GOOD SOIL, BAD SOIL
“I don’t have anything I want to say to Him,” the words flew out of my mouth like a jab.
“The only way you’re going to get through this is by focusing on Him,” Credo said with a small laugh. “So find the words sooner rather than later.”
I wanted his words to fall flat, but they floated around in my mind instead. Later that day, he sent me scriptures about enduring hardship, the purpose of suffering, and suffering with joy. I had read all these scriptures before, assuming I understood their weight and how to apply them—but clearly, I didn’t. In the midst of my hardship, my heart was hardening, and my memory of all that God had done for me up until this point seemed to evaporate.
When we hear phrases like “perfecting our faith,” “made complete, lacking nothing,” and “sanctified and useful,” we often associate them with a sense of glamour. But the truth is, anything being made perfect or complete must go through a refining process. We don’t come to God perfect, nor do we arrive useful. It’s through His pruning, stretching, molding, and stripping that we are transformed into the version of ourselves that He intended. How are we stretched and molded? Through our experiences, testings, sufferings, trials, and the revelation of His scripture.
to be made perfect by god requires complete surrender
In the New Testament scripture is littered with parables. All of which explain a mystery of God or the kingdom of God. In Matthew 13 Jesus begins telling a parable about a sower. This sower sowed some seed and his seed fell on stony places lacking earth (Matthew 13:5-6), on thorns (Matthew 13:7), and good soil (Matthew 13:8). Remembering that all parables were representative of a larger biblical truth let’s investigate what Jesus really wanted us to know.
Matthew 13:19 (AMP) “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom [regarding salvation] and does not understand and grasp it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.”
Hearing the word is not enough. Understanding, application, and renewed revelation through Christ deeply roots the word in our heart. How can you improve your understanding of God’s word?
Lack of understanding and revelation of God’s word makes us vulnerable to the deception and attacks of the enemy.
If the enemy is snatching God’s word out our hearts, our defenses are down and we need to solider up.
Matthew 13:20-21 (AMP) “The one on whom seed was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and at once welcomes it with joy; yet he has no [substantial] root in himself, but is only temporary, and when pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles and falls away [abandoning the One who is the source of salvation]
Hearing and receiving the word without proper understanding, studying, and revelation from God will not be sustainable.
Emphasis on “pressure or persecution comes BECAUSE of the word.” What does this mean? There is guaranteed pressure and persecution because of the word we believe.
When there is no depth to our understanding and knowledge of God we are more susceptible to falling away from the faith and abandoning Him.
Matthew 13:22 (AMP) “And the one on whom seed was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the worries and distractions of the world and the deceitfulness [the superficial pleasures and delight] of riches choke the word, and it yields no fruit”
Anxiety, distraction, worldly pleasure and riches, is deadly soil for the word of God. What makes up the “soil” of your life and heart?
It is impossible to serve worldly passions and kingdom passions at the same time. We will have to choose.
Matthew 13:23 (AMP) “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands and grasps it; he indeed bears fruit and yields, some a hundred times [as much as was sown], some sixty [times as much], and some thirty.”
Good soil= hearing, understanding, and grasping. Grasping means to seize or to hold firmly. We have to hear the word, understand it through the revelation given to us, and FIRMLY HOLD onto our understanding.
The capacity to which we bear fruit depends on the quality of our soil.
Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. 1 peter 5:7
In scripture, Satan is described as crafty and deceitful, a murderer and thief, an adversary and the prince of darkness. He was able to tempt Eve by exploiting her lack of understanding and knowledge—something we now know allows Satan to snatch the word out of our hearts. He also tried to tempt Jesus, but because of Jesus’s deeply rooted understanding and revelation of God’s word, He was able to stand firm.
God has warned us in His word that we will face trials of every kind. He has told us that the devil lurks around, looking for someone to devour. He has instructed us to be firm in our faith and to guard our hearts, for everything flows from it. Yet, we often fail to do these things. We don’t study His word, we don’t seek His revelation, and we don’t use the tools He has given us. Then, when trials come, we curse Him for allowing them. We stop praying and stop seeking—all because of our own superficial understanding and unstable faith. Don’t allow Satan to steal another thing from you. Don’t allow lack of discipline or shifty emotions to dictate how and when you pursue God. It’s only by deepening our understanding of God’s word and surrendering to the perfecting of our faith that we can withstand and remain steadfast in the face of anything.
