I once read the following story from which I took this text. "A young man, hitch-hiking across the country for several days without food, found himself on an Indian reservation. The Chief, coming by, picked the boy up and learning that he hadn't eaten in several days, took the boy home and had his wife prepare a "soup" for this young man.

When this soup was set before him, he started to dig down to the bottom of the pot for the "body" of the soup. The chief, knowing this would not be good for him, since it had been several days since he had eaten, advised him to just take some of the broth at first, then get more later.

This he did and he and the Chief talked for some time. Finally, the chief told him to get more soup and this time to "dig um deep and get um puppy."

Let us now take another scripture: Hebrews 12:15 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."

Now, in our two scriptures, there are three things pointed out to us. We have weights (fruits), sin (roots) and bitterness (tree).

Look at the apple tree in our background border, there are only two parts of that tree which is visible, the tree and the fruit. There is another part which we do not see and yet, it plays a very big part in the whole, and that is the roots.

Think of that apple tree being you; the apples being your manifested life, and the roots being the thing which motivates you.

Now, if you are not satisfied with the apples (manifested life) that apple tree (you) is producing, how are you going to get rid of those apples? Our scripture tells us to lay aside every weight (apple), so we climb the tree, pull off every apple, cast is aside.

Our life is full of hatred, wrath, strife, envying and such, and we want to get rid of them. We go to our pastor and ask him to cast those things from us, which he does.

We think, "Praise God! I am free!!" But wait, next year, there is more...apples! What happened? You only got rid of the weight which is not the sin, but only the fruits. SIN PRODUCES THE WEIGHTS, OR FRUITS!!!

So, what is sin? Look at Romans 14:23: "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; FOR WHATSOEVER IS NOT OF FAITH IS SIN." So, sin is unbelief, and unbelief is what produces all those weights which break us down.

I know most Christians will deny having unbelief in their life, but just look at these scriptures; Matthew 7:17-18; "Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."

"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit."

Here is something I want you to think about. Everything that comes into that apple tree and produces those apples has to come through the roots. No other way for it to enter but through the roots.

And everything which comes into us comes in through our faith in or unbelief of the Word of God.

If we still have those weights hanging on to us, there has to be something (unbelief) that is causing it.

We may have driven out much of the unbelief from our hearts, just as the Children of Israel drove out many of the inhabitants of Canaan when they came into the land, yet there was some who still remained, which they did not drive out and it was those that gave the Children of Israel their trouble. Notice, not one of the inhabants of Canaan left that land as the Children of Israel come into that land, but everyone of them had to be driven out, just as we have to drive out every bit of the disbelief from our hearts as we invite our Lord Jesus to come in.

Let us look at our LIFE as the land of Canaan and all the weights as the inhabants of Canaan and then we invite our Lord Jesus into our life (Canaan). When He comes in, He brings in His Army (Fruits of the Spirit) and now there is TWO Kings and their armies in our Life.

Now there is war!!! What is happening? These two kings are fighting over that county (your life). Who is going to win? Here let me tell you another story that I heard. This Indian Chief had accepted our Lord Jesus into his life. Some months later a Minister meet him and asked "How is things going, Chief?" He said, "Pretty good and pretty bad". He was then asked what he meant, and this is the answer he gave. "Chief has two dogs fighting within, a white dog and a black dog". "Well, Chief, which one is winning?" The Chief said, "The one Chief feeds most". This is the way it is with us. There is this war going on and the one who is winning is the one that we feed most, if we pray and study the Word of God, then we are feeding our Lord, if not, then we are feeding the enemy.

Think of this, No one would want to share a visit with you if he knew that his worst enemy was also there. If you want to visit with me, then get rid of my enemy.

So if we still have those things in our life which should not be there, perhaps it is our Father's way of telling us now that we need to "Dig um deep and get um puppy."!!!

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