What if the greatest battle you're fighting today
didn't begin today? What if some of the fears
you carry were planted years ago? What if the
insecurity you wrestle with didn't originate
with you? What if the anger, the bitterness,
the shame, the rejection, the fear of failure,
the constant comparison, the lies you believe
about yourself were never yours to begin with?
What if someone else planted them? Because not
every seed in your heart was welcomed. Some arrived
before you even knew what was happening. Some
were planted through words, through experiences,
through disappointments, through betrayal, through
culture, through repeated exposure, through voices
you trusted. And perhaps the most dangerous seeds
are not the ones we knowingly entertain. They
are the ones we don't even realize are growing.
Today, I want us to explore a different kind
of battle. Not the seed you chose, but the seed
that quietly chose you. Welcome to Pamoja Podcast,
a ministry of Life of Christ International Ministries,
where we build stronger lives, deeper faith,
and Christ -centered homes, one story, one message,
and one revelation at a time. I'm Barry Mwamba.
Let's begin. One of the greatest misconceptions
about the Christian life is believing that every
battle begins with a personal choice. Sometimes,
It doesn't. Before we were old enough to discern
truth, people were already speaking into our
lives. Parents. Teachers. Friends. Culture. Television.
Music. Stories. Social media. Life itself. Every
one of them. Planting something. Some planted
courage. Others planted fear. Some planted hope.
Others planted shame. Some planted identity.
Others planted confusion. The frightening reality
is this. Children rarely question the seeds they
receive. They simply believe them. A child repeatedly
told, you'll never amount to anything, doesn't
merely hear words. A seed is planted. A little
girl who grows up without affirmation may unknowingly
begin believing, I am not enough. A young man
betrayed by someone he trusted may begin believing,
no one can be trusted. One painful experience
becomes an invisible belief. Years later, that
belief begins making decisions. Not because it
is true, but because it has taken root. This
is why Proverbs tells us, guard your heart, for
everything you do flows from it. Notice, everything
flows from the heart. Not only our choices, but
also what has been planted there. The enemy rarely
needs one dramatic moment. He prefers repetition.
One lie, repeated often enough, begins to sound
like truth. One image, seen often enough, begins
to redefine normal. One message, heard repeatedly,
begin shaping identity. That is why culture is
so influential. Not because it always argues
against truth, but because it repeats an alternative
story until it feels familiar. This is why scripture
constantly reminds us to renew our minds. Because
if our minds are not continually renewed by God's
truth, they will naturally be shaped by something
else. We become what we repeatedly behold. Jesus
once told a parable that many people overlook.
A farmer planted good seed in his field. But
while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and
planted weeds among the wheat. Think about that.
The farmer never planted them. The workers never
planted them. The enemy did. Jesus wasn't simply
talking about agriculture. He was revealing a
spiritual reality. While we are unaware, the
enemy is always looking for opportunities to
plant. Fear, division, confusion, false beliefs,
discouragement, doubt. Not every battle you fight
originated with you. Some battles began because
something foreign was planted. This is the hope
of the gospel. God never asks us to simply ignore
bad seeds. He replaces them. Jesus said, you
shall know the truth and the truth shall set
you free. Truth doesn't merely comfort us. Truth
uproots lies. The Holy Spirit continually exposes
what doesn't belong so he can plant what does.
Every time you read scripture, God is planting.
Every time you worship, God is planting. Every
time you forgive, God is planting. Every time
you choose faith over fear, God is planting.
Transformation doesn't happen because we try
harder. It happens because truth slowly replaces
the lies we once believed. If we are honest with
ourselves, truly honest, I believe every one
of us will recognize this reality. There are
seeds that were planted within us without our
knowledge. Seeds that quietly found their way
into our hearts long before we knew how to guard
them. Some were planted through words. Some through
painful experiences. Some through rejection.
Some through betrayal. Some through the culture
around us. Some through what we repeatedly watched,
listened to, or believed. And over time, those
seeds began influencing the way we think, the
way we respond, the way we trust, the way we
love, the way we lead, the way we see ourselves,
and sometimes even the way we see God. If we
are sincere with ourselves, we will have to admit
something. Not every reaction we have began in
the moment. Not every fear started today. Not
every insecurity originated with us. Not every
belief we carry was planted by God. Some of the
battles we fight today are the fruit of seeds
that were planted years ago. Seeds planted so
early or repeated so often that we eventually
stopped questioning them. We simply accepted
them as part of who we are. But here is the good
news. Just because a seed has taken root doesn't
mean it has to remain. The Holy Spirit is not
only interested in changing our behavior, He
is interested in transforming our minds. Because
lasting transformation doesn't begin with the
fruit. It begins at the root. And one of the
greatest signs of spiritual maturity is learning
to recognize that not every thought you think
is a truth you should believe. And not every
seed growing in your heart belongs in your garden.
That is exactly what we see throughout the scriptures.
God doesn't simply show us people's failures.
He reveals the seeds that were growing long before
the consequences became visible. One of the easiest
mistakes we make is believing that every struggle
begins with a personal decision. But the Bible
repeatedly shows us that people often lived out
what had first been planted into them. Let's
look at a few examples. Let's look at Moses.
Before God ever called Moses, he grew up in Pharaoh's
palace. He witnessed oppression, violence, power,
control. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew,
and instead of trusting God's timing, he reacted
with violence. He killed the Egyptian. Years
later, even after becoming Israel's leader, that
same tendency resurfaced. At Meribah, instead
of speaking to the Rock as God commanded, Moses
struck it in anger. The consequence was devastating.
He led Israel to the edge of the promised land
but never entered it himself. The seed of uncontrolled
anger continued producing fruit until it was
finally confronted by God. What about Jephthah?
Jephthah grew up rejected. His own brothers drove
him away because he was the son of another woman.
Imagine the seed planted in that young man's
heart. Rejection. Isolation. The need to prove
himself. When God later raised him to lead Israel,
those wounds were still there. He made a reckless
vow, promising God he would sacrifice whatever
came out of his house if he returned victorious.
His own daughter came out to greet him. One seed
of rejection helped produce a lifetime of impulsive
decisions. Let's look at Saul. Saul began as
a humble man. But repeated comparison and insecurity
took root. When the women sang, Saul has slain
his thousands and David his tens of thousands,
a seed was planted. Jealousy. Instead of confronting
it, He nurtured it. Soon, he wasn't leading Israel
anymore. He was chasing David. His kingdom slowly
unraveled. Not because of one battle, but because
one seed of insecurity was never uprooted. What
about the Israelites? When twelve spies returned
from Canaan, only two brought back faith. The
other ten planted fear. Notice what happened.
One report. One conversation. One seed. Soon,
an entire nation was saying, we should go back
to Egypt. The people who had witnessed the Red
Sea open now believed they could never enter
the Promised Land. Fear spread because seed spread.
The consequence? An entire generation died in
the wilderness. Let's look at Absalom. Absalom
never openly rebelled at first. He stood at the
city gate, listened to people's complaints, whispered
sympathy. Slowly, patiently, he planted dissatisfaction.
The Bible says he stole the hearts of the people
of Israel. He didn't seize them. He planted into
them, one conversation at a time. Eventually,
those seeds became a rebellion. And the rebellion
ended with Absalom hanging from a tree. Do you
see the pattern? A seed. A behavior. A consequence.
The Bible isn't simply telling us stories. It
is showing us how seeds become harvests. Sometimes
the seed is planted by words, sometimes by rejection,
sometimes by fear, sometimes by comparison, sometimes
by repeated experiences. But unless those seeds
are confronted by God's truth, they continue
producing fruit, long after we forget where they
came from. That is why the Holy Spirit doesn't
simply change our behavior. He goes after the
roots. Because God knows if the root is healed,
the fruit will eventually change. As we close
today's conversation, I want to ask you one question.
Not, what have you done? But, who has been planting?
Whose voice has shaped your identity? Whose opinion
still controls your confidence? Whose rejection
still influences your decisions? Whose words
still echo years after they were spoken? And
are those voices greater than the voice of God?
Because there is only one voice that has the
authority to define who you are, the voice of
your Creator. Perhaps today, the Holy Spirit
is exposing a seed you didn't know was there.
Don't be discouraged. Be grateful. Because what
God reveals, He intends to heal. And every lie
can be replaced by truth. Every fear can be replaced
by faith. Every wound can be healed by grace.
The garden of your heart does not have to remain
the way you found it. because the great gardener
is still at work. And wherever Christ is welcomed,
new life begins to grow. Thank you for joining
me on Pomoja Podcast. Until next time, guard
your heart, because not every seed growing there
belongs there.