The Suffocated Believer

21 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by eisakouo in The Strange & Unusual Voice of God

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choke out the God-life, choose religious faith, corrie ten boom, giving the garden a chance to express itself, Luke 8:7 & 14, parable of the sower, pleasures, pull up the weeds, riches, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, spiritual garden, the goal of maturity, to grab by the throat and suffocate, worries

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. Luke 8:7 & 14

Jesus’ parable of the sower moves on to the person who receives God’s word and honestly seeks to live for Christ. Like other believers, they profess faith in the Lord, join a church, and move ahead. The problem doesn’t show up immediately. According to the Lord, they are not willing to sever themselves from the world. This neglect isn’t fatal at first, but eventually the weeds choke out the God-life within them.

Jesus uses a graphic word to explain the reality of this situation. The word “choke” means “to grab by the throat and suffocate by drowning.” We may not think the world has this type of impact on our life but the Lord does. So many things are choking the Word of God out today as it did in Jesus’ day. Jesus organizes them in three categories… “life’s worries, riches and pleasures.”

Life is all about choices. If we spend most of our time and energy on worry, riches and pleasure, then we have little or no precious time to tend to our spiritual garden. The seeds of God which sprouted and were growing become choked and eventually suffocated by our own neglect.

I can’t tell you how many times the Lord has actually spoken to my wife and me about our own personal lives as being a garden. It is the single easiest way to understand spiritual growth. It is an analogy take keeps on giving. The Lord has used this illustration to talk with us personally about what He is doing or needs to do to bring real spiritual growth into our lives.

If you ever wonder what God’s goal is for your life, then read the last word of verse 14. The Lord is seeking to bring “maturity” to your life. It doesn’t happen instantly. Anyone who has worked in a garden knows this fact. But when we are faithful to God’s plan, eventually we will bear fruit and the process is repeated over and over.

Listen, I don’t know of any believer who has not battled the weeds of worry, riches and pleasure. All believers have felt these issues grip their spiritual throats. I believe it is time to not simply cut them down, but pull these nasty weeds up by the root. Weeds grow faster than plants. It is imperative we deal with them once-and-for-all.

British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge once had a discussion with a man who firmly believed that children should not be given formal religious instruction, but should be free to choose their own religious faith when they reached maturity. Coleridge did not disagree, but later invited the man into his somewhat neglected garden. “Do you call this a garden?” the visitor exclaimed. “There is nothing but weeds here!”
“Well, you see,” Coleridge replied, “I did not wish to infringe upon the liberty of the garden in any way. I was just giving the garden a chance to express itself.”

Blessings,

Pastor

Sowing, Sowing, Gone!

12 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by eisakouo in The Strange & Unusual Voice of God

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four different responses, Johnny Appleseed, Mark 4:13, meanest woman I know, parable of the sower, parables of jesus, the Father sows His word, the most important parable, wife with a hearing problem

Johnny Appleseed was said to plant apple seeds everywhere he went. He was a prolific caster of seed. He planted seeds because he wanted to see a harvest of apple trees in his wake.

The parable of the Sower was one of the most well-known parables of Jesus. It may be the most important. Jesus even blasted His disciples for not understanding it’s meaning. “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?” (Mark 4:13) Jesus’ inference indicated that in order to unlock the mysteries of the kingdom it was imperative we understand this parable and it’s meaning. I am sure this was why this parable came first in the Gospel narratives.

God the Father is also a prolific sower. He sows twenty-four seven. He sows to all people at all times. Like Johnny Appleseed, the Lord is looking for a harvest. This is why I can always confidently say to you He will be speaking into your life this week, next week, next month, and next year. He has always been speaking and always will. Get this…The Lord even speaks and sows when we sin and are living in complete disobedience to His will. This parable confirms what I am saying. Whether we are good soil or bad, God sows.

Just because the Lord sows seed in our lives doesn’t mean we will be changed. This was why Jesus compared people to four different types of soil. Jesus said there were four different kinds of responses people made to the Word of God being sown in their life. Out of the four types of people, there was only one type which truly was committed to excellence in his or her walk with the Father.

I read about a lady who had a hearing problem. One day she and her husband were driving from Tennessee to Little Rock, Arkansas. They were pulled over by a state trooper who asked if the husband knew how fast he was driving. The wife asked, “What did he say?” The husband replied, “HE ASKED IF I KNEW THAT I WAS SPEEDING.”
Looking at the driver’s license the trooper said, “I see you’re not from around here.” The husband said, “No, we are from Memphis.” The wife again asked, “What did you say?” The husband told her, “I SAID WE ARE FROM MEMPHIS.”
The state trooper then commented, “You know, the meanest woman I ever met was from Memphis.” The wife again asked, “What did he say?” The husband replied, “HE SAYS HE THINKS HE KNOWS YOU!”

The Lord knows us each intimately. In order to know Him, we must deal with the issues which are detrimental to our hearing Him speak. Follow me in the next few blogs and lets deal with those issues. The Lord will be speaking to you. The only question is will you be able to hear and respond to Him.

Blessings,

Pastor

This Little Light of Mine

06 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Receiving Revelation

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let your light so shine, Mark 4:21-23, parable of the light, parable of the sower, real time spiritual insight

²¹ And He was saying to them,“A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lamp stand? ²² For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:21-23

This verse takes me back to my first grade Sunday School class. Maybe you remember singing a song called, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” The thrust of this song was to not let the wind, the devil, or a basket cover your light. In other words, keep that light shining at all cost! I can remember holding my little finger up, purposing not to let my light get snuffed out! I was tough back in the first grade. Hey, life was simple back in the those days.

We all want to be lights and this is a good thing. Before we can be lights for the Lord, we must have something in our hearts to shine. Let me draw a distinction between receiving a word from the Lord versus letting that word shine. In our passage Jesus purposefully places this parable about being a light right after the parable of the sower. The words or revelations we receive from the Lord should be finding good soil and growing to maturity in our heart. Revelations are real-time spiritual insight and information about God, the Bible, others, and life in general. We desperately need this type of information. If we are obedient to God’s revelation, it changes everything about us.

When God’s word matures in us, then it can become light for others to observe. Light then is how we project our words and revelations to others. The first group of people who are going to see our light is our close family and friends. Usually God’s first words to us are about how we are to interact and respond to those closest to us. Why? This immediate circle is the place where we will have our greatest impact. As our circle spreads out, our light should impact school, work, and other friends. Jesus states later, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works.” Most of the time we do not have to be aggressive witnesses for this group to know we love the Lord. We live is such a way that they see our light. As someone once said, “Preach the Word and if needed use words.”

Unfortunately some never go through the maturity process to allow their words from the Lord to shine. We want to be light! Real light must originate from real revelation. If we fail to allow this process to happen, we will only beam our own personal light. Which light would you rather project…God’s light or your light?

I encourage you to stick with the process God has you in today. Allow His word to flourish in your life. Only then will your light be one that will truly reach your family and friends.

Blessings,

Pastor