Category Archives: Jesus
Shallowness
Mark 4:16-17 “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” (NIV)
The first growth trap that keeps people where they are in spite of all the power that is available to them is Familiarity. The second trap of growth is Shallowness. Mark 4:16-17 “The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.” The roots cannot go down because underneath the surface is a rock. Some people look so nice and shiny on the surface, the best selfies, so articulate, so anointed, and they know the right scripture to post. But underneath is a layer of rock preventing roots from growing.
Matthew 13:21 “But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.” The truth is that none of us includes problems in our growth plan for the year, or does your growth plan for the year include problems? Even the goals card I designed, which we include in the devotional, does not include problems. We don’t include problems in our own growth plans but guess what? God does for us. Or rather, He allows it to happen because real growth happens in times of difficulty. When the sun hits, what makes you someone who weathers the season instead of withering because of the season? The answer is roots.
I pray that God will break up every rock underneath your soil that is preventing your roots from going downward. And your soil will become fertile in the Name of Jesus. Have you seen trees that seem to withstand any and every season no matter how extreme? Trees that are dry with zero leaves in one season and boisterous with plenty of leaves in another. What makes the same tree that was dried out and withered survive and is ready to bloom and blossom during another season? The answer is the tree had roots deep in the ground. As long as you are rooted, you will survive the seasons in the Name of Jesus.
Pay attention to your roots because as long as you remain rooted, seasons will come, and seasons will go. But you will remain bearing fruit in Jesus Name. Roots help you to weather the difficulties of life. Do you want to flourish quickly, or do you want to painstakingly grow roots? I don’t know about you, but I want both. And most of us, if you are honest, we want the two. But the challenge is that the two do not happen simultaneously.
Prayer: Father, deliver me from the trap of familiarity and shallowness, in Jesus Name. Amen!
Now!
Hebrews 3:15 “But now is the time. Never forget the warning, “Today if you hear God’s voice speaking to you, do not harden your hearts against him…” (LB)
The third thing that causes and strengthens familiarity is Declaring Without Doing. The problem is we tend to blame the things we are familiar with as the hinderance to our personal growth. Read the rest of this entry
Get Busy
Romans 2:13 “Merely hearing God’s law is a waste of your time if you don’t do what he commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.” (MSG)
I am sure you know people who always sit in the same seat in church. In fact, even ushers don’t want trouble, they just allow them. Why do we do that? We do that because we have become familiar. Read the rest of this entry
Mindful
Ezekiel 36:26 “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”
Let’s start with a quick recap. Familiarity is the first trap of growth that keeps people where they are despite all the power available to them. The first thing that causes familiarity is Hearing Without Responding. Read the rest of this entry
The Danger
James 1:22 “Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!” (TPT)
The first trap of growth that keeps people where they are despite all the power available to them is, Familiarity. The danger of familiarity is this; it is not the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, or the purposes of Heaven that suffer. Read the rest of this entry
Familiarity
Matthew 13:10-11 “His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.
Mark 4:15 “Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” (NIV). Satan will not succeed in stealing the Word of God Read the rest of this entry
Hear This
Matthew 13:12 “To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
Matthew 13:9 “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” This scripture holds a secret. Are you ready for this? This secret is the key to the strength for growth. The key to strength for growth is HEARING. Read the rest of this entry
Designed To
Matthew 13:9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
For enlargement to happen, growth is required. And for growth to occur strength is needed. Yet, even when we desire growth, we sometimes don’t have the strength to birth the new things that we envision. Read the rest of this entry
Go To God!
1 Chronicles 4:10 “He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.” (emphasis added).
Our first lesson from Jabez’s story of enlargement is that Even If You Were Cursed, You Can Prevail. Our second lesson from Jabez is that It Is Okay To Ask God To Bless You! Read the rest of this entry
The Flip
Ephesians 3:20 “Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all…” (TPT)
Think differently. Your experience of God is only limited to your revelation of God. Could it be that the things you are waiting on God to do for you, God wants you to take hold of them yourself? Read the rest of this entry
