Ears to Hear

In Mark 4, Jesus shared three parables illustrating that the Word relates to the kingdom of God as a natural seed does to a harvest. The first of these parables, the story of the sower, is essential for understanding the Word of God (Mark 4:13). 

 

Jesus said in Mark 4:3-9: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, yielding no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

 

The seed in this parable of the sower is the Word of God (Mark 4:14), and the ground is our hearts (Mark 4:15).

 

The first type of ground, or heart condition, that Jesus described refers to those who do not understand God’s Word. God’s Word must be understood before it can penetrate someone’s heart. If the Word is not understood, it will be like a seed scattered on hard ground. The birds will eat the seed, and there will be no fruit. 

 

The second type of heart condition described in this parable occurs when a person understands the Word and is excited about it, but doesn’t take the time to get it rooted deeply inside. The Word germinates but cannot produce fruit because it doesn’t have a sound root system.

 

Roots develop underground, hidden from view. Most people desire the fruit, yet they don’t want to cultivate the root system required to produce and sustain it. A seed germinating in shallow soil will direct all its energy toward growth above ground, as there is no other option for its development. That plant may appear healthy. However, when the sun begins to dry out that plant, there is no root system to sustain it. Consequently, the plant withers and dies. 

 

Many people dislike the time it takes to build a strong root system. They yearn to experience the tangible advantages of the Word in their lives, yet they do not have the patience and commitment to persevere in God’s Word. This prevents the Word from taking root and becoming firmly established within them. While we may see good results from listening to someone else teach us the Word, those results do not last because the Word is not rooted deeply within us. Only the Word that we have personally sown and nurtured in our hearts will bear fruit when challenges surface.

 

This third type of ground represents people who have received God’s Word and committed themselves to it. However, being preoccupied with the affairs of this life chokes the Word sown in their hearts, resulting in no fruit being produced. Just as weeds steal nutrients and starve the plants, so do the pleasures of this life starve and steal the benefit of the Word in us. If allowed to dominate our thinking, the pleasures of this life will hinder the fruit that the Word could have produced.

 

The church has consistently grown during times of persecution, and it is the same for us. When we experience hardship, we get our priorities right. We realize our life is in Jesus (John 14:6) and not in things (Luke 2:15), and we focus on the Lord. God wants to bless His children with things (Psalms 35:27, Matthew 6:33), but an obsession with these things will choke God’s Word and make it unfruitful. 

 

The fourth type of ground in the parable was good. It yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. But a good heart, like good ground, doesn’t just happen; it has to be cultivated. This is why only one out of four people in Jesus’ parable brought forth fruit. Being a fruitful Christian takes a lot of effort, diligence, and patience. Many just give up, finding that raising weeds is quicker and easier than growing ripened fruit.

 

In this parable, the Word of God produced fruit, and the ground just gave it a place to grow. If we put God’s Word in our hearts, protect it, and prioritize it in our lives, the Word will naturally produce fruit. Satan has deceived many into believing that they cannot be fruitful, but it is not us who bring forth fruit; it is God’s Word. When we safeguard the Word planted in our hearts, it will take care of the rest.

 

What is the condition of my heart, Lord? Its condition is crucial for good fruit to be produced in my life. Am I one of the three in the parable whose heart was unprepared, or do I continually cultivate my heart so that Your Word takes root and manifests in me? Lord, I can study the Word repeatedly, but if I don’t sow it in my heart until it becomes my Word and I own it, it will never benefit me. 

I have ears to hear, Lord. Let me hear.

 

Seed, Time, And Harvest

 “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).

 

As long as the earth remains, harvest is certain. Every seed sown anticipates a harvest. Once you sow a seed, it requires time to grow. Once it produces fruit, you harvest it. Seed, time, and harvest are natural and spiritual laws that have worked since creation. The seed you sow, naturally and spiritually, will eventually bring forth a harvest. 

 

Your life is a harvest and always reveals the nature of the seeds you have sown. Whatever you sow, you will reap, whether bad or good. Your attitudes, hopes, words, thoughts, and actions are seeds that have created your harvest. If you don’t like your harvest, you need to change the seeds you are sowing.

 

Peter wrote: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23).

 

The Word of God refers to itself as a seed. In forty-four verses of the New Testament, the Greek word “sperma” is translated as “seed.” This word is the same word that gives us the term “sperm.” Just as a child cannot be produced without a sperm, a child of God cannot be produced without the incorruptible seed of God’s Word. All births originate from seeds, and being born again spiritually is no exception. The seed that brings forth salvation is God’s Word. Just as it would be foolish for a woman to expect to have a child without the seed of a man being sown in her, it is equally foolish to anticipate someone being born again without planting the seed of God’s Word in their heart (Romans 10:14-17).

 

Natural seeds sometimes decay and fail to produce life. However, God’s Word is an incorruptible and imperishable seed that consistently brings forth life. God’s Word is always effective. We must permit His Word to work in us—sowing, protecting, and nurturing it.

 

1 Peter 1:23 also states that the seed of God’s Word lives and abides forever. The words spoken by the Lord Jesus were the eternal Word of God, which existed before time began. His Word is still alive and active. When we mix His Words with faith, the result will benefit us (Hebrews 4:2). They will manifest His abiding, unchanging, and miraculous truth in our lives. 

 

Many Christians believe and pray for God to intervene in their lives, yet they often feel frustrated when they don’t see results. This frustration frequently stems from a lack of knowledge about the Word. Without the Word, they miss the seeds of conception. To live a victorious Christian life, a believer needs a genuine revelation from the seed of God’s Word sown in their heart by faith. 

 

In Mark 4, Jesus taught three parables illustrating that the Word is to the kingdom of God what a natural seed is to a harvest. The first of these parables, the story of the sower, is key to understanding all of the Word of God. Jesus said we won’t understand any of His other parables without grasping the truths of sowing and reaping the Word in our hearts (Mark 4:13). For God’s Word to benefit our lives, we need to know how it works in us. 

 

Seed, time, and harvest are truths of nature that cannot be altered by anyone. A person can cheat or manipulate what other people create. You might cheat the legal system and go free. You might manipulate your work situation and secure a promotion. You might change many things on this earth, but you cannot change the law of seed, time, and harvest in God’s creation.

 

What if a farmer didn’t sow his crop until he saw others reaping theirs? Regardless of how honest he might be or how warranted he was for not planting at the right time, he would not reap a crop overnight. The law of seed, time, and harvest cannot be manipulated or controlled. 

 

This is the reason why Jesus compared the way His Word works to a seed. There must be a germination process of the Word of God in your life. It takes time. It can’t be rushed or avoided. Just as a seed has to remain in the ground over time to germinate, so the Word of God has to abide in us.

 

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:46: “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.” 

This verse speaks of the first and last Adam. The first Adam was a natural man, and the last Adam was Jesus, who gave us spiritual life directly from God. For the Word to come to life supernaturally within us, there must be a natural action on our part. You must sow the seed of God’s Word in your heart, nurture it, and act upon it by faith. 

Nothing can be done about the seed you've never sown or nurtured. Don’t allow your previous failure to determine your actions now. There is always the promise of a new harvest. If you want Jesus, the Word, to manifest in your life, sow His incorruptible seed, nurture its promise, and then harvest its truth by faith.

 

 

Embracing The Spiritual Wonder Of His Presence

Is it hard for you to express yourself in worship to God? Do you raise your arms and openly worship the Lord, or do you feel self-conscious and hesitate to worship in the presence of others?

In the upper room on the final night of His earthly ministry, Jesus taught His disciples about the Holy Spirit and His various roles. One key point Jesus emphasized was that the Holy Spirit would exalt Him. In John 16:14, Jesus said, "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

The Greek word "doxadro," used in John 16:14 to mean “glorify," can be translated as exalting, praising, magnifying, worshipping, honoring, and giving adoration. Jesus indicated to the disciples that one of the Holy Spirit’s most significant roles is to magnify, worship, and exalt His name above all others (Philippians 2:9). The Holy Spirit doesn’t seek attention for Himself; rather, He guides us towards Jesus and leads us into a place of joyful worship of our Lord.

The Holy Spirit cannot glorify Jesus without using a vessel through which He can work. You are that vessel because He lives in you. He glorifies Jesus through you by leading those who don't know Jesus to Him, healing others, casting out demons, helping believers develop a profound understanding and relationship with Him, and in many other ways. One of the most effective and wonderful ways the Spirit glorifies Jesus is when your heart overflows with joy, your hands are raised in praise, and your entire being is filled with worship for the Lord.

The Holy Spirit desires to magnify the presence of Jesus in every aspect of your life, including your actions and relationships. He wants you to consistently proclaim the name of Jesus. When the Holy Spirit is free to work within you, all resistance is crucified with Christ. You are totally surrendered, and you naturally glorify Jesus. By granting the Holy Spirit complete access in your life, you will find yourself, without hesitation or worry, freely raising your hands and praising His name. In worshiping and honoring Jesus, you may become completely unaware of anyone else's presence around you. Your sole focus will be on Jesus, with no concern for yourself.

The Holy Spirit's main purpose is to reveal Jesus to you and lead you into a deeper experience of Him. He is waiting for you to surrender and embrace this journey. If you’ve struggled with worship in the past, invite the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus through you. Ask Him to remove self-consciousness and help you worship, free of judgment and any reservations.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, you are free (2 Corinthians 3:17). Inhibitions have no place in your worship. You are free to express your adoration and love for Jesus, the One who is higher than all others and whose name is exalted above every other name. Do you worship in that freedom?

The Holy Spirit wants you to experience Jesus. Simply surrender to Him and witness the change He can bring within you. Take a moment when no one is around. Raise your arms and begin praising Him. Let the Holy Spirit fill you and take you into a place of worship that you have never experienced before. He is with you right now, eagerly waiting for you to let go and embrace the spiritual wonder of His presence.

You Are The Progress Of His Finished Work

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God;’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (James 1:13).

The preceding verses in James 1 explored the topic of temptation and the advantages of persevering through it. This often leads us to believe that God intentionally places these trials on us for His redemptive purposes. However, this verse clearly states that God is not the cause of these trials. Trials are inevitable, and there are significant benefits to be gained from enduring them in a godly manner. Nevertheless, they are not God’s doing. Labeling God as the source of our problems can lead us to submit to them instead of resisting them, which will hinder our progress (James 4:7).

You might question the accuracy of this statement in light of Genesis 22:1, which states that God tempted Abraham. However, if you examine James 1:13 closely, you will notice that this verse doesn’t imply that God doesn’t tempt us at all. Instead, it asserts that the Lord doesn’t tempt us with evil. While the Lord does test us, as He tested Abraham, these tests are intended to lead us to a better place. He never subjects us to evil to cause us harm. Imagine an employer contemplating a promotion for an employee and administering a test to assess their capacity to manage increased responsibility. This test isn’t conducted by an evil employer who intends to fire the employee if they fail. Rather, it’s administered by a good employer who genuinely wishes the employee’s success.

We are tempted and tested by evil in this life. A sinful world tests us, and hard circumstances and heart-wrenching situations test us further. However, to suggest that God tempts and tests us with evil implies a contradictory nature of God. On the one hand, God desires that we have an abundant life, full of His grace and far beyond our imagination or ability to comprehend. This abundant life is meant to help us escape the corruption of this world. On the other hand, some believe that God permits or even causes issues like sickness, loss, or hardships to test us. God is constant and unchanging, manifesting the redeeming love that He desires for us. While we face harsh circumstances, loss, sin, and evil, the God who wants us to have an abundant life never tests or tempts His own creation with evil.

Until the born-again believer sees themselves as God sees them in Christ, they will always be living from the unfinished side of the cross. We must understand that we are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10), seated with Him (Ephesians 2:6), a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17), the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21), one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17), washed, sanctified, and justified in Him (1 Corinthians 6:11), and glorified in Him (Romans 8:30).

This understanding of our identity in Christ should serve as the starting point for discipleship. When we are born-again, salvation is fully realized and completed in Him. The remaining task is to renew our minds to these truths until they are manifested in our daily lives (Romans 12:2).

In the story of the two men, two houses, two foundations, and one storm (Matthew 7:24-27), God didn’t send the storm. Instead, He sent the Word, and the doer of the Word was spared the consequences that the lazy believer suffered. Many Christians mistakenly believe that storms are sent by God to teach them a lesson. Even though lessons can be learned, these storms are not divine interventions. Instead, the Word and the Spirit are from God to prepare us to overcome the challenges and trials that life throws our way.

Many Christians are striving for what God has already given them through Christ. Those who comprehend the new life they have received in Christ can find peace in His finished work and live their lives from a place of victory. We are not a born-again spiritual work in progress, but rather our lives are the “progress of His finished work.” As we submit to the Lordship of Christ, the expression of His life in us progresses and matures.

You are not like Job—fearful, ignorant, and without a covenant. You are under the New Covenant of God’s grace. You are a new creation and complete in Jesus Christ. You have been blessed with all of God’s blessings.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).

God sees the identity of Jesus when He looks at you. You must renew your mind until you see yourself as God sees you and the truths of His Son’s identity are manifested in your life. 

God never tempts or tests you with evil. He wants His best to be manifested in you. You are the "progress of His finished work."

Now Walk By Faith In Him

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

—Colossians 2:6 

 

 

If we genuinely followed this verse, we would avoid many mistakes in our lives. Paul mentions that we ought to live our lives in the same manner we accepted Jesus as our Savior.

 

We received Jesus Christ by fully placing our faith in His grace. We had no holiness to offer Him. We had not fasted, prayed, or read the Word. We came just as we were—sinners in need of His forgiveness and grace.

 

Some believers, after accepting Christ by faith, feel that God's response to them is based on what they do. They believe He loves them, depending on how well they adhere to His standards. Instead of trusting in the faith and righteousness  Jesus provides, they find themselves striving to prove their worthiness to receive God's love. This kind of mindset can lead them away from the assurance of their right relationship with Him.

 

We have nothing to prove about our worthiness. Our worth comes solely from Christ. Attempting to demonstrate our worthiness to God is self-righteous and does not exhibit the righteousness we have received through Christ. Just as we received Christ by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), we should continue to live our lives in the same way. This is the central message Paul communicated to the Galatians when they began to stray from the grace they had discovered in Christ.

 

"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh" (Galatians 3:1-3)?

 

We can never achieve perfection through what we do in this life. We did not receive Christ through our works. Having begun our journey through faith in Jesus, why do some believe that the value of their love for God lies in what they do for Him? The truth is, it is Christ's perfect love that makes us worthy in God's eyes. However, faith without works is not true faith at all. We do good works for God because of what Christ has done for us, not to feel good about ourselves, trying to find a sense of peace and joy. We walk by faith in His gift of righteousness, knowing that we do not need to prove ourselves to God; Jesus has already demonstrated our worthiness, and He is our peace and joy. Understanding our righteousness in Him empowers us, and His grace fuels our walk. We love because He first loved us.

 

When you came to Christ for salvation, you did not earn it; instead, you placed your faith in what Jesus accomplished and received it as a gift. Colossians 2:6 states that we continue to receive from God in the same way. By putting our faith in Jesus, we continually receive His grace through that same faith.

 

If we came to Christ for salvation through faith, why do we sometimes hesitate to approach Him for our other needs? Perhaps it's because we don't feel worthy of His love. Maybe we think that if we beg God enough, fast enough, give enough, and do enough, God will respond to us.

 

We cannot do anything "enough" to move God to action! He has already addressed all of our needs through Jesus! We receive from Him through faith when we pray according to His will, knowing we will have what we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15). Jesus earned the salvation that we cannot achieve on our own, and this salvation includes the healing, deliverance, and provision that we are unable to obtain. We cannot earn what Christ has already accomplished for us. Instead, we receive from God when we know that in Christ alone is our worthiness. Our faith should rest on what He has done, not on anything we do.

 

Why would we ever turn the grace we receive through faith into works to earn God's love? Our attempts may make us feel good about ourselves for a while, but eventually, they will make us feel empty. Only Jesus fills the void. It is the Holy Spirit who produces good works within us. When we have nothing to prove because we know in our hearts that Jesus has made us righteous and that we are worthy in God's eyes, we surrender, trusting in the grace of Jesus. The change within us will be manifested in our lives.

 

Just as you have received Jesus Christ, my brother and sister, now walk by faith in Him.

 

 

The Holy Spirit Waits To Help Me

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.

—John 14:16

The Holy Spirit comes alongside us in our problems, interceding for us and helping us overcome weaknesses in our lives. He is our Helper who remains close at all times and abides with us forever. Our relationship with Him doesn’t have to be a distant one. We don’t have to plead for Him to come because He is already with us. The more time we spend with Him, the more His ways, traits, and ideas become ours, and the more He has an impact on us. When we come alongside Him, and He prays with us, we draw upon the reality of our new life we have received in Jesus Christ. 

The very moment we are saved, the Holy Spirit comes to reside inside us as a guarantee of our salvation (2 Corinthians 1:22). Yet, He also comes alongside us to assist us and to bring the truth of Jesus Christ into our lives. From the moment the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts, we can continuously rely on His assistance to help us overcome any handicap, problem, or challenge we face. He is with us in our circumstances and in our weaknesses. He dwells in us as our most dependable ally who empowers and leads us through every step of life. As we draw closer to Him, He draws closer to us. 

How do I treat the Holy Spirit? Is He an unseen and hidden guest in my life? Do I often miss Him as the Helper the Father has sent me? How often have I ignored this third person of the Trinity who resides within me and is primed to help me? Why wouldn’t I want to rely on Him who searches my heart and knows me so intimately? Why wouldn’t I allow Him who lives in me to intercede for me? He prays the mysteries of God’s will for me (1 Corinthians 14:2). He prays what my mind and heart limit.

“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27).

He’s been waiting so long to assist me. I open my heart, mind, and soul to His ministry. I’ll do my utmost to discern His voice and surrender to His leading. With all my mind and heart, I will pursue His help to navigate this life. His supernatural power will help me to overcome my weaknesses. His prayers will be my manna from heaven, rejoicing my heart and giving life to what was never quite enough.

The Holy Spirits Helps In Your Weakness

Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

—Romans 8:26

Have you ever found yourself in a difficult situation and didn’t know how to get out of it? Have you had trouble praying? It’s the Holy Spirit’s responsibility to help us, but some Christians go through life without receiving His help.

Let’s look at the first part of Romans 8:26: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses: for we don't know how what we should pray for as we ought….” The Greek word from which “helps” is translated presents a picture of two people working together to get a task done. When faced with an overwhelming difficulty, we don’t have the strength to remove that difficulty alone. We need the power of the Holy Spirit working with us. In our weaknesses, prayer becomes a partnership between the Holy Spirit and us. When you truly believe that your prayers cannot be prayed without the help of the Holy Spirit, your prayer life changes.

The Holy Spirit comes to assist us because we are too helpless mentally, physically, and spiritually to confront our weaknesses. Since we cannot remove any weakness without His help, we need all His power to eliminate them from our lives. That’s the reason He comes to bear this responsibility for us. He assists us in removing anything in our lives that weakens us.

“Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses: for we do not know what we should pray….” We simply don’t know how to correctly assess or pray about a difficult situation. This verse also says we know not “what” we should pray. That word “what” is a Greek word that depicts something very small. This reveals that we don’t know the little details and the hidden problems in that situation. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot perceive the entire picture. We don’t have the know-how to deal with possible challenges that might come up in that situation.

Verse 26 continues, “For we know not what we should pray for as we ought….” The Holy Spirit has the best way to pray regarding each issue. Not knowing what we ought to pray means that on our own, we can’t pray so that need will be met. Without the Holy Spirit’s cooperation, we don’t know how to pray as each need requires. But God’s Spirit comes to remove our weaknesses and to help us in our inadequacies to know what to pray. He partners with us in prayer to remove any demonic oppression that holds us captive in our weaknesses.

The very end of verse 26 reveals that it’s the Holy Spirit’s responsibility to carry the weight of prayer for us: “But the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”  The word “intercession” is the Greek word “huperentugchano,” which means to fall in with. When we “fall” into a dilemma, the Holy Spirit “falls in” with us, helping us overcome the obstacle we face. This Greek word also presents the idea of coming together with someone in their experience. He is with us in our circumstances. He supplicates intensely for us “with groaning that cannot be uttered.” The Holy Spirit is always interceding for us. When we are joined with Him in intercession, He rescues us from our weaknesses.

When the enemy creates a pit for you to fall into, and you, being unaware of his scheme, fall right into it, you can do one of two things. You can feel sorry for yourself, complain, and stay trapped there, or you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you. When you invite Him, He begins to supplicate and intercede for you, and to move on your behalf. Right there at the bottom of that pit, the Holy Spirit comes together with you in prayer against the problems that are preventing your deliverance. He meets you right where you are in your trouble and begins to help you in your weaknesses. He says, “I’m going to grab onto this problem with you, and together we’re going to push against it until it is gone.”

Now you experience a surge of renewed strength coursing through you, propelling you to pray! You seize the spiritual weapons God has given you to overcome the enemy! The Holy Spirit takes hold of your weaknesses, and He keeps pushing with you against that problem until it is removed from your life for good.

If you’ve fallen into a deep pit and don’t know how to get out, never forget that the Holy Spirit is right there with you, and He’s prepared to help you. Just begin to pray, knowing that in your weakness, He is strong. He will empower you and remove every obstacle that stands in the way of your deliverance.