Take Me To Post Comment Form You may have noticed that an odd branch has started growing from the base or the roots of your tree. It may look much like the rest of the plant, but soon it becomes apparent that this strange branch is nothing at all like the tree you planted.

The leaves may look different, it may produce inferior fruit or it may be a different kind of tree all together. What is going on? Your tree has developed a SUCKER!!

While weed-eating my fruit trees a few days ago, I discovered "SUCKERS" attached to them. For those who are not familiar with the horticultural term, its nature is somewhat parasitic. As I worked, the Lord began to show me situations and individuals in my personal life who had served as SUCKERS in my life.

As I researched this term, I could not believe the similarities between horticultural suckers and "spiritual" suckers!

Having said all that, SUCKERING is usually in response to a wound to the roots!! Are you kidding me? So, in an effort to cure an injury, a tree will develop suckers! In other words, our injuries can serve as sucker invitations to others who possess parasitic tendencies, thus developing an unhealthy relationship!!! Wow, that's deep...


Suckers Are Out Of Place: A sucker is directing energy towards the growth of stems, rather than the actual needs of the tree in its entirety. In other words, a SUCKER THINKS OF THEMSELVES! They are capable of throwing the entire growth process out of balance.

In my yard, I noticed many trees that were dead at the top, but possessed incredible green and robust growth at the bottom. Let me just say from experience, SUCKERS ALWAYS APPEAR STRONGER AND BETTER-LOOKING IN EVERY SINCE OF THE WORD, AS LONG AS YOU SERVE AS THEIR HOST!!!! However, remove them and watch them wither!

Suckers Rob Energy!

Suckers reduce beauty and fruit production!!! Suckers don’t bear fruit, they just drain the tree of it's fruit producing power!

It's God's desire that you be a fruit producer! Galatians 5:22-23 states, But the fruit of the Holy Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law that can bring a charge. If you're not productive, you may have a SUCKER attached to you!

Suckers Smother!

They have a tendency to take over and change the entire look of the tree by replacing the most valuable with the least valuable. They control the growth process, often smothering the life out of the once healthy tree. Suckers change the picture of what God's will looks like in the child of God's life. A once deeply rooted, unmovable, and strong Christian, suddenly finds themselves entangled by these SUCKERS and are left with no strength to fight or remove them. Sound familiar?

Suckers Cause Un-due Stress!

Suckers form during times of stress such as: drought, disease, pest, and other such threats. It is better to prevent a sucker, rather than having to deal with sucker removal. But often times, we wait until it's too late. Financial droughts, health issues, and other pesty situations threaten our walk of faith and leave us vulnerable to Satan's devices.


TIPS FOR SUCKER CONTROL:

Get A Grip.

Once you have determined that you have a SUCKER, get a firm grip on it or them and remove it or them from your life!

This includes spirits, like rebellion, a big sucker!

Authority must be understood by every Christian since it is the entire basis of our relationship with Christ. “Authority” means “the right to command and enforce obedience.” When we accept Jesus Christ as our “Lord,” this means that He is supposed to become our “boss” or “authority” over our whole life (Luke 6:46). In addition, the Bible becomes the source of authoritative instruction for our Christian Life (2 Tim. 3:16).

Our attitude toward Christ as our Lord, is directly associated with our attitude toward other authority. Jesus Christ cannot be fully “Lord” over the person who harbors rebellion toward authority figures. The Bible says, “Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (Rom. 13:2).

Just as God is the source of all authority, Satan is author of all rebellion. We may recall that the Devil (Lucifer), a former archangel, was originally cast out of Heaven because he led an insurrection against God (Isa. 14:12-15). Rebellion is the very spirit of Satan’s attitude (Eph. 2:2), and if we permit it to dominate us it will infect and taint our attitude toward all authority, including God and His Word.

The prophet Samuel said, “...rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Sam. 15:23). The Apostle Peter said that those who are corrupt “despise authority” (2 Pet. 2:10), and the Proverbs say, “An evil man seeks only rebellion...” (Prov. 17:11).


Keep In Good Spiritual Health:

Feed your spirit and not your flesh. You'll determine your spiritual growth or the growth of the SUCKER IN YOUR LIFE!! Stay spiritually hydrated by the washing of God's word and the Holy Spirit. SUCKERS DRY YOU OUT!!

Renew your mind: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.(Philippians 4:8)

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.(Proverbs 18:21)

Prune Regularly:

Pruning is painful. When we prune our fruit trees, the branches ‘bleed’. When our spiritual lives are pruned, we may feel like we’re deeply wounded too. But this wounding will strengthen us in time.When we’re in a season of spiritual pruning we don’t always understand what is going on.

Sometimes our character is being revealed to us and we are out of balance just like a tree with suckers. Other times we feel like we’re being consumed by a particular thing or person in our lives, like a sucker. This is part of the pruning process and we get to participate by recognizing the traits in our lives that need to be cut back, or even cut out, and then join the Father to do this work in our lives.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:2)

In closing,

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a TREE planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
(Jeremiah 17:8)


Faith Jaudon