ICS Daily Devotions
Overcoming The Struggles
Mark 4:14-20 (NKJV) The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 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.”
We have established that the seed is the Word. There is nothing wrong with the seed. There is power in the seed. With the help of the Holy Spirit and mature Christians, the seed can begin to grow. But there will only be so much success without good soil. The good news is soil can be cultivated. Cultivating the soil means dealing with the condition of our hearts. When we deal with the condition of our hearts, then we move towards being fruitful and giving abundant witness with our lives.
Satan is aware that there is tremendous power in the seed or the Word of God. He acts swiftly to take the seed away so that it will not take root. Or, there might be underlying issues in our lives that needs to be dealt with so that the Word can really take root and bear fruit in our lives. And, if we are not careful to guard our mind then it might create concern, fear and slowly make a foothold in our thought life. The overwhelming deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for the false glamour in life chokes and suffocates the word.
But being appreciative of our salvation should be the very foundation of our Christian life and we should guard this truth jealously in our hearts. If we feel that are hearts are full of thorns, or stony ground, or is by the wayside, we can pull out the thorns, remove the stones, and loosen the ground.
Do not be that person who was touched by a sermon on Sunday but forgets it by Monday! If your Christian experience is based more on emotion than on truth, you will have no deep roots. You will fall away when tribulation and persecution come into your life. And Jesus wants us to allow the Word to take root in our lives so that we can stand firm in the midst of tribulation and persecution. He does not want us to fall away because we have been very shallow in our faith or have no solid conviction.
There are two kingdoms in this world, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness. While we have been transferred into the Kingdom of God, inevitably we are still in this world where the god of this age influences us greatly. Circumstances in our lives bring anxiety and cause us to be deceived by riches. We are lured to desire other things, instead of letting the word take root in our lives.
We are being bombarded daily by the world through different media, powerful tools that form our thinking and values either directly or subtly. If we are not careful to guard our minds, then these worldly distractions then might create fear and slowly worm their ways into positions of power in our hearts. We will operate in the world’s ways unless we renew our mind with the word. When the world’s way is stronger than the word in our heart, then the seed of the Word of God will be choked.
Ultimately, we have two options: We can live either in fear, or in faith. As Christians, we should be living in faith. We should not be meditating on the negative but should live by the promises of our God. Faith is meditating on the truth that brings peace.
Proverbs 23:7 says “For as he thinks in his hearts, so is he.” This means that we will behave based on what we are thinking in our heart. If we are full of worries and anxiety then we will behave and react to situations based on what is in our hearts. If it is anxiety and cares, then we will live full of fear. If we have the word built up in us, then we will walk in faith and peace.
As Christians, we know that Jesus told us the remedy for our worries: to seek him wholeheartedly. Then he will provide for all our needs. When our trust is in riches, then we will feel stressed and miserable when things don’t happen our way. Our priorities in life will be driven by the need to make more money. Therefore, we must deal with cares and anxieties by meditating on the word of truth so that God’s joy and grace can sustain us. We have to guard the seed, water it, and trust that God will make it grow in our hearts. When we cast our cares upon Him, the seed of the Word will remain in our hearts, and it will grow from faith to faith.
Series: Church Anniversary Celebration
