here in there of life and lost track of my roses over the last few months. I recently was helping my husband in the yard and discovered that one of the bushes is completely dead. I was shocked. For a few days, we happened to be in the yard working, I found myself drawn to this rose bush, or lack of. It was completely brown and lifeless while the other continued to flourish and produce beautiful roses.

I began to wonder…

What happened? What went wrong?

They both received the same shade, same sunlight and same nutrients, and yet one diminishes while the other blossoms.

I began to wonder how often we as Christians are the same way. We go to church, hear the word of God and yet so often our bible sits on our night stand and the enemy seeps in. We never truly flourish in the word of God.

In Genesis, God had favor on Lot and his wife. He gave him time to flee, telling them not to look back before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

“ Lord was merciful to them. ¹⁷ As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

¹⁸ But Lot said to them, “No, my lords,^[b] please! ¹⁹ Your^[c] servant has found favor in your^[d] eyes, and you^[e] have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. ²⁰ Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”

²¹ He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. ²² But flee their quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.^[f])

²³ By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. ²⁵ Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. ²⁶ But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

I wonder what went through her mind. Why did she turn away and look back? We will probably never really know what made her look back, but we do know that God gave them hope and life to free them and flourish them and yet, she looked away.

I think of how often I look away as a Christian. How often I doubt that clear voice of God telling me what to do and yet I turn away anyways.

John 10:10 says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

So, come to find out, we had voles eating the roots of my rose bush. These nasty little rodents made holes under the ground and completely cut off all nutrients my plant could get to survive.

Well, it kinda makes sense. That is EXACTLY  what the enemy does; DESTROY and kill any hopes that you or I or anybody might flourish in Jesus Christ.

Regardless of the reason Lot’s wife actually turned around that day, I can’t help but feel like the enemy wanted to destroy, but the problem is; he never wins!

The second part of that verse is the part that says JESUS comes so that we may have life ABUNDANTLY! You see, my other rose bush is blooming, because when we stop the enemy from attacking, Jesus will grow and Shine no matter what the enemy may try! 

What really amazes me is how Christ can rise through what the enemy has destroyed. You see; the voles completely killed my plant; however, right underneath it is a tiny new rose bush forming. New life! 

How AMAZING is that!

It is a reminder to me that beauty can come from darkness and that Jesus Christ can make ALL things new again!