Fruits vs. Roots

Let's think about our top 3-5 "struggles".  Let's call those "bad fruit" on the "tree."  Whether the fruit is mental (i.e. anger, anxiety, fear, guilt, shame), overt (i.e. fighting, stealing, domestic violence, sexual assault), or verbal (i.e. cursing, a critical spirit, complaining, arguing, bickering, whining), they are a present reality in our life. 

The only reason why the fruit exists is because of the root the hides underground in a dark place. The fruit does not exist apart from the root. The fruit is the symptom and the the root is the cause. The symptom is only an expression of the cause. The expression is the outworking of a hidden evil that remains in the dark. enough said.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12 NASB).

To put it roughly, Paul is telling the Ephesian believers that their struggle is NOT with the "fruit" (things seen in the physical world), but rather with the "roots" (things unseen in the spiritual world).  The enemy wants us to believe that our struggle with with our spouse, children, co-workers, etc. whereas God wants to to see that our struggle is actually in an unseen spiritual world in our hearts.  The heart of every issue is an issue of the heart. 

When we are wronged by somone, the struggle is not the hurtful words that that person spoke to us, but rather us choosing to forgive or not to forgive.  To choose not to forgive bears fruit in many ways that turn mental sins to overt and verbal ones.  All fruit on a tree is linked to roots, whic lay underground and continue to gain strength the longer they remain in the dark.  We need never to focus on the fruit (symptom), but to uproot the roots (cause).

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11 NIV).

Paul had just told the Ephesians to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness because the enemy loses power over the sins/evil that is exposed to the light.  If we want to eradicate the fruit of evil in our lives we dig up the roots, expose them to the light and then watch the fruits shrivel up and die.  Whats amazing is that the fruit will dissapear without ever having to touch it.

Religion offers fruit/symptom management.  Christ brings the gospel, which has the power to deliver the Believer from the power of sin in their lives without ever touching the fruit.

To those of us who have symtoms of evil in our lives (irritability, anger, rage, frustration, dissapointment, etc.), we can be assured that those fruits are directly linked to roots of evil.  Those roots of evil must be confessed/exposed through the body that God provided; namely, the body of Believers.  It is inconcevable that God would have us as part of a body and not include that body in the process of confessing and renouncing sin. 

How many of us can testify that the sins we confessed "to God" but kept a secret from the body still maintained power in our lives whereas the sins that were confessed to God trough the body released us from the shame and guilt that used to weigh us down daily prior to it being exposed?

May we, believers, all be in the gracious ongoing process of sanctification that involves community, the uprooting of evil in our lives (before the body) and passing of love (from God the Father to the body through the body).