THORNS

God has blessed me with two beautiful granddaughters. Both have a love for reading and more recently, writing. I credit their love for reading to their mother who taught them from birth the joy of sitting with a good book, and I am so grateful she did. What a wonderful gift she instilled in them!

They recently became interested in writing and publishing their own books and asked if I would help edit them. What could have been a passing fancy has become words and chapters. Both of the girls are actually quite gifted writers, which makes me as proud as can be.

Recently, my youngest granddaughter asked me to read and spot edit her latest work. As I was reading her story, a paragraph hit me hard. It was like the Lord dropped a revelation into my mind, so I asked her if I could save it and possibly use it. 

This post, written by me, is from the inspiration the Lord gave me though the writing He dropped into HER heart and mind. Thanks, Bri, for letting me use your words. You are a precious gift to me!

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Bri’s story is about two friends. One girl shared with the other how someone had witnessed to her about the love of Jesus and asked if she wanted to accept Him. She said no, because none of her friends were Christians and she didn’t want to be alone. Later that night, she had a nightmare. Below is the excerpt from the story. 

“What was your dream?” I asked, looking at her. She had tears in her eyes. Cassie blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. She took a deep breath.

“I was walking through the woods and there were vines with thorns on them, trying to grab my legs, hair, arms, anything they could reach. They all had words on them, like one had the word fear, and another the word doubt, and whenever they would touch me it burned like fire. But then there was this person walking toward me and all around him the vines would shriek and coil back into the dark like snakes. He walked to me and touched my shoulder. Then he called me His daughter and…” she crumpled over in her seat and started crying.” 

The following is what I saw revealed in her story: 

“I was walking through the woods”

 This girl was walking through life and had an opportunity to accept Jesus but didn't. As a result,

“and there were vines with thorns on them, trying to grab my legs, hair, arms, anything they could reach.”

Anytime we walk through life without Jesus it leads to thorny paths. Satan will bring things to inflict hurt, pain, or wounding in some way.  These demonic “thorns” in our lives try to grab at anything they can reach. In Bri’s story, the thorns tried to grab her legs (where we go and the direction of our lives), her hair (our minds, where fear, doubt and lies of the enemy originate and live), and her arms (what and who we reach out to, or embrace) … Thorns tear and wound “anything they can reach.”

“They all had words on them, like one had the word fear, and another the word doubt, and whenever they would touch me it burned like fire.” 

 

Thorns... "wherever they touched me it burned like fire”. In what area of your life do you have thorns and what is its effect? The thorn of doubt…burns up faith. The thorn of fear… burns up trust. The thorn of anger…burns up peace.  The thorn of lust…. burns up the purity in your life and destroys relationships. The thorn of joining with wrong people.... burns up good morals. The thorn of going wrong places... burns up reputations.

“But then there was this person walking toward me and all around him the vines would shriek and coil back into the dark like snakes.”

Jesus is always walking toward us. He is always seeking us out. In the presence of Jesus, all darkness has to flee. Demons tremble and run. When we walk in His ways and in His protection, the enemy cannot touch us nor torment us anymore without God’s ordained purpose. 

 “He walked to me and touched my shoulder. Then He called me His daughter and…” she crumpled over in her seat and started crying.”  

The realization that we are His sons and daughters is overwhelming and the love He has for us is too great to comprehend. When He touches us, we are forever changed.  

When Jesus willingly laid down His life for each one of us on the cross, His murderers jammed a crown of thorns onto his head which mocked His kingship, His royalty, and His holiness.

But those thorns!  Each individual thorn bore a name; a name that Satan tries to use to defeat us in the battlefield of our minds. Jesus took each named "thorn" onto Himself on the cross and DEFEATED them.

Depression, anxiety, fear, loneliness, rejection, abandonment, guilt, lust, shame….  The power those words once had on our minds can now be overcome by the blood of Jesus. We simply have to accept Him and live for Him. He took all of our sins, our diseases and infirmities, and all the things that would bring us defeat.

Jesus very authoritatively took the power of each “thorn” sent by the devil onto His own head and destroyed them. He battled for us, so we can be free. 

And because He won, we win, too.