The Mending the Soul class I’m leading for the 6 men attending had us doing a timeline of one’s life. Above the line were the blessings of one’s life and below the line are the abuses/hindrances of one’s life. This took the entire lesson time and we still will have one doing his next week. As each revealed his story MUCH HURT was disclosed and with it, a lot of confusion about God’s place in it. I was hearing so much about each of these men and also knowing God was rejoicing that we are getting started into the healing work He gives as promised in James 5:16–“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Yesterday afternoon our family gathered as we have been doing and in so doing there was a good deal of distress shared between one another. It left me feeling somewhat tormented as the day ended and I headed to bed. This morning as I journaled about this God revealed that the words we speak in this battlefield world we live in are seeds. If I plant the seeds of hopelessness for this life I will reap hopelessness. However, when I plant the seeds of God’s promises (HOPE) no matter how hopeless man might feel, God will nurture those seeds and we will reap HOPE which turns into spiritual fruit.

For a moment I saw the men of yesterday morning and then I saw the trouble in my own family and I was about to try and own it and label it. This morning God had me put my eyes upon Him by looking up to HIM. In so doing I could then see the problems outlined yesterday as the seeds of Satan which grow the strangling weeds choking out the fruit of HOPE. God wanted me to plant words of HOPE as He removes these weeds of lies planted by Satan in this earthly land of despair. I planted seeds of TRUTH–HOPE this morning as I prayed!