part 8 of “Don’t Give The Enemy A Seat At Your Table”
I am not much of a gardener. I mean I can do the simple, the bare minimum it takes to grow something. Over this past summer, my son was offered some tomato plants by my neighbor. When I found out about him getting them, I was just going to put them in a hole, water them daily, and hope for the best. I know if there are any gardeners out there reading this, you are all yelling at me. But while I was just going to do what I knew, my neighbor had a different plan. When he gave my son the plants, he came over with tools. He came with tools to dig the hole, wire fencing to help protect them, and potting soil to help with their growth.
I bring this up because even though we may not be a gardener in real life or have the proverbial “green thumb”, we are all a gardener. We all have a garden to tend. The garden of our minds. Our mind is a garden and just like any garden, it needs to be cared for. The garden of our minds needs to be cared for because one big reason - the enemy. The enemy wants to throw seeds out there so they take root and grow into something big and that will take us out. In a way, the seeds the enemy plants in our gardens are weeds.
Weeds have no business in a garden. Weeds are a constant battle. You need to take care of weeds at the roots or they just keep coming back. As a gardener, we have the choice of what grows in the garden of our minds.
In this post, I am going to share seven seeds from God outlined in the book [1]. The hope for planting and caring for these seeds will help us win the battle in the garden of our minds. These seven seeds that I share with you today along with the Scriptural truths we looked at in week 6 of this series, will give us a good head start in the garden [2]. Let’s plant these good seeds and get rid of the weeds!
Seed 1: I am in God’s Story.
You matter to God. He is for you and He has great plans for your life. God saw you and knew you before you were even born (Psalm 139:16). So plant this seed and water it with this verse:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. - Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
Because God knew you before you were even born, He also had every day of your life planned out before you breathed your first breath (Psalm 139:16). Plant the seed “I am in God’s Story” and water it with the words of Jeremiah 29:11.
Seed 2: I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
You were made with intentionality. You were made with a purpose that God had for you before you were born (Ephesians 2:10). You were divinely crafted. You are a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). You are valuable to God. God took His time when He created you. God formed you (Genesis 2:7). Plant this seed and water it with these words of David from Psalm 139:
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” - Psalms 139:13-14 NLT
Seed 3: My life has purpose.
You have a purpose. You were created and created things have a purpose. God put a purpose in you when He created you. There is something special in God’s story that He wants you to do and only you can accomplish it. Plant and water this seed with this verse:
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” - Ephesians 2:10 NLT
Seed 4: The cross has the final word.
You have a new identity because of what Jesus did on the cross. You are a new creation. You are wanted by God. You are loved by God. You were worth the death of Jesus. You have value to God. Plant and water this seed with this verse:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Seed 5: I serve at the pleasure of the King.
You are chosen by the King of Kings to do the work He has prepared for you. You were chosen by the King to do that work. You are chosen to show Jesus whenever and wherever you can. Plant and water this seed with this verse:
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” - 1 Peter 2:9 NLT
Seed 6: Jesus is Lord, and Jesus is my Lord.[3]
You belong to a God that is stronger, bigger, and higher than anyone or anything (Psalm 113:4, MSG). You belong to His kingdom and His kingdom lasts forever. Your God is forever and worthy of all praise. Plant and water this seed with these verses:
“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” - Philippians 2:9-11 NLT
Seed 7: My God turns evil into good.
God has a plan and purpose for everything. You may not always feel like this is the case because life can be crazy and not work out as you hope. But God is faithful, kind, good, loving, and caring. You are His first thought. God knows what He’s doing (Jeremiah 29:11). He is your Shepherd (Psalm 23). He cares for you more than anyone ever could. Plant and water this seed with this verse:
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” - Romans 8:28 NLT
These are the truths from Almighty God, the Good Shepherd. They are spoken in His word. Let these seven seeds take root in the garden of your mind. Also, go and grab the other seven outlined below from the previous post [2][4]. Water these seeds with the Scriptural truth. Get rid of the weeds. Protect the seeds by committing to memorizing the Scriptural truth to keep the seeds healthy, strong, and flourishing.
Take back the seat the enemy has stolen at your table. Get rid of the weeds he has planted in the garden or your mind. Take back the garden of your mind by planting the words of the Good Shepherd. Listen to the Good Shepherd. Hang on His every word for He is your life (Matthew 4:4 + Deuteronomy 30:20)!
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**This series is based on the book Don’t Give The Enemy A Seat At Your Table” by Louie Giglio. The thoughts and ideas in this post come from the book, but are put into my own words and are not directly quoted. All direct quotes from the book will be noted as such and identified. You can pick up a copy of the book wherever you buy your books.
[1] The “seeds” listed in this post are quoted from the book above. The paragraph(s) following each seed are a mix of my thoughts and the thoughts of the author. Direct quote will be noted”
[2] “Who Told You That?” - Don’t Give The Enemy A Seat At Your Table part 6 -
[3] For further reading on this seed, check out this post from last year during our “Around The Campfire” series called “This is The Day The Lord Has Made and Jesus is (Still) Lord”
Blog post - https://www.thepointoffocus.com/post/this-is-the-day-the-lord-has-made-and-jesus-is-still-lord
[4] “Grab hold of a specific scriptural truth for the day, such as these:
Monday - My God knows my name (Isaiah 43:1)
Tuesday - My God goes before me (Deuteronomy 31:8)
Wednesday - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)
Thursday - My present suffering pales in comparison to my future glory (Romans 8:18).
Friday - No weapon formed against me will prosper (Isaiah 54:17)
Saturday - I am a child of God (Romans 8:16)
Sunday - The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me (Ephesians 1:18-20)”
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