Father Abraham and his wife Sarah were barren for a very long time. God however, never expected them to get used to it.
Getting used to their barrenness was going to rob them of the promise of fruitfulness God made to them as part of the covenant. When Abraham was 90+ years old and still there was no sign of his wife Sarah giving them the promised child, we can say the trial of their faith was working patience in their lives.

When we live with a problem, disease or addiction for a long time, the human tendency is to adjust our lives to make them a part of our lives. We move things around and re-arrange our homes, schedules, hearts and minds to create room for it. Over time, we even cannot remember the promise God made to us anymore. This is when we face the most dangerous kind of doubt: FAMILIAR DOUBT. It is this kind of doubt Jesus addressed when he told his disciples in Matthew 17:21 “but this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

What have you come to accept as normal? Remember just because you were born with it or grew up with or it is heredity doesn’t make it normal. Now, what has God told you He will do? I am not talking only about specific words of prophecy you have received but also what God has said in the Logos (The Bible)? The word of God still works… but are you ready to, through study, prayer and fasting confront your problems with his promises till his promises prevail?
Let me share a secret with you that might be of tremendous help to you:

WITHERING STARTS FROM THE ROOTS.

One day, I was reading Mark chapter 11 when this deep revelation in verse 20 hit me. Jesus had cursed the fruitless fig tree the previous day but nothing happened to it in the physical. The following morning whilst they passed by that same tree, the disciples observed that the fig tree had dried up from the roots. The disciples were amazed and Jesus was amazed that they were amazed.

Yeah, we all know the story, what is the insight? What is so significant about this story? The significant thing you must see, is that the tree didn’t start dying from the visible parts. It didn’t start dying from the leaves or the branches or the stem. If it had started like that, the disciples would have seen it happen just when Jesus cursed it; but no. It started at the roots, the invisible but also the most crucial part of the tree.

Often times, when we confront our problems with the promises of God, we don’t see anything. Actually our problems get worse most of the time but that does not mean nothing is happening. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “…the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, as it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart.” What this simply means is, the word of God works but it starts from the most crucial but often invisible source of your problem: the roots, the soul, the spirit.

If you were to look at the passage in the book of Mark again, you will notice when Peter exclaimed about the dead tree, Jesus responded by saying in Mark 11:22-24 "Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
So my dear friend, no matter how old the problem is, remember it is dying from the roots and just as Abraham and Sarah received their promised son, God’s word of promise to you will come true. Don’t get used to your problem. Don’t give up.

I have noticed that the Devil really likes the scriptures; not because it spells out his ultimate state but because it works. The Word of God is a legal document which holds true no matter who presents it in the court of law. The bible states clearly that “God is not a man that he should lie… His promises are yea and amen… His word does not return to him void…” I can go on and on but I’m sure you get what I’m saying. One scripture that sums this all up is “God has lifted his word above all his names” and because the word of God must come true no matter what, the devil has learnt to exploit it, where possible, to his advantage.

Today, I want us to look at this scripture in Genesis 8:22 “As long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest time… shall never cease”. How many of us are aware that the devil takes this scripture more seriously than most believers? He does. Normally, when this scripture comes up in church, all we hear about is the need to sow some money as seed so we can reap God’s abundant riches. My dear, this scripture means far more than that.

I am at a point in my life where, it is all coming together. Before I was five, I had been introduced to sex and alcohol and narrowly escaped being raped by a relative. Before I was ten, I had been introduced to porn and also experienced traumatizing degrees of rejection. Obviously, the devil had been busy sowing seeds into my life. Negative seeds which were intended to bear much fruit. But I want to thank the God of John Chapter 15. He is called the Gardener; and I am grateful that He considers me a branch in Him.

Even though most of these negative seeds were sown even before I could properly spell my name, today I struggle with the fruits they seek to bear. I am a happily married. I love my wife. I am proud of my son. What will break my heart above all else, is if ever my marriage should fail. Adultery, no matter who commits it in my marriage will be a great devastation. Above my love for my family is this deep love and reverence I have for the Lord God who delivered me. Yet everyday in my life I battle the fruits these seeds seek to bear.

I’m sure you’ve heard your fair share of tragic heroes in God’s Kingdom. It is not uncommon to hear of a highly anointed, highly respected man or woman of God being caught in fornication, adultery, corruption, drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence etc. The sad thing is, normally when we hear these stories. We quickly label them as hypocrites and discard them. We never pause to ask why and even when we do, we don’t wait to hear why. “As long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest time shall never cease”. That is why.

The bible clearly proves that God doesn’t call us when we become born again. He chooses us even before we are born. God appeared to Samson’s parents before he was born. He told Jeremiah He chose him even before he was born. The birth of Jesus was prophesied way before it became a reality. Another parallel truth to the above is that, the devil can smell a good seed and normally tries to destroy us even before we grow. Pharaoh killed all the male children of the Israelites because he knew by sorcery that a Moses was about to be born. The devil filled Zechariah with unbelief because that was a sure way of hindering Christ’s coming. John the baptist had to come and prepare the way. The devil also tried to get pregnant Mary stoned to death by making Joseph think she had committed adultery. The bible says Joseph said he was going to divorce her quietly but since when has a woman been able to hide pregnancy? That belly was going to blow up with its story and that would have been the end of our Messiah. When this ploy failed, he got Herod to kill all the children 0-2 years. My dear, the devil can smell a good seed and attacks it even before it grows into a mighty tree.

What were you exposed to as a child? What seeds were sown? What fruits are you struggling with now? In the same vein, what are you exposing your children to? Who do you allow around your children? Can it be that the secret sins, the addictions, the fears and every bad habit you are struggling with was once a seed that was sown? A tiny, negligible seed? If big faith starts small like a mustard seed, what does rape, murder, drug addiction and adultery start like?

No matter what you are struggling with now, no matter what seeds have been sown, we have a Lord of the Harvest. We have a Gardener who has more than enough expertise to prune you. Our God has more than enough power to uproot every evil fruit bearing tree in your life. Those seeds were sown in you so that you could never become the man or woman God has destined you to be. But thanks be to God, who is able to set you free in deed. The God of the Bible is able to really make you born again; not in a religious sense but in a true way. He is able to make you a whole new creature. The devil expects a rejected young girl to become a vulnerable woman, he expects the male child exposed to pornography to become adulterous and unreliable but when Christ comes into the picture, the story must change.

God is constantly sowing seeds too. Expose yourself to His word, prayer and sound christian fellowship. Expose your children to God’s seeds because the trees they bear are beautiful to behold. God bless you.

As I step out today...
Let gratitude grace my every word
and only blessings roll off my tongue.

Let my thoughts be just like a child’s
and my embrace warm cold hearts.

As I step out today...
Let me not see colour before heart
nor gender and age before mind.

As I step out today...
Let me start the day afresh
appreciating the present it is.

Let me not fear what I can’t change
And let me fear what stops my change.

As I step out today...
Let me know what matters most
and help me give it the best of me.

Let me end wrong even when it favours me
And let me pursue right no matter where it hides...

As I step out today.

Nana Kofi Acquah © 2009