On Seeds
I will not be expecting Zinnias in my garden this year. I decided to directly sow as many seeds as I could (I kept my seedlings indoors last year). For awhile it looked promising. And then something happened. I don’t know exactly what ate ALL of my Zinnia seedlings! It’s pretty sad. However, not all is lost. My chives from 2 years ago has weathered last year’s snowy winter. It is flowering for the first time this year. They’re just flower buds as of right now and because of its resilience, Allium will always be on my list besides Sunflowers.
On Weeds
Since I’ve been gardening, it never ceases to amaze me that precious plants always get attacked by pests (aphids, earwigs, weevils, slugs etc.) while leaving the weeds unscathed as it keeps growing out of nowhere, but the truth is, they are just weeds and they will be uprooted at the appointed time. It reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 15:13,
“…Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.”
Although weeds can pop up everywhere in the garden, its eventual fate is to be pulled up. The gardener has to clear the soil of the weeds in order for the precious seeds to be sown. I want my plants to grow unhindered because I look forward to the beautiful flowers it will produce so I cannot allow the weeds to thrive near the precious plants. It will end up competing for water and nutrients. Weeds have an abnormal rate of proliferation while the choice plants always take time.
When we think about prosperity gospel/apostate megachurches, their number of church attendees far exceeds that of the churches who are uncompromising when it comes to adhering to sound doctrine. Merely looking at the numbers “authenticate the genuine from the counterfeit” as spoken of in Scripture.
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
2 Timothy 4:3
It is important to guard ourselves as we are reminded in the book of Jude v.4, “For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.” These individuals use the gospel for their own aggrandizement, robbing God’s glory by exalting themselves while taking advantage of people’s kindness and sympathies. This practice is not isolated to televangelists and megachurches but there are those who also prey on Christians in the blogosphere.
“In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.”
2 Peter 2:3
Believe me when I say I really do not like to ruffle feathers but since my work is to warn people, either I obey God or not warn people at all. Recently, a female false teacher died suddenly. For a time, she flourished teaching people about the love of God sincerely in her own self-deception. God has been so merciful to her. She peddled books mocking the Bible and fueling doubt about His Word, in addition to her stance in affirming the LGBTQ agenda and other rebellious causes, while at the same time claiming to know Christ as she clearly abandoned sound doctrine.
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves.“
2 Peter 2:1
A very scary and stern warning that we are to heed is found in Revelation 2:19-23,
“I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.”
I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. – This is talking about a symbolic, not literal sexual immorality. Anyone who leads God’s elect astray commits this since the Church is the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27).
Not only was that woman who recently died a weed, but her written material survives her and will probably end up claiming more spiritual casualties. Her story is really a sobering reminder that God is not mocked. Just because lightning does not immediately strike us from above when we push false teachings, it does not mean that God will not deal with us. He is patient and gives plenty of warnings to turn from our erroneous ways. This is one of the hardest messages I’ve ever had to write. We are living close to the last of the last days and those who are intent to deceive will only get worse (2 Timothy 3:13).
The Christian walk does not only call for people to be innocent as doves, but to also be as shrewd as snakes (Matthew 10:16). Signs are there if you pay close attention and our faith walk demands that we are more discerning. Let us be discerning and far be it from us that any of us should become spiritual casualties.
