Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: 1 Corinthians 6:18

the preemergent — May 20, 2026

the preemergent

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I would occasionally tease my wife and tell her that our house was a hospice for plants – it’s where they come to die.  But we have vastly improved our gardening skills over time, at least until last year when a noxious weed invaded our flower beds. 

I took the offender to my local plant care expert, and he told me that the weed was a Chamberbitter (and bitter it was to deal with).  I asked what I could do, and he said “Nothing – once it has taken root, it just spreads like wildfire.” 

But he gave me hope.  He explained that the plant goes to seed each fall and then completely dies out.  In the spring the seeds emerge and start the process all over again. 

He told me I needed to use a preemergent the next spring.  A preemergent creates a chemical barrier in the topsoil which kills the weed seedlings as they germinate.  “Weed seedling!”  Try saying that five times fast.

So the next spring, I got out the spreader and did what I was told to do – and it worked really well.

This prompted me to think of the many spiritual weeds that can infest a soul.   

Sin often has its temporary reward.  It meets some superficial emotional, psychological or even physical need.  But once it takes root, it is notoriously difficult to eliminate. 

So wouldn’t it be great if there was a spiritual preemergent – something that would attack the temptation and keep it from germinating into full-fledged sin. 

Martin Luther was known to speak of temptation and say, “You can’t keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop it from building a nest there.

I am happy to report that God gave us such a preemergent.  This is how it works!

Breathe:  As you start each day, exhale – confess any sin from the day before that you might have ignored.  Then inhale!  Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you again and guide you throughout the day (Colossians 1:9).

Browse the Word:  The Psalmist wrote, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” – Ps 119:11.  A daily intake of the Scripture is super important.  Scripture defines sin but it also empowers us to resist it.  It is a living sword according to Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Bridge with others: Our journey was designed to be traveled with fellow believers.   Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.” We need to be in church, and part of a small group, and it would be extra wise to have an accountability partner.  It seems that pastors today are falling into sin at warp speed.  I am certain that few of them have any accountability to another.  

Beseech the Lord:  Jesus told His disciples, “Pray that you enter not into temptation” Luke 22:40.  I don’t think the Lord could be any more explicit.  And finally… 

Build Walls: We need to create barriers between us and the sin opportunities that pull at us.  Paul advised us to “Flee immorality” – 1 Corinthians 6:18. For instance – avoid the flirt at work and make sure someone else is in the room when you are using the computer.

Take your spiritual lawn spreader and sprinkle these things on your soul for nearly a weed free result.  

A Prayer: Lord, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer” – Ps 19:14.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you.

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.

too close — October 9, 2019

too close

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james ray johnson

My cousins and my siblings and I were playing hide and seek in the small basement of our home.   Hiding places for the slew of us were as scarce as hen’s teeth, but my little brother Doug improvised. 

He searched the back room and found that the furnace had a hood which extended downward to within 3 feet of the floor.  He was able to stand under it with his head in it.  A perfect fit.  Never mind that only his head and shoulders were hidden. 

Believe it or not, he was the first to be caught.  Game over.  In fact, we were done for the day.  Up the stairs and through the door and into the kitchen we went, where my aunt sat and nursed a cup of coffee. 

She sniffed the air and asked in a disgusted tone, “What is that horrible stench?” 

Well – it was my brother and the unmistakable scent of burning hair.  His crew cut had been scorched by the heat in the furnace hood.  His hair was reduced to ashy, crispy nubs.  Actually, he would look quite stylish today.

As I recall we all got a spanking for that.  Thanks Doug!

My brother did not incinerate – but he could have, because the person that gets too close to the flame often does.

That’s what happened to King David.  He was taking a stroll around his palatial penthouse, when he happened to look down upon another rooftop where a beauty was bathing.  Instead of moving away from the flame, he lingered and watched (and his hair began to smoke.)  Like my brother, he thought that he was hidden and could beat the game.

David used his kingly authority to make a royal mistake –adultery, which led to conspiracy, and then murder.  His example poisoned his children and his Kingdom was crippled.  It all began when he made the choice to stand too close to the flame. (2 Samuel 11)

Joseph on the other hand, was aggressively pursued by the wife of his boss.  He consistently resisted her and when she finally forced the issue, he left his toga in her hands and ran for cover. (Genesis 39)

Paul put it succinctly in 1 Cor 6:18, “Flee immorality.”  We just can’t stand in the flame or be anywhere near it.  We gotta run from it, fast, as soon as we sense the heat.  We need to put distance between ourselves and temptation.  

We were taught to pray about temptation in the Lord’s Prayer. Can we really ask Him to deliver us from evil if we are content to dabble in it?

So, what do we do about the flame?  How do we distance ourselves? 

We could get a filtering app for the phone to block the questionable stuff on the net.  And it would probably be wise to quit lingering at the Keurig with that hottie at work.  And if there really is power in suggestion, then maybe we should be a little more discerning about what streams onto our flat screens.

Years ago, I discovered an effective way to douse the flame.   Temptation likes to hide.  It lurks in the recesses of the mind and is potent as long as it stays in the dark. In fact, it grows there like a black mold. 

To disarm it, temptation needs to be dragged from out of the dark and into the light.  So, when I am tempted, I interrupt it, by verbally saying, out loud, “No!”  Using my lips to say it, and my ears to hear it, exposes the threat.  It gives temptation a cold shower.

As a pastor/counselor I have passed this secret on to many, (mostly men) who have also found it to be really helpful.

Well my brother was a hard core hide and seek player!  He stood there in the heat while his head was being charred.   Believe it or not, he is still with us and enjoying his 6th decade and he has a good-looking head of hair with more color than I do.  But he also has somewhat of a nervous tic.  He jumps every time the furnace kicks on.