Treat The Source, Expose The Dirt...

TREAT THE SOURCE, EXPOSE THE DIRT!

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

I. INTRODUCTION

A. I have a friend that absolutely HATES DANDELIONS in his yard.

He was determined to exterminate each dandelion from his yard. He desired them pesky

weeds to out of his yard and to be completely rid of them forever.

He went to Lowe's and purchased the sharpest hoe he could find.

Every time he saw a dandelion push it's way above the ground, he would cut it's head off.

Before he went to work each morning he would whack those little plants off.

B. Seems like the more he cut them down, the more they grew? They were thriving

with his best effort to destroy them.

One day he was reading that DANDELION PLANT COULD HAVE ROOTS UP TO TEN

FEET DEEP... His battle seemed hopeless until he found a product that dealt with the

ROOT... IF YOU KILL THE ROOTS --- YOU WILL ELEMINATE THE WEED?

II. OFTEN WE TREAT THE SYMPTON RATHER THAN DEALING WITH THE REAL ISSUE...

WE NEED TO FIND THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM...

WE NEED MORE THAN A DIAGNOSIS PROGNOSIS...

*A. DIAGNOSIS: The act of identify the real problem. A statement the reveals the REASON

for the problem.

*B. PROGNOSIS: The answer to the conclusion. The plan of recovery. To reveal signs of

relief from symptoms.

C. When I was in the 6th grade my dad had a terrible infection on his hand. It was so swollen

and red Dad could not close his hand. It was very painful. Someone told him it would never

get better until the head and the pus were removed.

He squeezed and squeezed and his hand was worse.

One day dad asked me if we would work together and fix this problem.

Mom got us some big needles, the rubbing alcohol, and some matches to STERILIZE

and clean the germs off.

I felt like a doctor operating on my Dad, Mom would not look. She kept warning us

that is dangerous?

I worked and removed a huge cord or head and the infection. That felt much better

and his swelling went down. I thought, "I AM GOING TO BE A DOCTOR ONE OF

THESE DAYS."

The next day would tell? They called and said dad had a red streak going up his

arm and that he was at the hospital with BLOOD INFECTION and dad was very ill.

The real doctor's not only removed the infection but they gave him a SHOT and medicine

for him to take TO KILL THE INFECTION FROM THE INSIDE OUT...

D. THAT WAS THE END OF MY MEDICAL CAREER AND MY BEGINNING OF PRAYING.

You have to not only remove the external, visible problem... You must go to

THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM AND DEFINE THE REAL ISSUES...

III. I GUESS I WILL STAY THE SAME? MY OFFERING IS AN EXCUSE...

THERE IS AN INVITATION TO BE WITH THE KING. COME ---EVERY THING IS READY!

WE LIVE OUR LIFE WITH NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS AND TURNING OVER NEW

LEAVES....

Luke 14:17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all

things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said

unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have

me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them:

I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I

cannot come.

A. I will CLEAN UP my potty mouth?

I will lose weight?

I am going to get out of debt? I will control my spending and use a budget?

I WILL NOT GET ANGRY and try to manipulate people?

*B. IF YOU ARE GOOD WITH EXCUSES, YOU WILL SELDOM SEE REAL CHANGE?

IV. REAL LOVE THAT IS ROOTED AND GROUNDED WILL SURVIVE THE STORMS AND

THE DROUGHTS.

A. I love weeping willow trees as my Grandfather Sumner loved them also.

We had a beautiful weeping willow tree.

As Linda would drive by the tree with the grandsons on board, they would stop and Linda

would roll down their power windows and the boys would "shake hands" with the tree and

talk to it.

The weeping willow was in a low area where water would saturate the ground.

One spring morning as Linda left for work, she called me...

Old WEEPING WILLOW WAS ON THE GROUND... The roots had rotted out?

THE TREE LOOKED SO HEALTHY --- WE HAD NO IDEA THAT HER ROOTS WERE

ROTTING?

Today old weeping willow is just a memory, she died before her time?

B. I am told that a health 30 feet tall OAK TREE will have roots that go out 30 feet in any direction