Enemies of faith
"So faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God," Romans 10:17.
Read Mark 4:13-20
To those hear and love God’s Word,
Faith in God comes when you have heard God. God speaks in many different ways, but the foundation that He always speaks from is His Word. He and His Word are one. God's spoken Word, and His written Word will always be in agreement. The Word of God is "spiritual seed" (1 Peter 1:23) It is "pre-programmed" by God [because It is God] to reproduce His character and nature within us. It is through this invisible seed that God speaks to us, revealing greater dimensions of Who He is. The Word "implanted" brings forth Kingdom life. Like sperm and egg, when the Word reaches a fertile heart and is incubated in an environment of faith, new creations of God are born. Satan will do anything to deceive us into "contracepting" or aborting this process.
This passage in Mark 4 reveals the basic methods that the enemy uses to steal the Word. It's sad to think how many times we have allowed him to rob us of God’s most precious treasure. Let's take a close look at each so that we are not "ignorant of satan's schemes."
The Word sown on the:
-
Roadside -- People distracted while God is sharing His Word (could include tiredness, random thoughts and ideas, wrong emotions and feelings, and other distractions during devotional times, church services, etc.)
-
Stony ground -- People who grow very rapidly but have no spiritual depth. This is because of their refusal to grow through pain and suffering. Persecution and tribulation come from the enemy (allowed by God to test the Word that has been sown, or rather the heart that it was sown in). These people stumble under real pressure.
-
Thorns -- Word is "choked" by cares of the world, deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for things.
-
Good ground -- The one who has been tested and found to truly love God. This person is willing to overcome all in order to know Him. He or she is fertile and used by God to produce much fruit!
Once you understand how necessary the Word of God is to spiritual life, you can begin to combat the enemy’s tactics. Purpose in your heart and mind that you will do all in your power to make your heart a fertile place for His seed. Unite each Word from God with faith so that more faith can be harvested. Use your increasing faith to exercise more of His Word. As the Word and faith increase in your life, you will find yourself in a whole new dimension of living. Nothing is impossible to those who will let God lead them to this place!
Until God graces me to share again,
Randall Paul Pipes
| |
