Like many of you, I have begun the task of spraying mesquite trees this summer. If you’ve ever done this job, you know that it is never completely done. You may be able to finish spraying a particular field or pasture, but unfortunately the process must be repeated again the next year. Mesquite trees are tenacious. Mesquites can grow in some of the worst soil in some of the harshest conditions. In the words of Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park “life finds a way.”
The work is tedious and hot, but it is necessary if you want to have improved pasture land and better grass. If you lack the motivation to spray, you just need to drive past a once clear field that has become a mesquite thicket due to neglect. We have a few spots that look like this. It really is amazing to see how fast mesquite can take over when you do nothing to stop it’s growth. It’s also much easier to spray mesquites when they are small. When they are small, you don’t need as much spray, and the task can be done much quicker. The larger the plant the more spray is required, and eventually the bush becomes a tree. At that point, spraying is no longer feasible, and the only option is a bulldozer. Needless to say, dealing with mesquites when they first pop up is the best approach.
In the life of a Christian, sin works the same way. Sometimes there is a misconception about sin once you are born again by the Holy Spirit. Sin does not go away. Through Christ, we can be recreated with new desires, but we will still struggle with temptations because of our sinful flesh. However, it is much easier to deal with sin in the beginning. Allowing sinful desires to grow in our hearts will lead to sinful actions. This sequence is explained in James 1:14-15 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
Sin starts in the mind. Sin starts when we cultivate wicked desires. Jesus explained that if you hate your brother, then you have already committed murder in your heart, and that if you lust after a woman, you have already committed adultery in your heart. Everyone who has committed murder or adultery has first entertained those ideas in their mind and in their hearts. The key to dealing with sin is to kill it when we see it starting to sprout up. As Barney Fife would say, you have to “nip it in the bud.”
Just as herbicide can kill unwanted mesquite growth, the Word of God can serve as protection against sinful desires. Romans 12:2 tells us: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Christian, diligently train your mind to spot the little sin “sprouts” in your life and kill them on the spot.