LET’S TALK about the uprooting! According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, uproot means “to remove as if by pulling up”, “to pull up by the roots”, “to displace from a country or traditional habitat”. When I think of that word, I think of this year because God began to uproot all things within me that hindered me from fully serving my purpose for His Kingdom.

Prior to being intentional with my walk with God, I mainly wanted to please my flesh. I still wanted to walk in unforgiveness because “I hadn’t done anything wrong”. I still wanted to ignore the parts of me that needed to be healed. I still wanted to live life the way I had planned to live it. I still wanted to be luckwarm. I still wanted to please people. I still wanted love from all of the wrong places. I still wanted to rely on sex and alcohol as my coping mechanisms. I still wanted to suppress my emotions and remain “heartless”. I still wanted to pimp God and His Spirit when I needed or desired certain things. I still wanted to maintain control. Eventually, I could no longer resist God’s pull on my heart so I made a decision to surrender to Him and His will for my life. As mentioned in the “Walk with God” post, I began to consistently pray, fast, study my Bible, attend church, and listen for God’s voice. Shortly thereafter, God began an uprooting within my soul. He began to uproot unforgiveness, hatred, hurt, manipulation, pain, soul ties, strongholds, bad habits, false teachings, lust, addiction, etc.

What can the uprooting process look like? It will look like laying down your will and picking God’s will up; trusting God when you do not understand or see the way; speaking life when you desire to curse someone out; shutting up when you desire to speak or react; staying home when you know you don’t need to go certain places; identifying and dealing with the sources of your triggers; saying no when your flesh desires to say yes; allowing space when you desire to be close; praying for people instead of arguing with them; forgiving and forgetting instead of holding grudges; realizing that yes they were wrong AND SO WERE YOU; asking for forgiveness although you don’t feel as if you are wrong; walking away when God instructs you to; seeking God in all things instead of seeking your friends’ or your own opinion; fighting through anxiety, depression, and loneliness instead of surrendering to them; falling down and getting back up again; learning to fight (spiritually) all by yourself…just you and God; surrendering to being delivered from any negative coping mechanisms (smoking, alcoholism, fornication, pornography, etc); transforming from being heartless to addressing and working through your emotions; renewing your mindset; healing from your childhood traumas; being delivered from people pleasing; rebuking the devil’s attacks on your mind; BEING LEAD BY THE SPIRIT instead of being lead by your flesh!

The uprooting is essentially God pulling up your learned behaviors, thoughts patterns, etc and replacing them with His characteristics. The process can be PAINFUL, but it is NECESSARY. Through the uprooting, God begins to develop consistency, determination, longsuffering, endurance, love, patience, kindness, etc. within you. Being a person who was heavily in the world, I felt as if this process took me by force. The changes I endure, at times, are overwhelming, but I remain dedicated to God and trust His work. In my opinion, the most essential practice that aides in this lifelong process of uprooting is PRAYER (Philippians 4:6&7 and Ephesians 6:17&18).

What will it take for you to surrender to God? How long will you wait to make a decision to surrender to God? Are you ready to surrender to God now? Have you made a decision to live for God? Has the uprooting process began? Will you continue to sacrifice yourself for God’s purposes throughout this lifelong uprooting process? Will you continue to seek God’s face? Are you seeing the new you come forth? Are you being led by God’s spirit?

If God has began an uprooting within you, I encourage you not to look back (Luke 9:62), to press through the pain (2 Corinthians 4:17&18), know that the uprooting has a purpose (Romans 8:28), and pass the testing (James 1:2-4).

Read, dissect, and meditate on Revelation 3:14-21, Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, Jeremiah 31:28, Matthew 15:13, Philippians 2:5, 1 John 2:6, and 1 Peter 2:21-25.

For a little over a year now, I have been dedicated to maintaining an exercise regimen. At first, I went to the gym and threw workouts together. I did not have a routine or plan before arriving. But as I progressed in my fitness journey, I became more strategic with planning my workouts, but I was lacking one thing: cardio. I knew the benefits of cardiovascular exercises as I’ve been in the healthcare field for over 11 years. So eventually, I dedicated Tuesdays and Thursdays as my cardio days.

I like to compare the beginning of my fitness journey to the beginning of my process of true surrender to God. At the beginning of the journey, I was unorganized, prayed when I felt like it, read a scripture here and there and attended church when I felt like it. As the journey progressed, I became more disciplined in seeking God’s face by developing a consistent prayer life , reading my Bible frequently and attending church whether I felt like it or not. When consistency in my spiritual life developed, I noticed more progress in my physical body, and God literally became my personal trainer.

So on some of my cardio days, He would ask, “Are you walking with Me today?” I immediately knew that on that day, I was going to walk outdoors instead of going to the gym. I also knew that God would deliver a present timing word to me as He always did while I was walking with Him. He had became so consistent in doing so.

It was on December 15, 2024, that I realized that God was not only referring to me physically walking with Him when He asked if I was going to walk with Him. He was more importantly referring to my spiritual walk with Him. That question had little to do with the outdoor walks as He had spoken to me in the midst of working out in the gym. God desired and still desires for me to ensure that I remain consistent in taking care of my temple while remaining aware of my spiritual walk with Him as well. I need to make sure that I am evaluating my walk as it relates to meeting His standards. God also desires for me to continue to seek after His voice daily just as I do when I walk outdoors.

Are you walking with God? How is your walk with God? What does your walk with God consist of? Are you being consistent? Are you disciplined? Are you being intentional regarding your walk?

I encourage you on today to do a self-evaluation and identity any thing or person that may be negatively affecting your walk with God. Lay those things and people before God and accept His guidance. If you need to walk away, do so! If you need to cancel plans and refocus, do so! If you need to repent and rededicate yourself to God, do so! For He is always with you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Read, dissect, and meditate on Deuteronomy 10:12&13, 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Hebrews 12: 1&2, and Isaiah 40: 30&31.