Weeds in Our Souls
By: Stephanie Shott

Before we went to the mission field, my husband owned a landscape company. He was known for his designer landscape plans and meticulously manicured lawns.

Designing, planting, pruning, mowing, blowing, edging and hedging. He did it all and he did it well. But no matter how detailed or diligent he was, he could not eradicate the weeds. Even when it was time to re-sod and he rooted up all the dirt and sprayed the bare soil like crazy with weed killer, he still had to wage war with the weeds later on that year.

He relentlessly fought to keep those weeds at bay, but the roots were virtually indestructible and so he had to consistently and diligently deal with those pesky weeds.

As I was praying about what to share as a guest on Godly Gals, I noticed Melissa’s Romans 12:1-2 mantra and immediately knew I needed to share this parallel principle in light of such a profound passage of Scripture.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

The phrases, present your bodies, do not be conformed and be transformed are all calls to constant surrender. No magic bullet here. Each command comes with a call to consistency. All are intentional instructions for an incessant killing of the weeds in our souls.

On the surface, all may be beautiful, but down deep, weeds grow. They grow in our sod and they grow in our souls. The weeds of sin, sorrow, temptation and bitterness tenaciously tuck themselves in the depths of our hearts and begin to spring up without warning.

At times we unknowingly feed them when we allow the thoughts of our painful pasts to consume our hearts and minds. We feed them when we endorse unhealthy emotions or give ear to the enemy’s lies. We feed them when we wear our hearts on our sleeves and insulting words on our tongues.

Like the weeds buried deep beneath the soil, the weeds in our souls need perennial picking if we are going to be a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable unto God. We present our bodies as a living sacrifice each time we lay our lives on the altar…weeds and all.

We consistently choose not to be conformed to this world when we are willing to wage war with the weeds that seem to shove their way to the surface. We intentionally decide to be transformed by renewing our minds when we desire to sift through the seeds of doubt, fear and failure that seem to hide in our hearts.

I’ve definitely got my share of weeds in my soul. Weeds of doubt, fear, impatience and a past that can wreak havoc on my heart. They may stay dormant for a while, but if I don’t stand ready to wage war, they will spring forth and bring a harvest of hideous and obvious growth. A weed infested mess in need of complete re-sodding.

I don’t want my life to look like that. So, if I want Romans 12:1-2 to be my mantra too, I must diligently deal with my weeds.

What weeds do you need to consistently deal with in your life?
How do you keep the weeds of your soul at bay?
Which weeds need to be burnt on the altar of sacrifice?

Stephanie Shott is a popular, practical and passionate speaker who travels internationally to share hope for the hurting, peace for the weary and truth for all. She is also the author of Understanding What Matters Most (a Bible study on Ecclesiastes).

You can contact Stephanie here:
Website: www.stephanieshott.com or via email: stephanieshott@me.com

You can find Stephanie here as well:
Stephanie is a Speaker Chick: www.speakerchicks.com
Stephanie writes for Scripture Dig: www.scripturedig.com

Stephanie is also working on a new project:
The M.O.M. Initiative will give Christian mothers an easy, hands on approach to passionately pursue a mentor relationship with younger mothers and mothers-to-be and ultimately impact the next generation for Christ.