November 25th
5“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
The Parable of the Revealed Light
16 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 17For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. 18Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” Luke 8:5-8,11-18 NKJV
“Is this on? Can you hear me? Testing one, two, three,” the man said as he checked the microphone prior to the speech. That’s kind of what I envisioned as I read this parable. Jesus used this parable to illustrate the importance of hearing the Word properly. As I read it through, I was impressed with the thought that some people may not be walking in freedom because they’re not hearing God’s Word in the way that they need to.
The first question we can ask ourselves is “Am I connecting to sources of the Word?” Such things as studying the Bible in our quiet times and listening to the Sunday sermon or teaching videos are sources for the Word. At the very least, we need to be connected to sources of God’s Word.
Next we can ask ourselves, “Am I hearing the word and applying it to my life?” Jesus gave three examples of how our hearing and application of the Word can be hindered:
- The devil takes away the Word from the heart, so that the person will not believe (12)
- The person lacks “firm roots” – initially they hear and receive the Word with joy, but fall away in times of temptation (13)
- The person goes their way after hearing the Word and it is choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures. As a result, the Word bears no fruit to maturity in them.
If we’re having difficulties such as these Jesus mentioned, we can pray accordingly. For example, if we’re having trouble believing the Word, we can rebuke the devil from stealing the Word from our heart and ask God to protect it. If we’re falling away in times of temptation, we can ask God to lead us in developing firm roots through sources such as discipleship and accountability. If we’re being choked by life’s worries, riches or pleasures, we can ask God to help us release things to his control so that we can receive the peace of God (Philippians 4:6-7).
Our goal should be to hear with an honest and good heart, hold fast to it and bear fruit with perseverance (15 NASB). I believe this is the heart condition necessary for achieving and maintaining freedom from sexual addictions.
Questions for further thought:
What things might impinge upon our having an honest and good heart? (Hebrews 3:13, Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 28:9)
What tools might the devil use to steal or erode our faith in God’s Word? (Genesis 3:1-6, 2 Corinthians 1:8, Job 2:8-10)
What does it mean to hold fast to God’s Word? (Joshua 1:8, James 1:2-5)
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of your Word. It is life to my soul and a light to my path. My prayer is that I will hear your Word and put it to practice every day. Please forgive me for any sin that I’ve tolerated in my life. If there is anything that is not right in my heart, Lord please convict me of it now, so that I may confess and repent from it. (Pause for a moment of silent prayer & revelation from the Holy Spirit). I confess that I have sinned by: _________________ (specify). Please cleanse me by the blood of Jesus. I desire to hold fast to the word and bear fruit with perseverance in my walk with you. Please lead me in the way I should go. Thank you, Lord! I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.”
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