The Root of the Problem

Jeremiah 17:8

For he will be like a tree planted by the water,

That extends its roots by a stream

And will not fear when the heat comes;

But its leaves will be green,

And it will not be anxious in a year of drought

Nor cease to yield fruit.

As I was driving recently, I witnessed quite a sight that profoundly moved my spirit.  I saw a rather large tree that was toppled by the strong gusts of wind produced by an incoming weather system.  The mass of tree nearly crushed a car, blocked the entrance of a nearby house and exposed its massive root system in the process of ripping apart the sidewalk.  Even though the tree appeared to be healthy to the eye on  the surface, it however, failed to withstand the force of the wind because its root system was not securely anchored.

Matthew 7:24-27 (The Message)
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

This made me wonder,  “Are the things that I am building securely anchored in the soil of the spirit or are my endeavors, which appear to be flourishing on the surface, vulnerable to the onslaught of sudden and strong outside forces?  Are the things that I am building securely anchored to the Rock that is Christ?  Am I putting into practice God’s words into every aspect of my life?”

Believing entrepreneurs must make sure that they are securely anchored in the Spirit.  This realm is where great men and women of faith chose to live in.  And as a result, produced great works that are still being felt today.  In fact, we are living in the fruit of their works.  These men and women not only heard the Word but were obedient to put it into practical application in their lives.

Our roots are the unseen connections that we have with the realm of the spirit.   If our roots are not securely anchored in the life-giving source of the spirit, we remain vulnerable to the wiles of the enemy and the dictates of our flesh.  And like the tree, we may be suddenly toppled by the winds of circumstances.
Our outward success as Kingdompreneurs (entrepreneurs who have dedicated their businesses for the benefit of the Kingdom of God) is only made possible through the daily discipline of extending our roots further into the realm of the spirit. Our success in the natural must be preceded by growing our root system in the spirit realm. Our daily acts of pressing into the spirit and remaining connected to the Source, will produce fruit that will last.  The greater the work that is being manifested in the natural, the more we need to diligently seek the nourishment of the stream of the Spirit.  For therein lies our strength, our nourishment and our ultimate success.

Meditate on These Scriptures

Psalm 119:16 (Amplified Bible)
I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.

Joshua 1:8 (New King James Version)
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Psalm 25:5 (New King James Version)
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation; 
On You I wait all the day.

Psalm 92:12-14
The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree,
He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 
Planted in the house of the LORD,
They will flourish in the courts of our God. 
They will still yield fruit in old age;
They shall be full of sap and very green,

Ezekiel 19:10
‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,
Planted by the waters; It was fruitful and full of branches
Because of abundant waters.