The Perfect Seed~

Greetings, all you precious saints of the Lord!

Today we continue with our lessons in farming.  The most important thing to remember is that God has given 

each of us the perfect seed; if we plant it in rich earth, it guarantees a bumper crop!  What is this seed?  

Luke 11:8 “The seed is the Word of God.”

God’s Word needs to be planted and take root in our lives because, “There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing us the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us (2 Timothy 3:16-17).”

After reading these two verses I realize that there’s a lot at stake.  I want – make that I need – to make sure that the soil of my heart is receptive to receiving God’s Word because when my faith is optimized, when I have all the truth I need to address the problems in my life, when my hard-headed and prideful ways get in the way of enjoying relationships and God gently nudges me to make things right, when I love the way God wants me to love, and when I am able to serve my family and others, well then, that’s when life is joyful and worth living!

The key is to plant in rich, fertile soil because while God offers the same seed to everyone, where it’s planted is quite another.  This paragraph from yesterday’s DEVO reveals some hindrances to that seed being successfully planted:

Birds eat up the seeds, seeds land in gravel

and don’t grow for a lack of good roots, and

seeds fall on weeds and try to grow but those

weeds strangle them. 

How do we prepare the soil to avoid these pitfalls?  We will continue with our farming series next week, but in the meantime, let’s ask God to begin the process by protecting the seed He has given us from those hungry pesky birds and by gently removing any gravel or weeds that might be growing in our gardens.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, So much gets in the way of Your life-saving, joy-giving Word from taking root and growing into a beautiful crop of blessings.  Help us today to be receptive and ready to all the good You want to do in us and to all the good You want us to do.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Rich Earth~

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn’t have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop (Luke 8:4-8 Message Version).”

Greetings~

I read everyday by choice.  No one is forcing me, and this shocks the people in my family.  None of them reads for relaxation or for fun; they only read when it’s required.  I love getting all cozy under Rayray’s old pink and white and tattered quilt – a relic from her teenage years – putting on my +1.25 reading glasses, loudly announcing that “I am going on an imaginary escapade with the cast of characters who are in the book I am reading at the moment so don’t bother me,” and locking the door!

If my door is locked, no one dares interrupt unless there is an emergency. And it is behind that locked door where I immerse myself in all kinds of adventures.  Mostly spy, but I am truly drawn to anything that’s lying around.  That’s how I found out I was married to a farmer.  Well, the etymology of Jorge’s name means, “farmer, a person engaged in agriculture, which is the cultivation of plants used to sustain and enhance human life.” (Thank you, Wikipedia).

And we would all be wise to be farmers ourselves.  It is vital to our Christian lives to produce a crop, and when we do, we too will “sustain and enhance human life,” mostly our own.

 Lots of stuff, however, gets in the way of successful farming.  Birds eat up the seeds, seeds land in gravel and don’t grow for a lack of good roots, and seeds fall on weeds and try to grow but those weeds strangle them.  But then there’s the seed that falls on rich earth.  It produces a bumper crop – an overflow, extravagant, and over abundance of blessings.

But what exactly does the seed represent? And the birds, gravel, and weeds? How about rich earth?  We will look at each of these in the next few DEVOs, but here’s a sneak peak.  “Rich earth” is symbolic of those people who with good, noble, perfect, and honest hearts are able to produce what is good no matter what! That’s what we want for us and our families!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Prepare our hearts to be rich earth.  This is the kind of soil that allows for an overflow of wonderful blessings, and that’s something we all need. In Jesus’ name, Amen~

Aim Your Slingshot!

Thursday greetings~

David has been such an inspiration to us, and today we will wrap it up with a powerful reminder:

Aim your slingshot at the giants in your life because with God on your side, the giants will fall!

Don’t aim your frustration, fears, doubts, powers of persuasion, or anger.  Aim your slingshot, and by slingshot I mean prayer.  Look what that little slingshot did against a nine foot nine inch monster.  The same that having a little conversation with God can do – it will destroy your enemy and give you victory! 

What are you facing?

Here are a few messes my friends are dealing with right now:

Separation,

Disease,

Unemployment,

Rebellious Child,

Unhappiness,

Anxiety,

Discouragement…

Endless list, perhaps, but then again, I have also said that God’s ability and desire to help us is endless as well!

Psalm 59:9-10 “You are my strength, I watch for You; You, God, are my fortress, my God on Whom I can rely. The God who loves me will help me; God will enable me to triumph over my enemies.”

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are our strength.  You are our fortress. Thank You that we can rely on You.  You are reliable, You are trustworthy, You love us, and You are the One Who gives us the ability to triumph over our enemies!  Give it to us now, in Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Standing in Victory~

Greetings,

“This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:46-47)

Last DEVO left us thinking about David’s courageous statement above, and praise God Almighty, that is exactly what happened. 

“As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.  Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”  (1 Samuel 17:48-50)

David met his nemesis head on.  He did not hesitate, retreat, or surrender.  Those are three “do nots” we should all apply to prayer.

When we do not hesitate to pray, do not retreat in prayer, do not surrender in supplication, our giants will fall.

More importantly, we will be left standing in victory!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, with You by our side, our enemies will fall and we will stand tall in victory.  Help us to have the courage to face every single one of our challenges and to never give up.  A famous author/preacher by the name of Mark Batterson said, “God is always stage right. He’s ready to make His grand entrance. All He is waiting for is your prayer cue.”  Here’s Your cue, Lord.  Enter in and help us!  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

No Such Thing as a Fair Fight~

Ok, I’ll admit it, I watch The Celebrity Apprentice.  I especially enjoy watching someone step up to the plate and say they will be Project Manager.  It’s a leadership role that is loaded with responsibility; more often than not, if the Project Manager’s team loses the task, he or she is the one who gets fired.  At the beginning of each episode, after the task is explained, Mr. Trump asks each team who will lead them.  Sometimes a person volunteers, and when that happens, everyone else on the team is relieved and Mr. Trump will say, “Ok. Get out of here!”

This is what happened in David’s case.  After he confidently states his credentials, King Saul had only one reasonable response: "All right, go ahead," he said. "And may the LORD be with you!" (1 Samuel 17:37).

And without further adieu, David “took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag, and with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” (v.40)

It is kind of laughable that someone would go confront a man over nine feet tall with five stones and a slingshot, but 1 Corinthians 1:27 explains that “God chooses what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame.”  

Goliath’s reaction shows he was insulted.  “He looked at David and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.  ‘Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? Come here and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” (vs 42-44).

Goliath was looking for an actual fight; he was not expecting this peach-fuzzed face to be much of a challenge.  The truth is both these men were champions in their own right, and to the naked eye, Goliath seemed to have the upper hand.  But there was one glaring enormous difference between them, and I am not talking about their size: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.” (vs 45-47). 

When God is on our side, there is no such thing as a fair fight.  Nothing and no one can come even remotely close to out powering our Lord.  David against Goliath? Goliath wins.  David, as a humble servant who allows God to fight through him against Goliath? Goliath is going down!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, when we face the messes of life alone, we will lose.  But with You, the Lord Almighty on our side, with You fighting the battle, we have victory!  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

The Teeth of the Lion, The Claws of the Bear, and Philistines~

1 Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him Who gives me strength.”

Last time we checked, David the shepherd boy had volunteered to fight the giant.  King Saul tried to dissuade him, reminding him that Goliath had been a “warrior” since his youth, but “David persisted.”   He was only a boy but he was a prepared one; even though his title was shepherd and not warrior, David had confronted some things in his past that equipped him to face Goliath. 

I Samuel 17: 34-37 David said, “I’ve been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I’d go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I’d grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I’ll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive.  God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine.”

Glory hallelujah!  That’s an inspiring response if ever I have heard one! David is so confident because he has a proven track record with God. 

A few years ago I had a friend whose son was being tested for testicular cancer.  She was so calm that it actually unnerved me.  I flat out asked her one day how she could have so much peace, and her response both blessed me and made me feel like a faithless ding dong.  “Yenise, God has done so much for me already that I know He will help me no matter what the diagnosis is.”  Her son, praise God, DID NOT have cancer, but that conversation has stuck with me all these years, and so I ask: Has God ever delivered us from something before?  YES YES YES HE HAS, which is why, like David, and like my friend, we can face any threats that come our way.      

Notice, however, that while David did the wringing and killing, he credits God with being the One who delivered him.  Other versions of the Bible say, “God rescued me,” and “God saved me.  David also credits God for the positive outcome he expects when he goes out to fight Goliath. 

There are things we have to do, and some of those things include facing lions, bears, and Philistines.  But God is with us each step of the way, and He will deliver, rescue, and save us.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You are a Deliverer, a Rescuer, and a Savior.  We face so many things in our lives, but You equip us to handle it all. The teeth of the lion the claws of the bear, and Philistines are no match for us with You on our side! In Jesus’ name, AMEN~  

But David Persisted...

Hebrews 10:30 “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.”

How do we overcome the “Goliaths” in our lives? We follow the example of a young shepherd boy named David.  He was the youngest of eight boys, and his three older brothers had already joined the army and were among those who were fearful of Goliath.  David’s job was to tend sheep and run errands.  One day his dad asked him to take some bread and cheese to his brothers and their captain, and that simple request changed the course of the battle.

When David arrived with the gifts, it was just in time to “hear Goliath shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.” (I Samuel 17:23)  David witnessed the Israeli army running away in fright.  He was shocked and asked, “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” (v.26)

David asks a great question!  How dare anyone or anything, much less a pagan, be allowed to confront, mock, oppose, provoke, ridicule, dishonor, and insult the armies – in our case – the children – of the living God?

And yet, when challenged, I ran away in fear.  Ooops! I mean, they ran away in fear.   Sometimes we do that, don’t we?  Facing the opponent is something we would rather not do. 

Nevertheless, David’s question was so thought-provoking that the king sent for him.  As soon as David meets with the king he says, ‘Don’t worry about this Philistine. I’ll go fight him!” (v. 32)  King Saul replied, “Don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” (v.33) “But David persisted…” (v.34)

Important truth of the day: When Goliath comes at you, even if everyone around you is running away or telling you it can’t be done, determine in your heart that you will fight anyway.    

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You expect us, Your children, to fight our enemies.  You expect us to stand up to anything or anyone that comes against us or our families.  Renew that fighting spirit within us.  We will not give in or give up.  Thank you that prayer is our number one, most effective weapon.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~  

We Are OVERCOMERS!

I Samuel 17:1-11, 16 (The Message version) The Philistines drew up their troops for battle. Saul and the Israelites came together, camped at Oak Valley, and spread out their troops in battle readiness for the Philistines. A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.  Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, “Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? Pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you’ll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!”  When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine’s challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope. Each morning and evening for forty days, Goliath took his stand and made his speech.

Greetings in the mighty name of the Lord!

This passage is a little long, but I think we can all relate to it.  We have all faced battles where our opposition stands way taller than we do and maybe even has superior weapons that seem invincible, we feel taunted and teased, “You’re never going to get better, you’re never going to get married, you’re never going to have victory over that temptation, you’re never going to get out of debt, you’re kids will never amount to anything, you’re never going to have healing in your relationship…”  We do not even want to fight – or pray sometimes – because we are terrified and/or have lost all hope.  And sometimes the fear is prolonged.  How can anyone live in a constant state of fear? And yet we do.

And our gracious God knows this, which is why Samuel 17 is a chapter in the Bible.  It was written to show us that we are OVERCOMERS!  And for the next few days we will explore all the powerful truths that we can apply in our lives from this portion of scripture.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, It’s useless to try and hide how we feel; You know us so well.  We have all faced Goliaths, and many of us are facing one right now.  And for many of us, this giant has been in our face for more than 40 days and nights.  But we turn to You for guidance, protection, and peace, and we thank You that Your Bible is powerful and able to help.  We look forward to nourishing our souls so that we can live with joy and calmness in the knowledge of Your unending care for us.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~