#46 “Identifying Barrier: To Answered Prayer!” 

“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom

 and does not understand it, the evil one comes and

snatches away what was sown in his heart!”

Matthews 13:19

New International Version (NIV)

 

I love the story of “The Sewer Sows the Word” because it is such a true word of how we each take the word of God. Let’s take a closer look at this story.  I remember before I give my life to the Lord, picking up the bible trying to read it. However it just did not make sense to me, although I read it if did not produce fruit because me understanding was not clear.  

“Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road. The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.” When we do not receive and retain the word we hear it cannot produce a crop from the seed which was planted in our hearts. You remember the old saying, “in one ear and out the other” well that’s just what it’s like when we hear the word but don’t absorb it. Satan steals it from us because we didn’t absorb it into our hearts.

You don’t have to be concern that the enemy will steal your money or property or even your health, he wants to destroy you and the best way to do that is to steal the words of life from your heart. Once the word is sown in various types of soils they product different result. Each of these soil types is very similar to people’s different attitudes. The reason the enemy immediately steals the word of God is because he knows that if we ever really grasp and apply the words he and his kingdom would be in big trouble.  We must consciously apply what we read from the word of God so that the enemy want make us forget what we have read and learned.

This is why the some passages in the word of God end with, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear, what the Spirit is saying?”Matthew 13:9 Mark 7:16 and Luke 14:35 Why? Because there is both spiritual and physical hearing and sometimes we listen with our physical ears but still miss what the spirit is saying to us. When we hear what the Spirit is saying His words will be established in our hearts, and cause us to be blessed.  “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:23-25)

Now here’s how the living bible says it, “let this message sink into the ears of anyone who listens to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”  I like that, “let it soak in” this is what we don’t often do, because we are trying to do other things and don’t have time. This is why meditation is important we discuss that in a previous lesion on the “Discipline of Prayer” you may recall it if not check the archives and go back and read that teaching it will be very helpful. Just remember that this is not transcendental meditation this is biblical medication which is very much different.  

In closing let us recall the instruction given to Joshua before he became the new leader of the Israelites, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and have good success”. (Joshua 1:8)  If we are to succeed in pray and intercession we must hide the word of God in our hearts and not allow the enemy to steal it from us. We must become walking sponges absorbing up everything we can get of the word and then put every bit of it into practice. 

My Prayer: Father thank you for your word which brings light to the darkness. Thank you for opening our eyes both naturally and spiritually, to your world and kingdom. Father as we study your word makes us like sponges and cause us to absorb everything we can in order to share it with someone else tomorrow. Help us to meditate in your word so that we will not lose sight of it. Help us to keep your word hid in our hearts.  In Jesus Name Amen!! 

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

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