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Understanding God's Word
Luke 8:12, 'Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.'
LUKE 8:4-13
The first type of person Jesus describes is someone who doesn't understand God's Word (Mt. 13:19). Before God's Word can penetrate your heart, you have to understand (not comprehend) what it's saying. If the Word isn't understood, then it will be like seed scattered on top of hard-packed ground (the wayside). The birds will eat the seed and there will be no fruit.
Mark 4:15 and Luke 8:12, make it clear that these birds represent Satan, and Mark says the devil comes immediately to steal away the Word. Satan did not have direct...
DO YOU DREAM OF GODLY THINGS? DREAMS OF YOU HEALING THE SICK, PREACHING TO THOUSANDS, OR EVEN RAISING THE DEAD? TAKE HEED OF THESE DREAMS AND DON'T JUST PASS THEM OFF AS IDLE THOUGHTS YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD BEFORE YOU WENT TO BED. GOD JUST MIGHT BE TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING.
God's Word: Use As Directed
Luke 8:11, 'Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.'
LUKE 8:4-11
This parable illustrates the importance of the Word of God. God's Word contains total power, but it has to be planted in our hearts and allowed to germinate before it releases that power.
The seed is God's Word, and the types of ground are the four major categories of men's hearts. The Word was the same in each situation, but there were different results in each case because of the condition of men's hearts - not because of the Word. The Word doesn't work for everyone because not everyone will allow the Word to work. The variable in this parable is the condition of these hearts. God's Word is always the same. It has the...
WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS TELL THEM WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THAT. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE THE BIBLE. YOU CAN QUOTE SCRIPTURE AFTER SCRIPTURE BUT IF THEY DON'T BELIEVE IT, THERE IS NOT MUCH YOU CAN DO EXCEPT PRAY FOR THEM. THAT IS WHY I DON'T START OFF BY TRYING TO SHOW THEM THINGS IN THE BIBLE. WHAT I DO IS TELL THEM THAT I KNOW HE IS ALIVE BECAUSE I FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM EVERY DAY AND I CAN FEEL HIS PRESENCE. I ALSO TELL THEM ABOUT HOW HE HAS HEALED ME MANY...
The Power Of God's Word
Luke 8:11, 'Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.'
LUKE 8:11-15
It is through the reading of the Word and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit that Christ in His fullness is known. What a privilege it is today to have God's Word in our own language. Six hundred years ago there was no English translation of the whole Bible. Thanks to the efforts of John Wycliffe (1384) and William Tyndale (1523), today we are able to read and understand the writings of the apostles for ourselves. Men gave their lives to bring us God's Word. We should take advantage of this wonderful privilege.
The piece of armor known as the 'sword of the Spirit' is the only piece of armor that has the ability to cut,...
HOW ARE YOU PRAYING?
Naturally Holy
Matthew 13:15, 'For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.'
MATTHEW 13:14-23
The word 'waxed' means 'to become gradually more intense or to increase' and shows that this condition of the heart is not something we are born with or that strikes us suddenly. It has to be nurtured over a prolonged period of time. This is why we should not violate our conscience, even in small things. Guarding our conscience will keep us sensitive to God and will stop our hearts from becoming hardened. If we will...
ARE YOU THE ONE?
God's Truths Belong To His Children
Matthew 13:11, 'He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.'
MATTHEW 13:1-13
The Greek word translated 'mystery' here, means 'something that could not be known by men except by divine revelation, but that, though once hidden, has now been revealed in Christ and is to be proclaimed so that all who have ears may hear it.'
God's truths are hidden for His children, not from them. God has given an open invitation to everyone to receive the spiritual rebirth which entitles them to the revelation of these mysteries of the Kingdom. But as stated in 1 Corinthians 2:14, a natural man cannot receive the...