Are You Rooted

1. The Curse of Misplaced Trust

Jeremiah 17:5–6 (NKJV):

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.’”

“Cursed” = cut off from God's blessing and presence.

Trusting in man = leaning on human wisdom, institutions, or your own strength.

“Shrub in the desert” = no root system, dry, fruitless, surviving but not thriving.

Psalm 1:4 (NKJV):

“The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.”

Interactive Moment: Ask: “What are things we tend to lean on instead of God when we're stressed, afraid, or uncertain?”

Illustration: A Christmas tree looks alive and decorated but it's been cut from the root. It’s dying, not growing — like a life that’s not rooted in the Lord.

2. The Blessing of Deep Trust

Jeremiah 17:7–8 (NKJV):

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

“Planted by waters” — intentionally rooted, stable, nourished.

“Spreads out its roots” — an active, growing faith.

Even when “heat” or “drought” comes, this life is not withered — it’s fruitful.

Psalm 1:1–3 (NKJV):

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

Interactive Moment: Show a water bottle or nearby tree: “What keeps a tree alive in a drought? What keeps your soul alive in a dry season?”

Application:

Root yourself in the Word.

Stay near the source — Jesus, the Living Water (John 4:14).

Analogy: You don’t grow fruit by trying harder — you grow it by being rooted deeper. A tree doesn’t stress to bear fruit. It just abides near the water.

3. The Danger of the Deceptive Heart

Jeremiah 17:9–10 (NKJV):

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

Our hearts lie to us — feelings are real but not always true.

Only God sees the full picture of your heart.

God searches and tests — He is righteous in His judgment.

Psalm 139:23–24 (NKJV):

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Interactive Moment: Ask: “Has your heart ever led you the wrong way? What happened when you followed your feelings without checking God’s Word?”

Illustration: A compass off by 5 degrees leads you miles off course. If your heart is your guide but not God's truth, you're headed the wrong way.

Closing Challenge

Are you rooted in self or in the Savior?

In the dry times — the "heat" or "drought" — what are you drawing life from?

Will your roots hold when the storms come?

John 15:5 (NKJV):

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Jeremiah 17:7 (re-read):

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.”

Optional Campfire Activity:

Invite campers to gather around and pray:

“Lord, deepen my roots. Make me fruitful. Help me trust You when life is dry.”