During the springtime, all the grass in Southern California turns green, the wildflowers and poppies bloom, and it's really pretty. But the moment the rains stop, the hills turn brown again. Why? Because the grass has no roots. It can't go down deep enough to get water from the springs that are deep beneath the ground.

When there are no roots, when a plant is in shallow soil, it may initially sprout and look good, but it doesn't last. The plants wither quickly because they don't have roots.

Luke 8:13 says, "The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don't have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up" (CEV).

A lot of times we hear God's Word and get excited about it, but we don't allow it to change us. We act superficially. We react emotionally. We're moved impulsively. But we don't take the time to let it sink in.

Do you really want to be that way? No! You want to be a deep person, not a shallow person. You want to be a person with deep spiritual roots so that when recession comes and lasts several years, you're able to keep bearing fruit. When the rough winds come and somebody in your family gets sick or somebody dies, the trial doesn't blow you away, because you've got roots.

How do you develop spiritual roots? There are two ways: a daily time with God and a weekly small group time with other believers. You've got to spend time alone with God, and you've got to spend time with other believers.

If you're not spending time with God on a daily basis, you're going to dry up and blow away when the pressure is on. You won't be able to handle it. You've got to make time to listen during a daily time with God. You have to sit and be quiet. You have to read the Bible and talk to God. Play some music. If you like to journal, do that. Whatever it takes to keep the focus on God, do it!

You've also got to have a weekly small group. Nobody has a complete perspective on life. Every one of us has blinders on. The people in your small group can see things in your life you can't see. That's why we need each other! You learn from the people in your small group as you encourage each other and your roots go deeper.