The only way you are going to have FAITH is by hearing the Word of God.
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
God’s Word activates our FAITH.
Last post, we talk about examples in the Word of God, that when God spoke to them, they listened and stepped out in FAITH because “God said.”
God said moments are LIFE CHANGING!
God said moments move mountains!
God said moments gets you through the valleys.
God said moments puts in perspective the storms and how they will not destroy you.
You cannot look at the storm, the mountain, and the valley the same once you hear a spoken Word from God.
Man’s word cannot deliver the same promise.
Man’s word is flawed.
Man’s word falls short.
Man’s word is never a guarantee.
That is why who you are listening to matters.
If we are filling ourselves with voices that do not align with His Word, our spiritual foundations will begin to decay.
If we are absorbed with music that has lyrics that are not in sync with biblical values, our worship will begin to dwindle to the one true KING.
What you intake (or consume) will determine your outcome!
I have witnessed many that have fallen away because they did not have a firm and rooted biblical foundation and the philosophy of man swept them away.
In the Parable of the Sower, there are four different soils for the Word of God to fall on..
#1 – the wayside (footpath)
“The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.” Mark 4:15 NLT
Guzik writes, “Some people are like the ground on the pathway. This was hard ground because people walked on it all the time and beat it down into a path or a road. People like the wayside are hard to the word of God, and they allow no room for the seed of the word in their lives — it never enters.”
Poole comments, “There are some that hear the word, but never meditate upon it, never lay it to their hearts, never cover it with second thoughts.”
#2 – Stony Ground (rocky soil)
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. Mark 4:16-17 NLT
About this soil, Guzik says, “The stony ground hearer isn’t attacked directly by Satan, but by tribulation orpersecution. Jesus knew that many have an immediately favorable reaction to the word of God, but they give it up quickly when it becomes difficult to follow Jesus.”
Spurgeon writes, “The religion that is born of mere excitement will die when the excitement is over.”
We have got to play the long game. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
#3 – Thorns
The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. Mark 4:18-19 NLT
Guzik comments, “We might say this ground is too fertile. The word of God grows there, but so does everything else. And everything else soon begins to crowd out the word of God.”
#4 – Good Ground
“And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” Mark 4:20 NLT
HOW DO WE APPLY?
We apply by hearing His Word every morning.
Just for illustration, here are a couple of scriptures from Old and New Testament in my devotion this morning.
This is how God spoke to me through these scriptures.
OLD TESTAMENT
“Those who worship idols are disgraced— all who brag about their worthless gods— for every god must bow to him. For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.” Psalm 97:7&9 NLT
Anything that I love more than God is my god!
You might not think you worship your job, but if you love it more than you love God and the things of God, then it is your god.
You might not think you worship money, but does it dictate your mood? Does having much or little command your day. Then money could be your god.
Do you live for the next car or the next house or the next material thing? If so, if that consumes your day, this could be your god.
These scriptures help me identify any gods that would try to creep into my life and take first place of the one true God in my life.
NEW TESTAMENT
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT
We must be disciplined in our walk with God, like athletes are disciplined and they’re only pursuing prizes that will fade away. Every step must have purpose.
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
I will say it again….
