Pulling Weeds

SO today I went out into my fledgling garden and began to get at some of the weeds. Some of them were easy to get out by taking a firm hold at the base, ground level, and pulling slowly but firmly. Others, like the dollar weed, take a lot more work and a special tool. They are all just like sin.
All weeds must be removed root and all, or they quickly sprout back with just a little water. The easier weeds are those sins that come out with less work, but are just as damaging to the growth of the desired plants as the dollar weed. All weeds steal nutrients that are needed by those plants, flowers or food, that we want to see. For some reason, the weeds seem stronger  than the plants I want to grow and flourish in my garden. They just seem that way due to the Fall. In Genesis 3:17-19, we learn that because of sin, the ground is cursed. Man would have to fight thistle and thorn to get anything productive from the ground. Thanks, Adam and Eve. Sin inhibits those godly qualities that make our lives holy and productive. Sin encourage thistles like a short temper to short-circuit effective communication, and thorns like ill-spoken speech to wound the hearts of the hearer. All weeds have to be pulled on a frequent and regular basis. Otherwise, our garden will be unfruitful and raggedy, lives lacking in grace and beauty. The dollar weed has roots that run deep and long. Every family has a common sin-weed, or two that every generation must work to remove until the offending tuber is found and destroyed forever. That takes a commitment and dedication to tending to our common garden. The virginia creeper is another nasty weed that grows wildly and destroys everything it touches. In fact, the virginia creeper produces a toxin that often produces a nasty rash like poison ivy. It does for me. So I have to keep away from that awful thing. I get help for that weed. Its tuber is woody and stubborn. Its branches wrap and choke the desired plants. The virginia creeper reminds me of family bitterness and grudges, terribly destructive.
John chapters 14-16 describe the work of the Holy Spirit, our helper, for those of us that believe. He is able to to dig deeply into the soil of my garden and help me to get rid of the weeds that plague my life. Currently, God is  using a Bible study entitled Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss to help me pull weeds. This is not an easy study to do. It is not easy to commit to the work required in cultivating the beauty of life in Christ. I'd rather do the work and look like the cover of Southern Living,  than an example of abandoned property.
John 14:16

[ Role of the Spirit ] I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;