My Pastor asked us to pray and ask God where in our lives it was unhealthy. I felt God say, “Sarah, it’s your roots.” Ouch. I felt like I was starting back at square one. Roots? Really? Isn’t that what you should work on when you’re a baby Christian?
Oh, the Lord sure did humble me.
A few weeks later I got the book “Rooted – The Hidden Places Where God Develops” by Banning Liebscher in the mail. We have had the privilege to be a part of their launch team, but I knew that God was going to use this book to really speak into me and to my lack of roots. I felt like my roots were damaged – poisoned at times.
Growth would begin and the roots would spread, but once I let a lie into my life and believed it fully, it was like I was sprinkling poison right on the spot. I haven’t always been confident in who I was in Christ. I have not always been confident in scripture. A lot of the time, I am not believing God at His Word.
Banning talks about our root system in his book.
“Your heart is your point of connection with Jesus – the place where you become rooted in your relationship with Him. He wants to develop His heart-to-heart connection with you to the point where you become fully united with Him, where you think like He thinks, want what He wants, speak like He speaks, and do what He does.” p. 4
I feel like this quote just sets up the whole book. How is your connection Him? How has my connection with Him? Am I thinking like Him? Speaking like Him?
Grace covered my thoughts and guilt when I knew that my connection wasn’t as great as I wanted it to be. Banning uses David to share how it took almost two decades for him to stand on the throne. During those years up until his reign, David spent many intimate moments with the Lord which developed his root system. I think as believers we feel that it should take us a few years in prayer and quality time with the Lord, and then we are ready to go do whatever God has planned. But as Banning explains using David, Moses, and Abraham…it took years.
Years.
Banning also writes about 3 types of soil that will with interact with to help with our rooting process: intimacy, serving, & community.
“A thriving root system is built on trust and truth, which grow strong in our lives as we come to know God through His Word and through personal encounters with Him. However, in order to build our roots in truth , God needs to plant our lives in various soils where we gain specific nutrients for growth…God’s process in David’s life placed him into three different soils that developed the different dimensions of trust and truth in his life…each of these soils teaches us how to align our lives with God’s truth and leads us to encounter God in different ways.” p. 98
He defines these soils deeper, with great stories and backs up everything with scripture. That’s what I really enjoyed about the book – the scripture he uses. As much as I love stories, and Banning uses great God stories throughout, scripture is so important with me. I want to know exactly what God has to say about building my root system.
With all that saying, I would recommend reading this book. If you feel like you’re in a dry season or you just don’t know how to start to establish your roots, this is your book. It’s easy to read, but impacted with truth. I would read a chapter, highlight, annotate, and sit with it for the night. This is a book for new believers and for those who have loved the Lord for many years. I never walked away feeling like being rooted would be difficult. I felt encouraged and challenged.
Find it here on Amazon – click here.
We are also giving away a free copy of Rooted to one of our readers! Enter the giveaway below!
*winner of giveaway was Mackenzie Lynn Beaty*
My favorite scripture is Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Thank you so much for this book review. Even the two passages you pulled from the book and your own words about your roots have so deeply hit my heart. I’ve been in a season of life the past 6 months that have been hard, lonely, and my intimate relationship with the Lord has struggled greatly. After months of seeking the ‘why’ of my dry season in all the wrong things, the Lord revealed through your post that it’s my roots that need healed and placed where the Lord plans.
Thank you for your vulnerability and authenticity.
Praise God for this revelation! 🙂 It’s crazy how important roots are. It takes me back to scripture in Psalm 1:3 “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” That imagery just hits me – I need to be planted by His stream so that my roots may be refreshed, watered, and that growth will happen. I’m thankful that the Lord has shown you it’s your roots. Be blessed, Karly!
Wow. Sounds like just what I need to read. I’ve been praying for God to show me where I don’t allow Him total control. This will be excellent to weed through some of the areas He’s showing me!!! Definitely added to the short to read list!!!
Yay! Praise God. When you read this book, it will definitely open your eyes to more!
My favorite scripture is Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart; for everything you do flows from it.” I’ve loved this because reminds me to protect myself and let my heart focus on God above all other things in life. It helps me protect myself when I want to make so many other things priority in life and brings back to loving Him every time I see it!
I love this scripture, Romans 10:9-10,
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
I am a new believer and this verse just gives me faith, that no matter what, if I trust believe and allow His Spirit to make me better, I am saved, loved and forgiven.
I love the review. I can even feel in my heart that this book is the bomb! Crossing my fingers that I win. If not Amazon here I come ?
Hi, thank you for sharing your heart out. 🙂 When will we know about the winner of the book giveaway?
Yes! I’m so sorry! I’ll update the post.