#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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