What kind of Soil are You? The Rocky Ground?!

"The Rocky Ground" according to the parable of the sower is the soil that hears the word and receives it with joy, but has no root and endures for a while, but when tribulations and persecutions arise on account of the word, they immediately fall.

Here we see two things, first they received the word; in contrast to the path, we can say that they had some understanding of the word to be able to receive it. However, with the understanding they got from the word they had no root to endure to the end, they endured only for a while.

"They endured for a while" the understanding that they had is what the "path" individuals lacked, but was not enough. Yes it was a good start, they were able to last for a while, but when persecution arose they fell; the end is what qualifies the beginning.

It is also important to note that persecution did not arise on the account or worldly things, persecution arose on the account of the WORD, in other words they were persecuted not because they were politicians, CEO's, doctors, teachers, no, they were persecuted because they believed in JESUS, they believed in the life given word, then they fell.

My fellow believers in addition to our understanding, we should be rooted in our firm foundation Jesus Christ. He Himself said if they deny you they have denied me; He said they will persecute you, but do not be afraid, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33). As Christians we will be tested, there is no other solution than to be prepared.

How do we prepare, read the word and be ready at all times to answer your persecutors (1 Peter 3:15), and when you feel you don't have an answer, do not be afraid the Holy Spirit is in you, the Lord Jesus said, you will be arrested and charged before kings, but this is an opportunity to spread the gospel, the Holy Spirit at that time will tell you what to say (Luke 12:11-12).

Pray without ceasing, this is a powerful tool, Prayer ensures that we are constantly in God's Presence. Praise and rejoice always, this will lift our spirits up, even when circumstances surrounding us say otherwise.

So by Brothers and Sisters, with understanding let us also be rooted in the solid foundation JESUS so we will not be shaken. Amen 

Till next time, remain blessed. Maranatha

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 (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.