REMOVING THE TARES
Have you ever experienced discouraging thoughts which lead you down an endless dialogue of “what if’s?” or leaving you paralyzed, anxious, fearful, or hopeless?
Friends, I want to EXPOSE the lie that every thought comes from you and you alone. Whether we want to believe it or not, we have an enemy who is looking to steal, kill, and destroy areas in your life and his ammo often appears in our thought life. But he is only able to continue his attacks when we agree. Without our agreement he is POWERLESS!
As we fix our footing from defeat to VICTORY we can rest in knowing
“Greater is HE who is in YOU than he who is in the world”
-1 John 4:4-
“The Parable of the Wheat and Tares”
Allow me to share a different spin of Matthew 13:24-43.
To summarize this parable, a farmer sows good seeds into his field. In the evening when everyone is asleep, his enemy sowed bad seeds. Later, when they began to sprout, his helpers noticed there were tares mixed in with the wheat. (A tare is a type of weed that has a similar appearance to wheat when premature.) The helpers immediately notified the farmer and urged him to remove the tares. The farmer’s reply was surprising. “Let both grow together until harvest.” The farmer did not want to risk accidentally removing or damaging the good wheat.
When wheat and tares are fully grown and ready for harvest, the helpers will have a clear distinction between the two.
The tare -(as shown in the picture on the right) is light and lacks substance, but the wheat, (as shown on the left) is heavy and bears fruit. Inside the tares lies tiny black seeds (which, when eaten) cause dizziness and nausea. On the other hand, wheat offers nutrients and life. Notice the tare stands straight and proud while the wheat humbly bows from the weight of it’s fruit. One gives life, the other kills.
DID YOU CATCH THAT?
The tares in our lives are these discouraging thoughts. They can sap nutrients, our energy, and our life if we allow ourselves to ingest their fowl seed. However, the wheat is the Word of God that brings forth the good fruit into our lives.
GUARDING OUR FEILD
In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter states “Be ALERT and of SOBER MIND. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
These words are not here to strike up fear, or to cause terror that there is a devil hiding behind every bush. Instead, they are meant to EMPOWER you to be “alert” and “sober minded.” The enemy came to the field to plant bad seeds when the farmers were “asleep.” If we believe our war is with ourselves or others we give the enemy access to bring offense and defeat into our lives. Remember, without our agreement, he is POWERLESS!
He is a defanged and declawed lion.
I found it interesting the farmer had waited until the wheat and tares grew to full maturity. Like the tares, it can be difficult to detect the bad seeds at the beginning stages of renewing our minds. But as we meditate on the Word daily, God causes the good seeds to grow providing us a clear distinction between the two.
You may wonder, “why not just remove the tares right away?” When we recognize the lies or discouraging thoughts, use them to catapult you into victory. They will cause us to seek answers and meditate on what is true. No longer just words on a page, we start allowing THE WORD to grow in us and become the very depths of our being.
“For we have the living Word of God, which is full of energy, and it pierces more sharply than a two-edged sword. It will even penetrate to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts.”
Hebrews 4:12
Doing this, we see the power of the Word at work within us. Not only removing the tares but no longer providing access for them to assault us again. Instead, we rise up in our true identity and walk out the abundant life Christ states in John 10:10, “A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!”
Reading the bible is no longer just “good idea” but our weapon!
Let’s take back ground in our thought life and walk in all that was paid for!
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for discernment and wisdom to know what has been planted within my “field.” I give you full access to my heart and allow you to show me where the enemy has planted a lie within my soul that doesn’t line up with your truth.
(Take a moment to see if He reveals anything to you.)
Lord, I thank you for removing this lie and replacing it with heaven’s perfect love. Thank you for shedding light on what was once dark and hidden. Restore and rekindle the joy and peace that has dimmed throughout my journey. Give me a passion to read your word to use as a weapon against the enemies schemes. Thank for always being for me and not against me!
In your precious name Jesus, Amen!
ACTIVATION:
Now that we are awake, it’s time to activate!
To stay alert and sober minded, a simple step is to check in every now and again and ask yourself “What am I thinking about?” In the process you may ask, “How do I discern if it’s a lie?”
Test the fruit!
In Galatians 2:22-23 it lists the fruits of the Spirit:
“Joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit.”
If your thoughts are contradicting these fruits then test it with the Word and if it’s still rotten, TOSS IT!
Meditate on these truths and allow the good wheat to grow!
- Nothing is impossible through Christ- LUKE 1:37
- If God is for me, who can be against me?-ROMANS 8:31
- I am fully accepted by God- ROMANS 8:34
- I have a hope and future- JEREMIAH 29:11
- I am a new creation- 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17
- I walk from VICTORY! – REVELATION 12:11
