“Sometimes, we prune when we should be uprooting.”
These are the words God spoke to my heart one day as I read a ministry partner’s email.
I want to share a portion of her email with you…
“Just one loss after another, all feeling so out of our control, & feeling like the most awkward “tailspin.” I could go on about how, like you, I was surprised that I’d found myself here—where I’ve lost sleep, don’t wake with peace, & am just not my true self… I see where fear works to isolate in order to dominate. I’m seeing just how isolated I’ve felt in this & not realizing the full scope of it until now.”
This ministry partner shared with me how she hadn’t dealt with the fear quickly, how it had slipped upon her during all the challenges she had faced. I knew exactly what she was experiencing; I had been there.
That’s what fear does. I never realized it before, but when we face challenges, the enemy will attempt to impart little thoughts of fear here and there. In such small ways, you don’t even realize you are receiving it until it becomes a full-blown fear.
Dr. Caroline Leaf says, “Fear is often the root of toxic thinking habits.” The enemy tries to plant these seemingly small seeds of fear in our thoughts.
There were times when I sensed I was walking in fear, and I would immediately say with my mouth, “No! God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.” I agreed with the Word but didn’t take the time or use the necessary actions to deal with the spirit of fear forcefully—at least not with the root of it.
The partner shared something else with me. She had not firmly dealt with the spirit of fear that had woven its way into her life. Instead, she went about life as usual, as if nothing was wrong.
We all do that. We just keep going through the motions. We often call it walking by faith, but are we really walking by faith if we leave little things like fear intact?
As I read her email, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Sometimes we prune when we should be uprooting.” Ouch!
Like the partner whose email I was reading, I had pruned away the fear when it showed itself. However, I had not taken the time to get to the root cause of the spirit of fear and take the necessary steps to deal with it. Because of that, I continued to deal with fear from time to time. I pruned…when I should have uprooted.
When we prune things, they can continue to grow—often even more so.
However, when we uproot something, it can never grow again. There are things in our lives like fear, but not only fear, that we need to deal with the root cause and remove once and for all.
I love what God spoke to Moses in Exodus 14:13-14.
And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
God said, “This enemy that keeps coming after you, you will never see him again after today.” I LOVE THAT!
I believe we have a right to the same thing. Jesus has already defeated fear at the cross.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7)
I believe we can live a life free of fear. I don’t think it will come easy, but I know it is possible with God. Why won’t it come easy? Because it is one of the enemy’s primary weapons. If we get into fear, we are out of faith, and he knows that. We must stay in faith, and we can do so by remaining in God.
As mentioned earlier, this applies not only to fear but to anything in your life that doesn’t align with the Word of God—such as anger, doubt, unbelief, anxiety, or anything else. Identify the root cause and altogether remove it so that it never reoccurs.
Take time today to examine your heart. If you notice any signs of fear or other issues, don’t just ignore them or try to push them away. Instead, confront the root cause and ask for guidance to eliminate it completely. By doing this, you can free yourself from fear once and for all. It’s time to address the root cause of your fears and remove them for good.
