PLANTING TREES

PLANTING TREES

I’ve planted trees of the worst of winters.
Trees as empty and bare as they come. The lies I’ve told, the words I’ve spoken.
The bitterness I’ve held inside. The judgements my heart held tight.
I remember each leaf that fell, as my heart turned cold,
as in the depths of hell where barren trees belong. The days I pushed my Lord away,
I walk alone as if it were the coldest winter day.
The days were dark the winds seemed to never stop blowing.
I was caught in the current of the river that flows by the dead tree orchard.
The dark clouds a constant reminder of the season I’m in,
yet in my insanity I continue to plant empty trees.
Trees that belong in a graveyard of the wicked.
Seasons change and so can I as I remember the trees I’ve planted in my past.
Trees of strength and glory, trees so big one could climb to the top and see the world.
Trees as green as the rain forest.
Trees that flourished because they were watered by the hand of God.
Trees of true heart, true light, and true beauty, trees of conviction!
Trees that were planted by the choice to serve, to love, to forgive , to give.
Trees that opened my heart so bare that all I knew was to care.
The warmth of the sun shining down on me spoke of Gods pleasure.
Today I’m planting my first good tree of this season,
hoping to never see an empty tree in my orchard again.

Inspired by God, written by Ken Hernandez

Isaiah 41 (Expanded Bible)

Only the Lord Can Save Us

⁸ ·The Lord says, “People of Israel, you are my servants [^L“You Israel, my servant].
    ·People of Jacob, I chose you [^LJacob, whom I have chosen; 44:1].
    You are ·from the family [descendants; offspring; seed] of my friend Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3].
⁹ I took you from ·places far away on [^Lthe ends of] the earth
    and called you from ·a faraway country [its farthest parts].
I said, ‘You are my ·servants [^Lservant].’
    I have chosen you and have not ·turned against [rejected; thrown away] you.
¹⁰ So don’t ·worry [fear], because I am with you.
    Don’t be ·afraid [dismayed], because I am your God.
I will ·make you strong [strengthen you] and will help you;
    I will ·support [uphold] you with my ·right hand that saves you [or righteous right hand; ^Ca symbol of power to save and protect; Ex. 15:6; Ps. 63:8].

¹¹ “[^LLook; ^TBehold] All those people who ·are angry with [seethe/rage against] you
    will be ashamed and disgraced.
Those who ·are [strive] against you
    will ·disappear [become nothing] and ·be lost [perish].
¹² You will look for your enemies,
    but you will not find them.
Those who ·fought [wage war] against you
    will ·vanish completely [be as nothing].
¹³ [^LFor; Because] I am the Lord your God,
    who holds your right hand,
and I tell you, ‘Don’t be afraid.
    I will help you.’
¹⁴ Do not be afraid ·even though you are weak as a worm [^Lyou worm, Jacob],
    you ·few people of Israel who are left [or people of Israel; or maggot, Israel].
I myself will help you,” says the Lord.
    “·The one who saves you [Your redeemer/protector] is the Holy One of Israel [1:4].
¹⁵ Look, I ·have made [or will make] you like a new threshing ·board [sledge]
    with many sharp teeth.
So you will ·walk on [thresh the] mountains and crush them;
    you will make the hills like ·chaff [straw].
¹⁶ You will ·throw them into the air [winnow them], and the wind will carry them away;
    a ·windstorm [gale; tempest] will scatter them.
Then you will ·be happy [rejoice] in the Lord;
    you will ·be proud of [boast in] the Holy One of Israel [1:4].

¹⁷ “The poor and needy people look for water,
    but ·they can’t find any [there is none].
    Their tongues are ·dry [parched] with thirst.
But I, the Lord, will answer ·their prayers [^Lthem];
    I, the God of Israel, will not ·leave them to die [^Labandon/forsake them].
¹⁸ I will ·make rivers flow [^Lopen rivers] on the ·dry hills [barren heights]
    and springs flow through the valleys.
I will change the ·desert [wilderness] into ·a lake [pools] of water
    and the ·dry [arid; parched] land into ·fountains [springs] of water.
¹⁹ I will ·make trees grow [plant; put] in the ·desert [wilderness]—
    cedars, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees.
I will put pine, fir, and cypress trees
    growing together in the desert.
²⁰ [^L…so that] People will see these things and ·understand [know];
    they will ·think carefully about these things [consider] and ·learn [comprehend]
that the Lord’s ·power [^Lhand] did this,
    that the Holy One of Israel [1:4] ·made these things [created it].”

Our journey with God, who can know and understand the ways of God? How is it that we can see to the spirit of His word and apply it to our daily lives. Understanding God is understanding He is using everything in our lives for His glory! This scripture describes Gods children as His planted trees. Trees that are planted where the river flows. Planted by the river of His presence. You see no one in the bible got it all right. Every prophet and servant of God struggled with flesh and heart. Trees take time to grow especially the trees of God. He did not make dead lifeless trees. He made trees of faith and glory! Will we see it today or tomorrow? Is that faith at all? Trees go through many seasons and changes. Trees grow mightier in time.

Faith my fellow trees, will be the answer in its time! Will you choose to find the strength of a tree no matter what the weather is or the season? Will you extend your branches when the leaves fall or a branch breaks? Will you see it through the storms of winter to see the blossoms of spring? Faith and drawing from the river that flows next to you will show itself true. God will not leave you or forsake you, but I must tell you, your faith will be tested and rewarded by the heart that grows roots deep towards the source of water.

Today you can choose to believe the truth and defeat the enemy by simply believing truth and pushing out the lies. You are not alone in your struggles. He is with you and all of us other trees are praying and pressing in with you. Hopefully strong trees are being planted today, I’m believing you are!

¹⁸ I will ·make rivers flow [^Lopen rivers] on the ·dry hills [barren heights]
    and springs flow through the valleys.
I will change the ·desert [wilderness] into ·a lake [pools] of water
    and the ·dry [arid; parched] land into ·fountains [springs] of water.
¹⁹ I will ·make trees grow [plant; put] in the ·desert [wilderness]—
    cedars, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees.
I will put pine, fir, and cypress trees
    growing together in the desert.
²⁰ [^L…so that] People will see these things and ·understand [know];
    they will ·think carefully about these things [consider] and ·learn [comprehend]
that the Lord’s ·power [^Lhand] did this,
    that the Holy One of Israel [1:4] ·made these things [created it].”

May our Lord Jesus Christ poor His presence over you and this message, I love the trees of God, they are the weakest yet the strongest. They are more glorious than any other tree, for they are courage’s and full of heart. God bless your day www.fullofrosesinspirationals.com

please check out this video and also check out my other post rainbow symbolism of promise 🙂

BORN INTO A CLOUD

I began writing Christian Poetry when I was 31 years old, after I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. It all started when I went up for prayer in church one Sunday. There were two older women who were waiting as I walked up for prayer. After praying for me one of the ladies suggested I go to a singles retreat that was taking place In the mountains near my home in a few weeks. I wrestled with the thought for most of the week. My heart was pretty sure it was Gods desire for me to go. The problem I was having was I had just got out of a bad relationship. The last thing I wanted was to meet someone new. I really needed some time to build my relationship with God when It hit me! I would go on the singles retreat to focus my whole heart in getting to know my Lord and Savior.

I had spoken to the pastor after my three-day weekend retreat was over, he clarified to me a lot about what I had experienced those three-days. He explained to me that a school of ministry was on break during the three-days of the retreat. He said a retreat was treated much different from a school of ministry. Just as Sunday church is treated different because of the level of maturity in Christ. Leaders and those studying leadership Is approached much different. God moves different. God is not in the business of scaring people. He is not in the business to show off his power. When a person is mature enough to handle it many things can take place in the power of God. A school of ministry is built up of inspiring leaders and God equips them. This is not to say God doesn’t move in church or retreats. I was at a pastors conference once and I can tell you by far it was different from regular church but let me not get off track, back to the retreat.

Our first night there, all 45 of us gathered in the sanctuary where we would hold our services during the weekend. They started worship when suddenly everyone noticed God’s presence very powerfully. This was my first experience of that. It was a matter of seconds and all 45 of us were crying heavy from the overwhelming love we were experiencing. The staff was caught off guard and found themselves trying to tend to and pray for each of us during this unexpected move of God. Afterwards we all unpacked in our cabins and went to bed in awe of what had happened. I was eager for what was to come. The pastoral team gathered in a meeting to discuss what had taken place. The conclusion to their meeting was that this was no retreat this was a school of ministry.

The rest of the weekend was just as powerful. God moved and I fell in love with my Lord and Savior. Everyone of the 45 people of the retreat-school of ministry became leaders of one sort or another in the church. The Sunday morning I returned home I began to unpack and unwind from the weekend. Funny thing though I had this nagging thought running through my head. Over and over like a song stuck in my head “sit down and write” “Sit down and write”, repeatedly like a song stuck in my head. I tried to get rid of it, ignore it but it wouldn’t go away. When I realized It might be God. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and sat at my kitchen table. Instantly I could hear word for word what to write as I wrote it, not really knowing what I had written until I read it once I was done. Here is the Poem

BORN INTO CLOUD

born into a cloud smothered into darkness
bringing rainfall in abundance
the deep fog keeps you from knowing who you are
lightning strikes your person
a lashing out in pain
the world is blinding in the dark cloud that covers
life hails in destruction
leaving no hope or sanity
until light shines through from heaven revealing your true colors
the rainbow God created you to be
when there seemed to be no hope
the clouds are lifted by the winds of salvation
and you are born again by the love and mercy of the lord Jesus Christ
whom brings forth truth in everlasting life
Amen

I couldn’t believe what I had just wrote, But it gets better the next day in my daily bible reading this is what I read out of Ezekiel 34:

11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

17 “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

I was blown away how the scripture went hand in hand with the poem. Notice how the scripture says I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. This is talking about when we come to the saving knowledge of Christ out from the clouds into the light of truth. The blessings and promises that are in Christ. How God searches us out in our darkness. Once He has searched us out and we acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior, we considered His words, we are His flock that has been scattered by darkness. He searches us out. Then in verse 17 He discusses how He judges between us and says in verse 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

If you can picture flying in a plane and you look out the window at the ground, what you see is squares of land connecting to one another. These are squares of pastures. So in the scripture He is talking about the squares of pasture we have walked in our lives, in the days of clouds and darkness. Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet? What He is saying here is the ground we have walked in our sin. Our past and where we have walked in our lives is muddy. Those who walk behind us only have muddy pasture to eat from. As we walk out our salvation the ground should become les and less muddied.

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sincerely, Ken Hernandez