ICS Daily Devotions
The Fruit of Our Hearts
Mark 4:3-9 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The condition of our heart determines the outcome of our lives. The soil represents the condition of our hearts. We have the right to determine the condition of our heart and allow it to produce thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold in our lives. Nobody can do it for us, neither are we able to decide for others regarding the condition of their heart. We can pray for them but we can decide for ourselves now.
The devil can influence and create doubt in our mind by manipulating the circumstances. If our faith is based on our senses, then we will have a “roller coaster” faith. The devil may be able to manipulate the circumstances. However, if our heart has decided to believe the Word and is fully convinced that what has been spoken to us from His Word is true, then our faith is really anchored in His Word, character and ability to honor His Word! The good ground or the condition of our heart determines the outcome of the fruit that is produced by the Word. We have the power to decide in our heart what we want!
Matt 13:31-32 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
The mustard seed is a very small seed. It is very tiny but if it germinates and takes root, it will grow into a tree. Once it grows into a tree, the roots are deep and it holds the tree to the ground so that the tree will be immovable in a stormy season. It is so strong that even birds can come and nest in its branches. Once a Christian is deeply rooted in his or her conviction that comes from the Word, it produces faith and the person will be immovable and become a blessing to others! This Christian will be able to provide counsel, love, care and stand in faith with someone who is weaker in faith and in need of help.
This is how the Kingdom of God operates while we are on this earth. We take hold of the word, speak for what we believe and will not be moved by the natural circumstances because we know that it is the devil who is attempting to steal the Word.
Mark 4:20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
The key to prevent the devil from stealing from our lives is to ensure that the condition of our heart is right. When the condition of our heart is right, we will bear fruits in our lives as God intended!
Sermon series: There is power in the seed
