Where Do Your Roots Go?
by Richard Fila
Where do your roots go? This is an important question for everyone who seeks to gain maturity in Christ. It’s key. Because, no matter how good the food (teaching and ministry) you personally receive, unless you’re rooted in good ground you still won’t be able to grow to significant depth.
What do I mean by roots? Your roots are what you stand on - the place where you get your stability, the ideas or policies on which you’ve built your personal strength. In this difficult world it’s so easy for us to root ourselves in wrong things. Things like our skills or ability to produce money, our assets or family inheritance, our reputation or qualification, our past successes, relationships or contacts, or maybe an ability to manipulate. There are countless things waiting for us to lean on them for strength, and an enemy waiting in the wings to encourage us to do so.
In order to move on as a disciple of Jesus however, trust in these worldly things has to go - not just in a surface decision, but in the depths of our hearts. Trust instead must be put in Christ Jesus who has promised to be our provider - "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19), our strength - "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13) and our help in times of trouble - "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour" (Luke 4:18-19). That doesn’t usually happen in five minutes, as deep choices often take time to commit to wholeheartedly; but what a joy when the day comes that your heart no longer looks to the things of this world for strength, stability or identity.
When rooted in Christ we’re no longer blown around by the winds of this world. Not becoming some kind of heartless machine immune to the difficulties of life, but instead having an inner strength which isn’t based on circumstance and therefore cannot be stolen or broken by the enemy.
Where are you at on this journey today? Don’t receive condemnation if you know deep in your heart you still lean on the things of this world, but look to God to lead you on to fullness in Christ and ask Him to reveal and ‘unroot’ your bad roots in His timing. As He reveals them to you and you agree with Him, dealing with any sin as you’re convicted, your roots will begin to move to the good ground that is Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You are my Saviour, my Redeemer, my Lord and my King. Thank You that it’s possible for me to be rooted in You and that You are trustworthy to hold such a position. Lord, I long to live my life in You and I ask that You break down every wrong root in my life that gives me wrong strength. Let me be built up in You to be a strong (man or woman) of God. Thank You for loving me so deeply, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Richard Fila first came to know Ellel Ministries at Ellel Grange in 2006 and went on to attend the NETS programme at Ellel Pierrepont. He works in IT & Finance and continues to be involved with the ministry in the areas of technology and worship.
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