The garden is in all its glory now! I'm constantly on the lookout for destructive insects, so I have to know what they look like. I've educated myself on which bugs are good and which bugs are bad; but sometimes it's hard to tell. When I find destructive bugs, I have to eliminate them right away or they'll destroy the crop on which they thrive. If I don't get rid of them, I can kiss that particular vegetable goodbye.
One needs to also know which bugs feed off the destructive insects. I've finally learned what the larvae of a lady bug looks like, so I never destroy those as lady bugs feast on aphids. Those tiny aphids suck the life from plants. Last year I had to pull out an entire row of peas because of an aphid infestation; I was hesitant to spray with insecticide as I would kill the lady bugs if I did so. The peas were pretty much finished producing by then, so I tore them out, stuffed them into a garbage bag, and put them in the trash bin. I didn't want those bugs returning!
Just as I need to destroy destructive bugs which come into my garden, I must also destroy or remove things in my life which harm my walk with God. Each one of us must do so. We have to learn to recognize those things early on and take action quickly or we'll lose the opportunity to bear fruit. Wrong thoughts, attitudes and words can be destructive, as can be certain types of music, movies or television shows which we watch. Bars and nightclubs and other entertainment spots which grieve Christ's heart should also be avoided because God wants us to produce good fruit, and we can't do that if we're consuming ungodly nourishment.
Weeds are a constant problem in any garden, and it takes a watchful eye to keep them out. Once a weed takes hold and produces seed, it spawns a new generation just like it. Weeds occur where we are planted; destructive insects come from everywhere. A weed can come in the form of a family member who tries to undermine your faith, a co-worker who gives you a difficult time, or even a well-meaning church friend. Allow the Word of God to saturate your life; it will form a protective shield, a barrier, where no weed can grow to produce another crop of weeds.
God is good and doesn't let us grow in our gardens alone. He brings into our lives circumstances, people and events, words of encouragement, a timely phone call, to help us recognize and eliminate those destructive things in our lives or to deal with them in a godly manner. Never reject instruction or correction from the Word or from a fellow believer or you might be inviting a host of insects to eat your fruit before it's begun to grow. God helps us in many ways, and other Christian people are one of his favorite choices.
