Rooted and Grounded

By Alexandra Copeland

Matthew 4 tells us about the beginning of the ministry of Christ on earth. He presented himself to be baptized by John the Baptist, and after this, Matthew 4:1 (NLT) says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.” Jesus Christ fasted for forty days and nights in the wilderness, and the scriptures tell us in verse 2 that he became very hungry. In the sense of extreme motivation, hunger is looked upon as a positive thing. It is believed that a person is more apt to leave no stone unturned and go all out to achieve their goals when they are hungry for success. In the case of Matthew 4, hunger reminds us of both physical appetite and vulnerability, because a hunger left unsatisfied with food means that a person is potentially weaker than normal. They may be in a mental state of behaving in a manner that is different from who they believe themselves to be.

Heavenly Father did not leave us in the dark about satan’s devices. He wanted us to know that we will be tested by the enemy. Many people have believed that God will test and tempt the believer, but James 1:13-15(NLT) gives us the truth on this matter. It says, “13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” One of the most damaging tricks of the devil is to get people to call his dark deeds acts of God, and to label God’s gifts of goodness and light as evil and dark. God doesn’t test our faith. He knows everything there is to know about us. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He knows what we’re going to do before we do it. There is never a need for Him to test us because He already knows the outcome of every situation; the devil, on the other hand, does not.

Testing our faith and planting temptations is the enemy’s territory. The motivation behind his tactics is to get us to abdicate our faith, and if we are not rooted and grounded in God’s Word, it is a real possibility that we might fall for the enemy’s tricks. Ephesians 6:11 (NLT) tells us, “Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” To stand is to have our feet firmly planted on the solid foundation of God’s Word; it is to be unmovable on it, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ gave us the perfect example of what this looks like. He was tested by the devil on every front, and he overcame every test because he stood on the Word of God.

John 1:14 (KJV) tells us, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Jesus Christ is the Word of God in the flesh, but this doesn’t mean that he didn’t have to study it and know it for himself. He knew the Word because he digested it through study and meditation. He made it his own. We can do no less.

Colossians 2:6-7(NKJV) tells us, “6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” God wants us established in the truth so that we are unmovable in Christ no matter what situation or circumstance is thrown at us. We can handle it because Jesus has already given us the victory, but if our faith isn’t firmly planted, if we’re carried about with every wind of doctrine or wavering in our stance when it comes to trusting God, then our house will not stand when the storm winds rage.

In 1Corinthians 3:10 (NKJV), the Apostle Paul gives us the blueprints for building our lives. He said, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.” This is what we are, we’re master builders of our lives. God’s best is for us to be WISE master builders. That’s when we’re rooted and grounded in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we’ll present a strong foundation on which the lives of others can rest. We won’t get rocked when the electric bill is due, and we don’t have enough money in the bank to cover it. When the person we lean on most in life is acting kinda crazy and we don’t know why, we’ll let the peace of God rest in our hearts, and not react to the nonsense unkindly. We’ll recognize the tricks of the devil, and we won’t let him rob us of the peace of God that passes understanding.

As new creations in Jesus Christ, we listen to God’s Word and respond to it in faith and gratitude. Our mission is to grow and abound in Christ. We’re not to stay at the same level of spiritual growth from year to year, and many of us operate this way. We don’t want to study, meditate, or pray any more than what we’re doing now, yet we expect to receive the benefits of someone that is actively pursuing the heart of God. This isn’t the way it works. Jesus Christ schooled us on this in Luke 6:46-49(NLT). He said “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

In Ephesians 5:15-20, Heavenly Father has instructed us how to maximize our time on earth and not waste it. He tells us to make the most of every day. People have different definitions of what it means to make the most of their lives, but very often their definitions have nothing to do with the precedent and principles that God has set forth in His Word. He tells us that the way to make the most of our time is to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to praise Him with gratitude and faith in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. These are the steps we should take to begin to build our foundation on Him, and when our roots are firmly planted in our precious and powerful Lord, it will cause every area of our existence to flourish.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.