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psalm 27 tumbleweeds2 Tumbleweeds are a strange phenomenon.These are plants that seem to have no root and just seem to have lost their anchor. In fact, it is true that once they have matured and dry, they detach from the mother plant and blow away. Throughout the Bible, we are forewarned to stay close to the source of life, God Himself. But, sometimes the tumbleweeds of life, the trials, come tumbling across our path. Which brings us to the question of the day. What kind of theology do you have when the tumbleweeds come floating across your path? Is it the armchair theology where you are comfortable with God as long as you are safely in your recliner letting the world go by? Or do you have an ivory-tower theology where you think of yourself in privileged seclusion from the real world?

A lot depends upon your answer.

The psalmist brings us into real life as he pens the 27th psalm. He seeks to remind us that without God we are like the whirling tumbleweeds, being tossed to and fro much as Paul reminded the Ephesians. Instead, trusting in God is what grounds him and should us. This is what anchors us to life: Our theology says God is the light of our life, God is our salvation and we are safely tethered to Him. Trials or tumbleweeds come that we might recall the words of Isaiah. Don’t be afraid, when you pass through the waters, I am (present tense) with you, nothing will overwhelm you if your focus is on Me.

The psalmist reminds us that God alone is our protector, He alone is our defense. The tumbleweeds are just a nuisance to reveal His glory as we depend upon Him.

Romans 8:

One of the greatest privileges a believer in Christ has is his freedom from condemnation, both here and in the afterlife. Freed from the rules and regulations of the Law, the believer is freed to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and guidance regarding the standards of the Commandments. Today, in Romans 8 Paul continues his dialog with both Jew and Greek as to how to live as we face the battles between the flesh and the new nature. The battle begins in the mind and is carried out in one’s life.

Point 1: Know that you are no longer condemned by the law of sin. We are free in Christ to walk in newness of life.

Point 2: We will face struggles here until we leave for eternity. Therefore, we need to set our minds on the things of the Spirit not on the things of the flesh. The mind set on the flesh is hostile towards God and brings only death. The mind set on the Spirit is pleasing towards God and brings life. Our attitudes and actions reveal which one we have chosen.

Point 3: Our empowering comes from the Holy Spirit who illuminates our spirit to the things of God. In addition, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness by reminding us of our new walk, of what is sin, what is displeasing to God through conviction in our spirit. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in prayer at the throne of God with groanings that cannot be uttered by man. The Holy Spirit searches our hearts to see where we are astray and to redirect us. Lastly, not only does the Holy Spirit intercede for us in prayer but He intercedes for us according to the will of God because He knows the will of God whereas sometimes we are either ignorant or unwilling to accede.

Point 4: Paul has led us through this maze of thoughts to bring us to the crux of this whole issue which is what our total perspective should be as one changed from the inside out. Whereas the enemy seeks to undermine and to destroy, the Holy Spirit seeks to encourage. We are no longer condemned; therefore no one has the right or privilege to be against us spiritually speaking; no one or nothing can separate us from the love of God; and lastly through all tribulations we now can overwhelmingly rejoice and be conquerors.

So the question is why are we wringing our hands and weeping when we should be rejoicing? We are more than conquerors through Christ once we realize the battle begins in the mind and is transferred to our actions and attitudes.

This graphic, courtesy of David Austin, former Exec Direc of bible.org shows how this works.

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Tumbleweeds

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