i have this strong desire to fiercely protect 
what i have with the Lord.
that nothing shall distract me. i want to be jealous over Him. in the same way He is jealous over me. i wish i could've been in the garden. i  wonder what the presence of the Lord was like. i want to learn to live with the fact that His presence is always with me.

i'm constantly striving to switch my the reality of this worldly realm with the spiritual realm.
i want this world to be like a dream in that i realize on a twenty-four seven basis is ending upon our full awakening in death.

Gentle reminders of His love for us.

His creation is packed with symbolism.

symbolism that points to Himself.

I know that He spoke it into creation,

but I can just imagine His mind scurrying about,

in the length of six days, 

maybe thinking to Himself, "How best can I put myself into the sky?"

"How can I show best my love in the stars?"

"How can I show them my humor in the animals?"

"Show them that I am gentle like a gentle breeze."

"And show them I am warm like the sun."

Vanity swallows up flattery.

So, I have a confession to make in this post. This past couple weeks there has been a fellow co-worker who has been feeding me smooth words of flattery. 

 Proverbs 6&7

(I am not even attracted in any sense to this young man)

So there I am working when it hits me, "I'm feasting on this flattery with ill-intent behind it."

Immediately I sought the Lord. 

Flattery feeds the intense craving of admiration, and applause of vanity. Our appearance is temporal and fades away like the flower of the field. 

My prayer is to learn humility, which is not thinking lowly of one's self, but rather, not thinking of one's self at all.

I must continue on my quest to crucify my flesh.

Humility is a by product of a surrendered heart.

Besides anything in me worth flattering is not mine in the first place.

I can only boast at what the Lord has done.

I don't want to be needy for flattery for attention. Or addicted to myself.

The Lord needs to be my source of attention. 

Any need of validation I will go to Him with.

                 I will have my identity in Christ.

~Spirits like Trees~

So I was out watering the other night and just being quiet.

And then I hear something in my ears that are not seen.

I've always thought and known through the Bible that trees are symbolic.

Not only do they bear fruit and provide shelter from the scorching sun, as do our spirits bear fruit and shelter other peoples spirits.

Trees have amazing roots!

the smaller ones on the surface are for absorbing moisture and  minerals.

Absorbing the moisture of God and His Word...mmmmmmm :)

These littler surface roots have littler hairs that raise up to capture moisture.

Now this is what I was most interested in researching a bit.

The deeper roots...

provide anchorage, like a tree planted by the waters,   

Jeremiah 17:8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

These deeper roots will concentrate the majority of it's resources where nutrients and water are more easily available.

These roots grow vertically downward until they encounter an obstacle or soil with insufficient oxygen for growth. They will often branch and form a second layer of roots deeper in the soil. These roots function as water and food storage areas for the tree. 

John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Reserves for strength in times of trouble and drought!!

NOW I WANT MY SPIRIT TO BE LIKE A TREE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

I'm trapped in the flesh.

that darn "freewill" had to eat of that fruit!

in my frustration Jesus Christ reminds me,

that this is the only way I can stay here on earth and be used by Him.

and then it becomes a little easier to wrestle monotonously with human nature.

"God I thank You that You are strong in my weaknesses."

Anticipation

Now that I'm seeing my flesh getting more distant everyday, I can't wait to see how much better it gets with

obeying His Words. 

Dying to my flesh.                                                                    

Deeper and deeper.                                                                                                                                     

I want my flesh to become like a fading dream upon awakening of my spirit. 

Which is strengthening on the Bread of Life.