What kind of Soil are You? The Path?!

"The Path" is the kind Soil, that according to the parable, describe when the word is planted there is no understanding and the enemy quickly comes and snatches what was sown in our hearts (Mathew 13:1-4;18-19).

In my previous post I spoke on the types of soil in the Parable of the Sower. Here I will be focusing on the first soil, so we can know when we might be in this position and how best to overcome it. 

From a believers perspective this could be us, as new converts or those of that have been in the church for a long while and feel as though they know the scriptures all so well. There could be a message coming from the pulpit, but we fail to grasp it, sometimes it is feels unreal, how can this be?  we ask, this is a hard saying! we moan, this must be a joke! no this cant be true in this day and age!  while these questions can be raised and be legitimate, lets be aware of the enemy who has come to snatch away the truth from us.

By no means am I saying you should not question what you digest, the Berean Christians did so, what I am saying is to follow their examples, are there questions arising from a sermon that is unclear to you? Seek clarification and understanding. This is what the people in the category called "the path" lacked.

How do you seek understanding. We seek understanding trough the Holy Spirit, John 14:26; James 1:5, before you go for a sermon pray for understanding, pray that the lord God will bring a fresh understanding to you, this is paramount. The Holy Spirit is our advocate.

Second, discourse this with fellow believers, they will bring to your knowledge that missing piece that will clarify you confusion. 

Third, look for examples in the bible, the bible is full of case studies of  men and women who have gone through all that was written in it and triumphed. These examples will shine a light on your doubts and lack of understanding.

Finally, wait on the Lord, keep on fellowship with the brethren, the right answer will definitely come at God's own timing, just because you did not get a full understanding of a message does not mean you should stay away from Worshiping the Lord. At the right time the "aha" moment will come.

Till next time my friends. Maranatha.

What Kind of Soil are You?

For a long time I always viewed the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-29; Luke 8:4-15) with a different view. I always believed that the seed that fell on the road / path and rocky path referred to unbelievers and the seed that fell on thorns and good soil referred to believers. Although I believe there is nothing wrong with this version of understanding. The seed is the Word of God that is sown to all lives whether believing or not believing, the main issue here is the soil that it fell on? And here lies my question; What kind of Soil are You?

As I mentioned earlier my previous understanding of the text makes me believe that the soil the seeds fell on where evenly divided by whether one is an unbeliever or a believer, but as have been reading these texts recently, I have been directed to a different understanding.

I have been looking at it from a believer's point of view. Christians are regularly blessed with the word of God, but yet we still find those who go through the same phases outlined in the parable of the sower, those who receive the word without understanding, those who receive the Word with Joy but yet no root to sustain them, those who seemingly overcome the former two, have understanding and joy of the word to some extent but yet when tested by the trials of life give in, and finally those who hear the word and understand it and bear fruit.

To be sincere it takes a lot of spiritual consciousness and humility to identify where one truly lies, at different stages of our Christian growth we all can identify where we were or are, but it takes the direction and power of the Holy Spirit to make us the Good Soil that the Lord expects us to be. But we must consciously seek this, we must seek and pray understanding and wisdom to overcome and not be the soil that lacks understanding, we must pray for guidance and study the Word of God to overcome and not be the soil that has no root,  We must practice the word of God and seek first the Kingdom of God in all we think and do, to overcome and not be the soil that the worries of life and deceitful riches choke our fruitfulness. Then we will be able to be that Good soils that bears good fruit, some thirty, some sixty, some a hundredfold.

I do pray brothers and sisters that the Lord will lead us through the Holy spirit to be all we can be in Christ. Amen.

Maranatha.

I will focus on each type of soil in subsequent posts. Stay Tuned.

Christ-Like Attitude (5): Justice

Justice; yes the Lord is a just God. He is righteous and expects equity, fairness and love from Christians to all men.We can see how the Lord loves justice that he explicitly commands that we are just ourselves, He prefers justice to the burnt offerings and sacrifices that we may offer (Micah 6:6-8; Isaiah 1:11-17; Zechariah 7: 9-10).

He has also asked us to appoint just leaders to rule over us to judge His people fairly (Deut 16:18-20). We will need to pray for our leaders as well as go beyond the physical likeness when we go out to choose these leaders. 

As Christians we should try to work in Justice, as much as lies with us, we should treat each other the way we want to be treated and according to the principles of the word of God. We need to love our neighbors, our friends, acquaintances and even our enemies to be able to overcome any form of evil that comes our way.

Justice as with other Christ-Like attitudes can be achieved by submitting to the Lord, humbling ourselves and letting the Holy Spirit guide us. I pray that as we continue to work with God that His grace and Spirit will lead us to conform to His will for our Lives.

Remain Blessed. Maranatha.

Christ-Like Attitude (4): Love

For God so Loved us and He gave us Christ who exemplified the kind of Love we should show towards all mankind.

The central truth of the Christian lifestyle is that of Love (John 3:16). Love for God, Love for Neighbors, and Love for ourselves (Matt 22: 37-39). 

If we Love God we will seek to please Him and do all that promotes His Glory on Earth and that which makes Him Happy. Christ Loved God that in All He did, He ensured that it was to His Fathers Glory and that the Almighty was pleased with Him (John 14:15-26).

If we love our Neighbor we promote peace and show the Love of God working through us. Christ shows us how to love our Neighbors by the numerous acts of kindness and compassion He showed towards individuals and His ultimate sacrifice for Mankind on the cross. He was willing to go the extra mile to make a Sacrifice whiles we were yet Sinners (Romans 5:6-7).

If we Love ourselves we are confident in our Identity in Christ and are willing to suffer shame for Him knowing that He lives in us and we are not trying to please men. For Christ to accomplish all he did,for Him to love God and love His neighbor (Sinners Like Us) He knew who He was, He knew His identity  he knew His purpose, He knew His calling. He did not waver but stood by His belief and principles (Philippians 2: 5-11). To be able to accomplish our destinies we need to Identify our purpose, stand by its conviction and be confident in who God has made us to be. Then we can Love God with all our Heart and Soul and also show love and compassion to our Neighbor.

My Prayer is that as Christians we will continue to grow in the fullness of love and avoid the trap of pride and give ourselves to be led and used by God Almighty. 

Maranatha. Remain Blessed.

Christ-Like Attitude (3): Patience

As I write on Patience, I am actually striving to be patient regarding an issue in my life at the moment and I hope the Lord will bestow His Grace as we as His Children master the Art of Patience. The undeniable Truth is that the Lord is Sovereign and He Knows what's best for His Children, so are we always impatient with Him. I sincerely believe that His Timing is Perfect.

Psalm 145:15 “The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it.” This Scripture Reminds us that the Lord allots our needs at the perfect time. When we are matured enough to handle the blessings for the good of the Kingdom. We need to develop the muscles that will help us wait in faith for God's time. I joke sometimes and say, Okay God I accept that your timing is different from mine, please this time around let my timing come before yours. As always it comes after.

Second we need to be patient with one another as the Lord was and is patient with us. As the apostle Paul testified  about God’s Great Patience, 1 Timothy 1:15-16 “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they too can believe in him and receive eternal life.”

Let’s not be quick to give up on others when they seem to be going on opposite paths that we will like them to tread, the Lord was patient with us when we walked the same path, we should prayerfully be patient with them as we look forward to God’s glory shining in their hearts.

“Love is Patient” 1 Corinthians 13:4, Patience with others exemplifies our love for them, even within the body of Christ, we are all still growing and looking to perfect our character as Christ’s, we might hurt each other, but we should always love. God made us different, yet expects to be one in Christ, if we patiently work in love we will Glorify His Name. 1 Thessalonians 5:14c says Be patient with everyone.

Galatians 5: 22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness; gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The gift of Patience comes from the Holy Spirit. If any one craves this they should pray through Holy Spirit  to empower them with Patience. I pray that as we grow as Christians, we will develop a patient spirit in our daily work with Christ.

Remain Blessed as Always. Maranatha.

Christ-Like Attitude (1): Humility

"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.When He appeared in human form, He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2: 5-11)."

Humility is a key Character for all Christians. Yes, Humility is very difficult to master but possible, and yet one of the best weapons we have in our Arsenal. As Highlighted in italics in the Scripture reading, this was Christ Greatest moment of victory. The results show this, He was Elevated and bestowed the Highest Honor.

For Christians to be Elevated to any altitude they wish to attain be it Financial, Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, we need to practice Humility to the fullest and on purpose. We need to be determined not to yield to our flesh but to the word of God.

Obedience is a perquisite for humility, Christ Humbled Himself in Obedience to God, regardless of the anguish and pain He knew he will be subjected to. Fellow laborers my encouragement to you is to try make Humility a first nature, yes moments of Pride will arise, but through the Spirit of God and by His Grace let us overcome any tactics of the Enemy.

Remember through Christ we are more than Conquerors, we are Victors. Remain blessed and please feel free to share your bouts with pride and how you plan to or have overcome this with Humility.

Shalom. Maranatha.

Mercy & Grace; Nothing Else Counts

 " God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2: 8-10).

To simplify the above, you cannot and will not earn your way into Heaven. Grace is Free, our works and faithful living should be a grateful response to our redemption in Christ Jesus. Good and godly works are to be results of our salvation and not a means to salvation.

A lot of Christians leave under the yoke of trying to "buy or retain" their salvation by good works. The questions I will like to pose are, What is in your Heart? Are you saved? Do you love God? Do you believe that you are saved through Christs' death? If yes great. Christ himself said my yoke is easy, come unto me all ye who are heavy laden and I will give you rest (Mathew 11:28-30). Not grief, we have been set free, we do not have to work to purchase or retain our salvation. All has been done. All we need to is Glorify God.

How do we do this? Jesus said if you love me obey my commandments, this is how we show appreciation to him, he has given us the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate, pray and He will lead you to path of righteousness (John 14:15-17).

The LORD is merciful, we are all sinners but he counted not our sins against us, so the next time you think I need to "bribe" my way into God's good books think again. His Ways are not our Ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts. We should stop attributing human qualities to the Creator. He made us. Accept your limitations and humble your self before God.

Final note, Grace does not give us an excuse to continue in sin (Jude). The LORD sees the heart, He knows His genuine children, For those struggling in a particular area He will direct you. But the Lord is not mocked, those who sin deliberately will be punished.

Remain Blessed. Maranatha.