Planted to Flourish and Grow 1

Psalm 92:12-15 NKJ  
    ¹² The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,

He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
¹³ Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
¹⁵ To declare that the Lord is upright;

He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.      

Some people seem to think that there is no value in joining a Church and being planted in the house of the Lord, but this is not so. There are many benefits to going to Church. First, we must go to the place where God instructs us to go. The reason for this is that we all have different calls within God's body, and even in our calls, we have different flavors or personalities given by Him. This means that because God is a very specific God and He gives attention to details, even where we go to Church has to be done under His guidance and instruction. This also explains that He has anointed people to give us the right kind of spiritual meal that will nourish us and help us grow and develop into what God has planned and purposed for our lives as they teach us to walk in intimate communion with Him and always direct us to find our answers in Him: the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and Giver of every good thing (Matthew 7:11). When we obey this mandate, God  calls us righteous (in right standing with Him).

After we have asked Jesus to be our Lord and Savior and take control of every area of our lives so we can be transformed into His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26), the first thing to do is to ask Him to direct us to the Church where we are to be planted. Deuteronomy 12:11 says, “then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord.”

The Lord commands this because in this place we will also help fulfill the vision of God for the leaders of the house by bringing our tithes and offerings so they can be taken care of and dedicate to seeking God for more spiritual food that will help us stay nourished an continue to grow as it is explained in Malachi 3:10 which says, 

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.”

The scripture says that when we obey this Kingdom principle, the Lord opens for us the windows of heaven upon our lives to pour out His blessings. Walking with the windows of heaven open over our lives turns us into godly people that flourish like palm trees and grow like cedars of Lebanon. Characteristics of a healthy palm tree that is deeply rooted and planted in the right soil are: 1) A palm tree grows to be 80 to 90 feet tall--This means that we reach extraordinary dimensional heights with God as we seek Him to have communion and spend time worshiping Him in the midst of our circumstances. Doing this also causes us to grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man like Samuel and Jesus did (1 Samuel 2:26; Luke 2:52).

2) Their thickness do not change no matter how tall they grow--this means that as we continue to “go to the mountain of the Lord” to seek Him so we can follow the path that takes us to fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives and as we submit to our leaders, we develop the anointing that will cause us to win the battles and influence others for His Kingdom so they too can have life in abundance and walk as citizens of heaven on earth.

3) They are very strong and can withstand severe weather with flexibility and without breaking—no matter the circumstances, when God is first in our lives and submission to His authority as the King of our lives as we partner with our established leaders is effected, there is protection for us and our loved ones and our victories are guaranteed (Luke 7:7-10).

4) No palm tree is known to have been uprooted by a storm—being planted in the house of the Lord, submitting to those in authority over us, and being strengthened through the relationships He has made available to us in other Church members (especially mature ones) will give us deep roots that will cause us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10) as we advance to fulfill our destinies in Him. I shall also warn that the enemy will tempt us at times to be removed from where God has planted us through offense, but we need to remember that our protection and blessings come from staying where He has planted us and not move unless He directs us to do so (1 Corinthians 15:58).

5) Finally, Palm trees flourish in the driest deserts and in tropical climates—no matter the condition and environment we are placed under, we can thrive and grow when God is first in our lives and we are planted in the soil that is serving as the means for us to be developed as vessels of unity in our ranks to fight strong and victorious, walk in favor, and influence others for Christ in the Church or outside in the marketplace so they too can walk in victories.

More on the next post.To Him alone all be the glory.