How Are Your Roots?

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power" (Colossians 2:6-10).

Calamus

During our last First Fruits Friday worship at Prince of Peace Church, I was referring to the Holy Anointing Oil (see Exodus 30:22-33) ingredient called Sweet Calamus. Sweet Calamus is also called "sweet flag" or "sweet cane".  It is used in cosmetics and perfumes as a fixative – stabilizer/preservative. Calamus oil (the fruit) should only be used as a perfume ingredient because the oil is toxic.  The natural oil acts as a psychotropic agent – causing hallucinations, deception, etc.  Therefore ancient herbal remedies (including the Holy Anointing Oil) used only the dried root of the plant not the concentrated essential oil from the plant. 

The Lord had already spoken clearly to me days before to pay strict attention to roots not fruit. If we pay too close attention to or react to “the fruit” in our lives we can draw the wrong conclusions.  Even though the Lord said that we would “know them by their fruit” He did not condone that fruit become our point of reference. The fruit can be deceiving in nature even if it is good fruit.

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate" (Genesis 3:6).

The Lord is drawing our attention to the roots!  WE ARE BEING SHAKEN TO THE ROOTS. Finances.  Tsunamis. Political upheavals.

What can we do?  What must we do?  How are your roots? As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.