Rooted in Victory

Did you know that trees take anywhere from 10-30 years to grow to their full size? Not only do they take this long to grow, but they take anywhere from 3-4 weeks just to root themselves into the ground once they’ve been planted. As the tree continues to grow, more roots form and begin to connect with surrounding roots, in turn creating a communication system between the plants. So, while I may not know whether or not a tree makes a sound when it falls in the forest if no one is around to hear it, I do know that trees talk to one another using their foundational system and it screams God’s design. 

Just as trees must be planted in good soil in order to grow and flourish, we too must be rooted in proper ground in order to fight all that is combating against us. As Christians, we’re called to be set apart, and being set apart in a world that is focused on self, pleasure, achievements, and possessions isn’t always easy. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) are all things of the world that the enemy is using to distract us from living the pure and holy life God has called us to. In order to live the life created for us we have to take root in ground we can be settled in.

There have been times in my life when I’ve chosen to gratify the desires of the flesh and root myself in temporary circumstances only to find myself being uprooted and longing for my Savior. Whether we’re fighting against temptation, struggling to control our temper, or choosing to listen to the world rather than Jesus, we’re all in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. It’s evident that with our sinful nature and the enemy working against us that there will be times when we fall short, but when we are rooted in victory our failures can never define us. 

There is a way we can overcome the world and all of its desires, and that’s through our faith in Jesus. 1 John 5:4 proclaims, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.” Faith is not only believing that God is able, but that God will do what He has promised, and it not only gives us victory over our sin, but victory over all of the temptation and pressure that comes along with it. When we give our lives to Jesus, we’re identified with Him and have eternal life through Christ, therefore His victory is our victory and our faith in Him conquers the world and all that is in it. Because of Jesus, you are an overcomer. You are not bound to any sin, any lust of the flesh, or any lust of the eye. The battle has already been won and you can walk in victory, rooted in Christ, and with full assurance of your faith. 

Trees not only need to be rooted in proper soil to grow, but they’re dependent upon us to provide them with a key component they need to flourish. In the process of making their own food, plants expel oxygen that our lungs need to breathe, and with each respiration we provide them with the carbon dioxide they need in order to grow. Therefore, not only do we need to root ourselves in the One who suffered and died on a tree so that we may live, we also need to continuously breathe life into one another. With our faith and fellow believers by our side, we can stand rooted in victory no matter the circumstance and be able to withstand any storm that threatens to blow us over. 

With love, 

Miranda

Forward

If you’ve ever played or watched sports you know how important the final minutes of a game can be, especially if you root for any sports team in Georgia and you’ve been burned by a few comebacks in the postseason. The last out, the final snap, and the last leg of the race all signify the completion and ending of an event and ultimately determines who wins and who loses. Right now, we’re in the home stretch of social distancing and if you’re anything like me, you’re ready to move past everything that’s been going on these last few months and end the game.

So much has changed because of COVID-19. Elbow bumps have replaced handshakes. Picking up food curbside and talking to our professors over Zoom has become the thing to do. We pass more Amazon prime trucks more than we ever have before and walk around stores with over-washed and cracked hands admiring how cute someone’s homemade mask is. I can’t help but wonder how much of life will remain changed when all of this is over, but I do know that while our nation is on the verge of moving forward, we have the opportunity to move towards something greater.

As Paul said in Philippians 3:13, now is the perfect time to "forget what lies behind and strain forwards to what lies ahead." What better time and way for things to change in your life than now? In quarantine, I was forced to face a lot of myself and my struggles that I had previously chosen not to deal with. I spent a lot of time feeling convicted for things in my past, questioning why it’s so hard for me to get in the habit of reading and studying the Word, and fighting through lies that I’ve believed about myself and who God is. However, sitting before God with nothing but time on my hands made my relationship with Him grow to a new level, and while it wasn’t easy, it was necessary. With the social distancing coming to an end I now have the choice to carry with me what I learned during these past eight weeks or fall back into my old way of living when things get back to “normal.”

It would be easy to go back to the way things were. We could easily fill up our schedules, forget to spend time in the Word, and remain lukewarm and stagnant in our relationship with Him because it involves less work and change on us. But is that really what God wants? Whether you spent the last eight weeks at home or worked through the pandemic, God wants to move you forward and take you to new heights with Him, and we each have the choice to allow Him to do so.

In order to properly move forward, we have to first make the decision to leave our past behind and rest in God’s grace. What are you holding onto from your past that you need to let go of? Whether it’s sin, hurt, guilt, or a lie that’s been tearing you down, Jesus has already defeated it on the Cross and you don’t have to carry it with you any longer. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I do know the One who died to set us free from the weight of our past, and He calls us to forget the things that once held us captive, weighed us down, and distracted us from Him and run the race set before us without looking back.

In these next few weeks as things begin to open back up and your life begins to return back the way it was, I encourage you to think about what you want to bring out of this experience. We’re living in a time that will be taught to future generations and be talked about for decades to come, and you have the opportunity now to make this a time in your life where you can look back and see how Jesus moved in your life and changed you for the better. The past can’t be changed, but the future can be whatever you want it to be.

As a final note, I believe that now is the perfect time to start something new. A little over a year ago I chose to attend a small group meeting for the first time by myself, and although it was scary at first, that one decision led me here writing to you. Now, that same small group, which is now a larger ministry, will be meeting for the first time in eight weeks on May 28th. If you’re 18-25 years old, I want to personally invite you to attend our first College Night back together. You are so welcome and wanted.

With love,

Miranda