To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. KJB Isaiah 61:3
A spirit of heaviness can attack anyone at anytime. For Believers, this spirit often comes when a person takes their mind and focus off the Word of God and the deliverance purchased for Believers by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When our eyes focus on the cares of this world our minds become cloudy and confused. Cares of this world are designed to overtake a person’s thoughts and plunge them into a pit where they struggle with not feeling good about their life, their weight, their circumstances, and/or who they are in Christ. Therefore, shedding the spirit of heaviness weight must become a continuous practice and priority for Believers.
The mission of the spirit of heaviness is to oppress, confine and place the Believer’s soul under the enemy’s foreign control. As Believers, we are liberated. The word liberated is an adjective with a definition meaning: released from chemical combination, free-unconstrained or not chemically bound in a molecule or not fixed and capable of relatively unrestricted motion. Free – able to act at a will, not hampered; not under compulsion or restraint.2
As mentioned in the scripture above, God desires to build us as trees. When the cares of this world attempt to bind and hinder us from giving praise to God at all times we must remember God desires to build us as trees. How can we remember this? Studying the Deciduous tree may be a good example of how to put Isaiah 61:3 into constant practice.
Deciduous trees lose their leaves every winter, rather than maintaining green foliage throughout the year like evergreens do. Often, the trees provide a radiant show of fall color before they lose their leaves, and in some regions this fall color is a vacation attraction that visitors from all over enjoy. There are a number of reasons for leaf loss, but essentially, trees lose their leaves to conserve energy over the winter and prevent damage to the tree. In the spring, the tree puts out new leaves so that the process can begin anew. Many deciduous trees are found in regions which have cold, dark, harsh winters. Trees lose their leaves to protect themselves during the winter months, as the cold dry winds in these regions will readily strip moisture from the trees through the leaves, which have a large surface area. By losing their leaves, trees can conserve their moisture in the trunk and branches, rather than drying out and dying. In addition, the leaf loss puts the tree into a state of dormancy, and greatly reduces the amount of energy that the tree needs to stay alive.3
As Christians, we can be like Deciduous trees. We can provide a radiant show of brightness and color during seasons when God’s blessings are evident in our life. This bright time is often before it is time for us to lose or shed our leaves (our weights) so we can grow. It is during this time people can easily see the joy of the Lord in us and the spirit of praise on display in our life. We are often an attraction that brings glory to God. However, we cannot neglect to understand that we will have winters, and dry and weary times. God desires and expects us to trust, praise and glorify Him during these times also and to still be radiant and bright. Therefore, let us remember the importance of shedding weight to make way for the new.
Sources:
1 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/liberated
2 http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/trnsintr.html
3 http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-some-trees-lose-their-leaves.htm
Photo Credit: Paris Associates
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