Greetings in the Name of Jesus and welcome to the PLN Sunday Night Bible Fellowship
Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for joining us tonight as we continue our series on the biblical principle that the Word of God is THE main SOURCE OF POWER for successful Christian living. So far we've established that the WORD has within itself the POWER to change circumstances in our lives, ALWAYS for the better. All we have to do is read it and meditate on it until we come to UNDERSTAND it precept by precept. As we come to UNDERSTAND the Word we'll see our circumstances change, "we know not how, it just happens" (Mark 4:27).
Now that we're done with the holidays for a while, I thought it would be productive to start off the year with a brief review of the major points we've discussed up to this point so we can all be together. If you aren't clear on any of these points, by all means go to our archives through the link at the top left corner of this article and review the previous articles. It's ABSOLUTELY essential that you abandon the tendency we all have of passing over things we don't understand with the thinking that we'll come back to them for further study in the future. It NEVER happens that way so avoid the temptation to pass over things and meditate on every single point no matter how incidental it may seem UNTIL you receive the UNDERSTANDING.
An Important Reprise
We've already seen that Jesus covered this principle in some detail in two particular parables that I've recommended for your repeated review as part of a SPECIAL objective for the New Year to make the Word of God your first and highest priority:
Parable of the Sower and Soils = Mark 4:3-25 and Matthew 13:3-23
Parable of the Seed = Mark 4:26-29
According to the Word if you can UNDERSTAND these two parables, it will put you in position to UNDERSTAND the mysteries of the Kingdom of God (Mark 4:11-13). How does it work? How do we access its benefits? How do we ABIDE in it? And HOW do we ALWAYS get the victory (2 Corinthians 2:14)? In order to UNDERSTAND these things, you have to be born again and have SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION (Matthew 13:14-17). But they're yours to UNDERSTAND, they're yours to possess if you're willing to make the effort in FAITH. In short, the Kingdom is about UNDERSTANDING the Word of God so that by TRUSTING it we release its POWER to ALWAYS bring about success and victory in our lives.
As we've studied this subject we've seen that the Word of God is a SEED. In fact, it's an "incorruptible" SEED (1 Peter 1:23). The Bible doesn't say it's like a SEED; it says it IS a SEED and being incorruptible it is "pure" in all its ways. It can't be perverted or manipulated. It's indestructible, permanent and ETERNAL (John 1:1-3). The fact is, someone had to sow (plant) that eternal, indestructible SEED into you before you could get born again (also from 1 Peter 1:23). And after that happened, the SEED has had to be continuously sown and re-sown for each of us to experience any level of spiritual growth (Romans 10:17).
Now a natural, physical seed must be sown into SOIL in order to give birth to a new plant. In like manner on a supernatural, spiritual level the Word of God (THE SEED) must be sown into our minds (the SOIL) to have an opportunity to take root and produce spiritual fruit. The term FRUIT is used to describe spiritual growth in each of us that will lead to the future performance of "good works" consistent with God's plans and purposes for each Believer and for the Kingdom of God. If the SOIL that the SEED encounters is a poor quality, little or no fruit will be produced. Rather, it takes GOOD SOIL for a bountiful spiritual crop to eventually be the result.
In this context Jesus talked about four different types of "soil conditions" in the above two parables that the sown SEED can encounter which we discussed in previous articles. Following for your convenience is a list of those soil types:
1. "Packed down soil" by the side of the road that's been so hardened the SEED can't penetrate it and the enemy comes and steals it away.
2. "Shallow soil" that's over a rocky base and the SEED can't grow down far enough to develop a healthy root system so the plants die.
3. "Soil that's full of thorns" and the SEED is choked out by those thorns so it can't grow and produce a viable crop for harvesting.
4. "Good soil" with which the SEED is able to produce a healthy crop that multiplies the SEED by thirty, sixty and a hundredfold.
Three of the four possible SOIL conditions have some kind of problem associated with them. Whatever the particular problem is, the end result of it is to separate you from the Word BEFORE you can meditate on it, UNDERSTAND it and release your FAITH over it. The enemy knows that whatever you UNDERSTAND serves to render him powerless in whatever area it is that you have come to UNDERSTAND. If he can get you thinking about something else, he KNOWS that you'll forget about the WORD you just heard and won't be able to use it against him. Keep in mind that one of the WEAPONS at our disposal to RESIST and overcome the devil is the "Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17) and we're to use that weapon the same way Jesus did (Matthew 4:4-11). But how is even the WORD of God going to be EFFECTIVE as a weapon until we UNDERSTAND it? You can't quote to the devil what you don't KNOW!
Also don't forget that the SOIL the SEED is sown into is your MIND which is where you do your thinking. As a man THINKS, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). The Word of God is sown or planted into your MIND and you'll either work on UNDERSTANDING it or you'll lose it to the enemy. Any farmer knows that you have to prepare the SOIL before you sow the SEED so it will work to produce a bumper crop. You prepare the SOIL by being interested in the WORD, interested enough to make it your highest priority and then by reading it at every opportunity until you begin to PERCEIVE the deeper meanings of what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach you.
Beware of the Thief
But know ahead of time that the enemy will ALWAYS come around to try to steal your SEED. The Bible says that if your SOIL is in poor condition the SEED won't be able to germinate and grow a plant. Without a plant there will be no crop. And the most important thing that Jesus revealed, the thing that MOST Christians give no thought to, is that Satan comes immediately after the SEED is sown to steal away whatever he can so you won't be able to UNDERSTAND it. That's what your Bible says: whenever you hear the Word preached, Satan WILL come to try and steal it. Why? The mission of the enemy is to separate us from the POWER of the Word. If you're not good soil for the SEED, then it won't grow; you'll stay agitated, impotent and defeated instead of full of PEACE, POWER and VICTORY. And the worse the condition of your SOIL, the easier it will be for the Thief to succeed in his mission.
So, if we want to live in VICTORY, we not only have to hear the Word and begin to grow in it (Romans 10:17), it's absolutely vital that we PROTECT the SEED whenever we receive it. Wouldn't you take some steps to protect your natural valuables if you knew they were particularly at risk to a thief? The question is, are most Christians interested enough in the Word, do they consider their SEED valuable enough to PROTECT it from the enemy? Many Believers leave their SEED vulnerable, out in the open so to speak, and the enemy DOES come and he DOES steal it away.
The truth is there are lots of Christians who have faithfully attended their churches for decades who didn't know enough or didn't care enough to PROTECT the SEED they received over all those years so their spiritual growth hasn't gone very far. Have you ever left a really good church service on Sunday morning and by the end of the day or Monday morning at the latest you've forgotten what the Preacher talked about? If so, the enemy was probably successful in stealing your SEED that day. It was intended for your growth so you could produce FRUIT. But you lost that opportunity and that particular Word-SEED will have to be sown again someday so you can have another chance. Definitely you'll get another chance; the Holy Spirit won't give up. But it will just take a little longer to get to where you eventually want to be in life.
How to Protect Your Seed
Growing in the Word must be a real goal in our lives and it all depends on our willingness to put value on that process. Here are some of the things we should be willing to do to PROTECT our SEED:
* Before a teaching session starts, ask the Holy Spirit to help you PROTECT the Word.
* Ask the Holy Spirit to bring the Word you hear to your remembrance (John 14:26).
* When you hear the Word, pay attention and refuse to allow your mind to wander. Instruct your
mind to pay attention!
* As you're hearing the Word preached look up every scripture and put your eyes on them.
* Also, take detailed notes, EVERY TIME you hear the Word. Don't be lazy!
* After you hear the Word, study your notes until you UNDERSTAND what you heard (see Matthew
13:19).
* Look up the written scriptures yourself and MEDITATE on them (Joshua 1:8).
* Ask the Holy Spirit for additional illumination.
* Tell (teach) others what you have learned from the Word. You have to UNDERSTAND what you
teach to others.
Friend, see your SEED as something valuable and PROTECT it so you can grow faster in the Kingdom of God. Know ahead of time that the enemy is coming immediately to steal the Word you've heard before you can meditate on it and get the UNDERSTANDING. He is afraid of the Word of God and he'll be afraid of you once you take hold of the power you have at your disposal simply by reading and UNDERSTANDING.
Thanks for stopping by tonight. We'll be looking for you again NEXT Sunday night on January 11. In the meantime may the Lord bless you with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), compelling you to PROSPER in every area of life!
Sinners' Prayer
If you've never invited Jesus to be the Lord of your life, you need to and you can do it today just by saying out loud the following simple prayer:
Jesus I declare today with all my heart that I believe in you and that God raised you from the dead. I acknowledge that my sins have been forgiven and I ask you to come into my life today and be my Lord and Savior. Thank you for salvation and eternal life.
If you were sincere as you prayed this prayer, God has already come into your life and you are a new creation, a totally new species recreated in His image. Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good faith-based, bible-teaching church where you can be equipped to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God.
And, when you get a chance have someone help you look up the following scriptures because they confirm what you've done by saying this prayer today and believing what you said:
Romans 10:9
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 2:8
Prayer Requests
If you have a Prayer Request, please connect to the Link below and follow the promptings. The PLN staff members pray over Prayer Requests every Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM eastern time. Agree with us for God to answer your petition.
http://www.creditcounseling.net/prayer-request.aspx
Donations
If you've been edified by Prosperous Life Newsletter, you may want to consider making a SEED FAITH offering to support the Ministry (Galatians 6:6-7). God has instructed us to simply provide folks with an opportunity to sow seed into good ground so in due season you'll be eligible to reap a harvest and the rest is up to you as the Spirit leads. For your information PLN is a nonprofit gift to the Body of Christ so your financial offerings will usually be tax deductible (consult your tax advisor). Just go to the secure Shopping Cart on the Cornerstone web site by connecting through the following link. We appreciate your support and generosity.
http://www.creditcounseling.net/shop/item.aspx?itemid=1
About Prosperous Life Newsletter
PLN is an outreach ministry of Make A Way Ministries and has been published continuously since January 1998. It's an e-publication about life in the Kingdom of God and is sent ONLY to our email list of MINISTRY MEMBERS. If you're reading this and aren't yet on our growing email list, please let us know and we'll be so very happy to add you to the list.
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